Learned something new today

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LovelyLadyLux
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Learned something new today

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Was over at a gf house yesterday afternoon for a cuppa. Her and her husband travelled often and extensively because of her husband's work so she took to doing crafts and when they settled and retired she would pass her time both making crafts (fused glass to silk scarfs) and selling them at Craft Fairs.

She had on her counter top a clam shell that was covered thick with crystals. Really quite pretty. As I admired and queried how she ever found (silly me I thought she found this) a clam shell covered with crystals she started to laugh and said that she made it.

Of course she made it! :P She makes everything!

She actually made this out of BORAX! She added something like 3 tablespoons of Borax (laundry soap) to boiling water, stirred and then suspended the shell in the solution, took it out and in two hours it was encrusted with very quite pretty crystals which she also admitted to tinting with food colouring. Never knew at all that Borax would crystallize.

As an aside I'm quite fascinated with crystals. Love them and would have always loved to have found a large and split open a large rock full of amethyst crystals. Love 'em.

Might think about making some Borax crystals. She told me to use pipe cleaners to have a star shape and then suspend that into the solution and it will fill up with crystals when you bring it out to dry.


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Re: Learned something new today

Post by Horus »

Fascinating idea, you must give it a go :up
Heres a recipe for you to try:
In the beaker, stir 1/2 cup of Epsom salts with 1/2 cup of very hot tap water for at least one minute. ...
Add a couple drops of food coloring if you want your crystals to be colored.
Put the beaker in the refrigerator.
Check on it in a few hours to see a beaker full of crystals!

You can also make crystals from Salt and from Sugar, all you need to do is dissolve it in hot water to saturation point and hang a piece of string into it.. (without touching the sides) and let it cool, use a glass jar that can stand the heat.
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LovelyLadyLux
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Re: Learned something new today

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I have a full box of Borax but basically only use a couple of tablespoons a year to kill ants! I know it is a laundry soap but I don't really use it that way. Will have to see what type of crystals I can come up with.
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Re: Learned something new today

Post by Kiya »

LLL...............no photo to show us :?:
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Re: Learned something new today

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@Kiya - no photos yet but am thinking the Grandkids would enjoy H's recipe of Epsom salt (not too sure about letting them play with Borax and boiling water). IF I can actually grow a crystal I will be snapping photos :)
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