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Crystal gardens!
Hi all,
As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. I've now suggested to my eldest son that we make one of these - and have realised how hard these things are to come by these days! Can anybody suggest a supplier of these various chemicals, and the waterglass itself - Unichem pharmacies don't tend to stock the same stuff that my local did 30 years ago! Thanks Gary |
Crystal gardens!
On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 23:36:45 +0100, Gary Cavie wrote:
Hi all, As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. I've now suggested to my eldest son that we make one of these - and have realised how hard these things are to come by these days! Can anybody suggest a supplier of these various chemicals, and the waterglass itself - Unichem pharmacies don't tend to stock the same stuff that my local did 30 years ago! Thanks Gary Gawd...I used to have a book that gave you "recipes" for making such things ...Invisible ink that you used to write with but I cant remeber how you made it reappear .Things that were like those mosquito repellent things that you lit and they burned down ..can't remeber what they were supposed to do either .. have you tried a smaller local chemist .? Stuart |
Crystal gardens!
Gary Cavie wrote:
Hi all, As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. I've now suggested to my eldest son that we make one of these - and have realised how hard these things are to come by these days! Can anybody suggest a supplier of these various chemicals, and the waterglass itself - Unichem pharmacies don't tend to stock the same stuff that my local did 30 years ago! In my mispent youth I used to buy all the components for gunpowder from Timothy Whites the chemist, and Boots sold test tubes, but can't suggest anywhere now. john2 |
Crystal gardens!
Gary Cavie wrote:
Hi all, As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. I've now suggested to my eldest son that we make one of these - and have realised how hard these things are to come by these days! Can anybody suggest a supplier of these various chemicals, and the waterglass itself - Unichem pharmacies don't tend to stock the same stuff that my local did 30 years ago! Look he http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A4044845 and here for a company selling waterglass (sodium silicate): http://www.potterycrafts.co.uk/Potte...celist2006.pdf It's relatively cheap, about £3 per Kg, and it's used in pottery glazes so you should find it anywhere supplying pottery materials. |
Crystal gardens!
"Steve Firth" wrote in message ... Gary Cavie wrote: Hi all, As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. I've now suggested to my eldest son that we make one of these - and have realised how hard these things are to come by these days! Can anybody suggest a supplier of these various chemicals, and the waterglass itself - Unichem pharmacies don't tend to stock the same stuff that my local did 30 years ago! Look he http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A4044845 and here for a company selling waterglass (sodium silicate): http://www.potterycrafts.co.uk/Potte...celist2006.pdf It's relatively cheap, about £3 per Kg, and it's used in pottery glazes so you should find it anywhere supplying pottery materials. since heavy metals such as copper and cobalt are also used in glazes they may be able to help, the salts need to be soluble and I don't know if that is needed in glazes so getting the toxic soluble salts of things like cobalt may be harder (cobalt oxide + hydrochoric acid - filter - evaporate to crystals would woulk though) -- (º·.?(?*·.? ?.·*?)?.·º) .·°·. NIK .·°·. (?.·º(?.·?* *?·.?)º·.?) |
Crystal gardens!
Stuart wrote: .Things that you lit and they burned down ..can't remember what they were supposed to do either .. Burn up? |
Crystal gardens!
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Crystal gardens!
"Gary Cavie" wrote in message t... Hi all, As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. I've now suggested to my eldest son that we make one of these - and have realised how hard these things are to come by these days! Can anybody suggest a supplier of these various chemicals, and the waterglass itself - Unichem pharmacies don't tend to stock the same stuff that my local did 30 years ago! Thanks Gary Have a look at Hawkins Bazaar, http://www.hawkin.com/ Mary |
Crystal gardens!
