How to Make Salt Crystals

Feed a full crystal cup. To grow a large cluster of crystals, simply follow the steps above but be careful to use distilled water and not wire and sticks/pencils. Just pour the brine solution into the container and wait a few days you will see a layer of crystals appear on the bottom of the jar.

• It is better to use a shallow, flat and wide-mouthed jar than a tall one. This type of container will make it easy to get separate crystals that won’t stick to other crystals. ^[8]
• This method is difficult to apply with magnesium sulfate salt, you can use aluminum salt, table salt or salts listed below.

Choose a germ crystal. Once you have the crystals, pour the solution away and observe the crystals. Use tweezers to pick up the crystal and consider picking out the “germ crystal”. The seed crystal will be the nucleus / sprout for you to grow a new larger crystal. Choose the seed crystal that matches the following points (in descending order of importance): ^[9]

• Choose a single crystal that does not stick to another crystal.
• Choose crystals with even flat surfaces and straight edges.
• Choose crystals as large as possible (at least the size of a pea.) ^[10]
• It is best to select a few single crystals that meet the above conditions, and then place them in separate flasks or jars. In fact, crystals often dissolve or fail to grow, so it’s better to have redundancy.

Attach a piece of fishing line or line with a smooth surface. Use super glue (elephant glue, for example) to attach one end of the wire to the crystal or wrap the wire around the crystal.

• With this method, you should not use hemp rope or wire with rough surfaces. Because with smooth wire the crystal will not crystallize on the wire but will crystallize on the surface of your seed crystal.

Create a new solution. Prepare distilled water and salt of the same grade as the germ crystals. In this step, you just need to boil the water warmer than room temperature. Dissolve the salt in the water as we did in method 1, our goal is to prepare a sufficiently saturated solution. An unsaturated solution can dissolve the germ crystal, while an oversaturated solution will cause the salt particles to stick to the germ crystal, which will eventually form an unsightly mess. ^[11]

• There are a few ways that can quickly help you improve the above situation, but these methods have the disadvantage that they are quite complicated and require you to have knowledge of chemistry. ^[12]

Place the germ crystals and fresh solution in a clean container. To clean the container, you should wash it carefully and then rinse it with distilled water. Pour the freshly prepared saturated solution into the flask, then hang the suspended crystals in the center of the flask. The way to store the jar is as follows:

• Place the jar in a cool, dark place, in a cardboard box, for example.
• Line the bottom of the jar with a foam pad or a shock-absorbing, impact-reducing material.
• Cover the top of the pot with a piece of coffee filter paper, a piece of paper or a thin cloth to prevent dust from getting into the solution inside. Take care not to use materials that prevent air and steam from circulating through the vessel.

Check crystals often. The crystal growth will slow down during this time because the salt particles only begin to adhere to the germ crystal when some of the water has evaporated from the solution. Under favorable conditions, the crystal mass will grow in the shape of the seed crystal that you have implanted. In general, crystals can grow in size within a few weeks, but you can also “harvest” them at any time.

• About every 2 weeks you should filter the solution with coffee filter paper or thick cloth to remove dirt. ^[13]
• This is a long and not easy process. Even experienced crystal growers fail at times because the seed crystals are dissolved in solution or the crystals grow unevenly. If you have selected a perfect seed crystal, try testing the brine solution first with another seed crystal to make sure the saturation of the solution is appropriate.

Use nail polish to create a protective layer. When the crystal has reached the desired size, lift it out of the solution and let it dry. You can apply a clear coat of nail polish to the crystal surface. ^[14]

Experiment with a few different types. Many substances will crystallize if you use the method outlined in this article. You can buy most of these salts at chemical stores. Here are a few suggestions for you:

• The solder will give white crystals or can be dyed.
• Copper sulfate salt will give blue crystals ^[15]
• Chromium aluminum salt for purple crystals ^[16]
• Copper(I) acetate salt monohydrates water (copper acetate monohydrate) forming dark blue crystals ^[17]
• Warning : Some salts are harmful when entering the body through the digestive tract, inhalation, or in direct contact with the skin. Therefore you need to read the safety instructions on the label and do not expose children to these chemicals without adult supervision.

Snowflake shape. First make a star shape by tying string (with rough surface) together. Drop this star into the brine tank, the tiny salt crystals will crystallize on the string and form a sparkling snowflake. ^[18]