Be aware, borax crystals will turn white within a relatively short time. This is the crystals turning into tincalconite due to the presence of air. They'll get crumbly, too. Alum or MAP make crystals that keep their colors for a pretty long time.

@rowannorth1382

3 жыл бұрын

That's what I've been wondering and haven't gotten a straight answer on- How well they last, do they dissolve in air or water, what's their toxicity. Will it be safe to say, have these crystals out on display? Stuff like that.

@icatz

3 жыл бұрын

@@rowannorth1382 Sure you can put them out. I don't think Borax is toxic. Neither is alum or MAP. Even after they turn white they're still pretty. I used some as Xmas ornaments, but the pipe cleaner cat I made disintegrated. Just search for "why do borax crystals turn white".

@gems

3 жыл бұрын

One way to preserve them is to use a clear coat spray paint or other type of coating that prevents air from reaching the crystals.

@icatz

3 жыл бұрын

@@gems That could work as long as the crystals aren't too fine or fragile. Thanks!

while they are fragile when they are fresh, they can be made firmer by spraying them with a clear shellac. it helps keep them from crumbling.

i love how, in the first, larger snowflake, you can clearly see the crystals forming lovely rectangular prisms. absolutely gorgeous!

@KCoda1248

3 жыл бұрын

I saw another video where the made a new solution and put the snowflake (in this case) back in to boost the crystal growth and coverage without it coming out like the pipe cleaner. Also, the pipe cleaner is made up of so many “hairs,” it might have come out less encrusted if it was a snowflake crocheted from string or embroidery thread.

Borax is useful as a disinfecting cleaning additive. After a lot of my stuff was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, we were instructed to put borax into the washing machine when we were cleaning fabric items (tablecloths, towels, bedsheets, etc) that had gotten moldy after being soaked in the dirty sea water (borax kills mold)

I would like to see how different gems grow. Even it’s a cartoon style because its cool seeing how different gems grow

Run some course sandpaper over the wire to form extra crystals. Goo fun experiment.💎

That's actually pretty impressive that's a coolness project

This was so cool! The first snowflake was my favorite!!

That’s so cool, I’m definitely gonna have to try this in the future!

Why did the ornaments-in-progress spin around in the borax solution?

Awesome nice hand work on your snow flakes they looked great the crystals growth sweet awesome awesome video thank you

This was such a cool video. Great way to teach kids and adults about gem growing

Thank you. That was cool. I’ve grown sugar crystals b4 but I really enjoyed the comparison to what happens in the earth for crystallization.

Ornaments for your tree !! Way cool !!

Totally Awesome❄️

Great video. You could’ve hung the thread from the spoon 😂

You did good- great Job

These home made snowflakes are very pretty and unique looking.😀💙❄ It's amazing how to make crystals from this video.😯💎 Don't be hard on yourself, they look nice.👌 Nice video and Happy holidays.😊💎❄🎄💚❤

can these be used as ornaments or will they start to fall apart?

@gems

3 жыл бұрын

They don’t really fall apart, but they will deteriorate over time unless you use a clear coat spray or another type of coating to prevent air from reaching the crystals.

Wow what else do you do on your spare time❤😊😊

You guys are the best. This always happens. You guys always post stuff abt the perfect time xD Literally yesterday a friend asked me about crystal growth and I tried my best to explain it but this video might explain it better lol

@somethinginthewalls388

3 жыл бұрын

funky minerals in hot bath solidify and make funkier shapes

@alexanderzangal4125

3 жыл бұрын

@@somethinginthewalls388 that username tho-

@somethinginthewalls388

3 жыл бұрын

@@alexanderzangal4125 the catastrophic result of my 2 braincells being the farthest distance away from eachother

Can you add food color imaging to try to make some snow flakes. 👍❄

you should use a black pad so we can see them better

So cool! Can some kind of coloring be added to make it pink, purple or yellow?

@gems

3 жыл бұрын

We actually tried that a few times. It didn't work out so well. Even with a very dark red solution (courtesy of food coloring), we only got light pinkish crystals. We got better results by using a colored pipe cleaner as the backing and letting the crystals stay somewhat transparent...But that's just with the borax. Stay tuned. We've got a video coming up where we use another material and make some really impressively colored crystals.

Wow, I grew borax crystals before but never that size, I'm gonna try it again.

I recently grew some awsome crystals in my disposal bucket from my rock tumbler. I had know idea what they were. Now im thinking the are from the borax I used.

7:55 nope, shouldn't be surprising. Lotsa nucleation points on that pipe cleaner

That's so cool! What other crystals can you grow at home?

@gems

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Stay tuned...We’ve got some really special projects coming up.

@somethinginthewalls388

3 жыл бұрын

oh boy, well, there are many options, but some are either toxic or unstable. chrome alum is pretty but disintegrates since it readily dehydrates. you can prevent that from happening by either: - coating it in a thick layer of nail polish - covering it in aluminum alum, though it's pretty risky. if you can buy neodymium, I REALLY recommend neodymium sulfate. it's a wonderful pink color and its color actually changes in different lighting. if you wanna go for something easier, i recommend copper sulfate

@zoes.4210

3 жыл бұрын

@@gems Can't wait👍

@zoes.4210

3 жыл бұрын

@@somethinginthewalls388 Thanks, I'll check them out!

I would recommend wearing gloves just to protect your hands because some people can have a reaction have fun❤️

Can you reuse the solution?...maybe heat it up a bit, add more borax or water ?

Could you put food coloring in the water to colorize the crystals?

@gems

3 жыл бұрын

We tried it. The color wasn't great. But we have a video coming up where we make some really deeply colored crystals using a special formula. Stay tuned!

Yoooo

shoot you did better than me 😅

If crystal could reproduce doesn’t that mean they’re alive? It’s really fascinating!!

I just came to see my future wife 😂 jk