Gary Cavie wrote:
Hi all, As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. I've now suggested to my eldest son that we make one of these - and have realised how hard these things are to come by these days! Can anybody suggest a supplier of these various chemicals, and the waterglass itself - Unichem pharmacies don't tend to stock the same stuff that my local did 30 years ago! Thanks Gary Supermarket sells table salt and washing soda. Chemist sells epsom salts, and maybe copper sulphate too. And borax. Citric acid too, from chemists, but you dont want yet another white one. I dont know whether adding food dye would result in flecks of dye getting caught in the lattice imperfections. Maybe try putting a little onto the already grown crystal? NT |
Crystal gardens!
As a youngster I made a crystal garden, using chemicals which I could
easily obtain at the local chemists (Copper Sulphate, Cobalt Chloride etc). These were dropped into a solution of waterglass. We got a kit recently from Toys R Us. Bulk chemicals may be cheaper, but don't come with instructions! Christian. |
Crystal gardens!
On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 18:27:11 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: Have a look at Hawkins Bazaar, http://www.hawkin.com/ Hawkins do a decent alum "crystals by evaporating a solution" kit, but they don't (AFAIK) do one for gardens in waterglass. You _may_ still find waterglass from a small chemist or ironmonger, as egg preserver. I imagine Mary is the expert here as to whether it's ever still used for this, but my local shop sells it as such. It's also good at sealing dusty concrete floors (also asbestos, and mustard gas contamination) Chemistry is hard to get hold of these days, so I usually get mine by scrounging. Even when I can find a seller, I'm often stuck between either paying top whack for lab reagent grade, or buying 40 gallon drums. |
Crystal gardens!
"Andy Dingley" wrote in message ... On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 18:27:11 +0100, "Mary Fisher" wrote: Have a look at Hawkins Bazaar, http://www.hawkin.com/ Hawkins do a decent alum "crystals by evaporating a solution" kit, but they don't (AFAIK) do one for gardens in waterglass. Sorry, I thought it was the old 'coal garden' we used to have. You _may_ still find waterglass from a small chemist or ironmonger, as egg preserver. I imagine Mary is the expert here as to whether it's ever still used for this, but my local shop sells it as such. It's also good at sealing dusty concrete floors (also asbestos, and mustard gas contamination) I'm not a poultry expert and I don't know if waterglass is still used for preserving eggs. A friend used to have buckets full of thestuff (with eggs) all over her small house but that was many years ago. As a point of interest (or non-interest according to the reader's opinion) unwashed eggs keep extremely well if they're well produced. My banties didn't lay from October so our egg usage diminished. I used the last egg in March - for mayonnaise. I haven't seen the use of water glass as an egg preservative recommended in any modern books or magazines - but that just means that I haven't seen it, not that it is never advocated. Chemistry is hard to get hold of these days, so I usually get mine by scrounging. Even when I can find a seller, I'm often stuck between either paying top whack for lab reagent grade, or buying 40 gallon drums. You could pack it in smaller quantities and make a profit! Mary |
Crystal gardens!
Mary Fisher wrote:
"Andy Dingley" wrote in message ... On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 18:27:11 +0100, "Mary Fisher" wrote: I'm not a poultry expert and I don't know if waterglass is still used for preserving eggs. A friend used to have buckets full of thestuff (with eggs) all over her small house but that was many years ago. As a point of interest (or non-interest according to the reader's opinion) unwashed eggs keep extremely well if they're well produced. My banties didn't lay from October so our egg usage diminished. I used the last egg in March - for mayonnaise. I haven't seen the use of water glass as an egg preservative recommended in any modern books or magazines - but that just means that I haven't seen it, not that it is never advocated. Eggs normally last a lot longer than that, theyre quite safe cooked after 9 months storage. The reason to advise short storage is just to reduce bacteria leves within the eggs, in the knowledge that there are still people eating raw eggs, or bits of raw egg along with their cooked egg. Builders lime is the other egg presevative, keeping eggs in lime water extends life to 2 or 3 years. Used to be used in centuries past. How safe it is I dont know, as I dont see any form of protection against Clostridium botulinum, unless youre willing to cook them for 10 minutes afterwards. Mayo is probably one of the things I would not want to make with old eggs. NT |
Crystal gardens!
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