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

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

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

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.

"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·.?)

Stuart wrote:

.Things that you lit and they burned down
..can't remember what they were supposed to do either ..

Burn up?

how about
http://www.otherlandtoys.co.uk/produ...tml?&prod=1167

"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

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

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.

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.

"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

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

In message . com,
writes
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.

Saturated brine also works

Very common in Indonesia, we tried it last year but the eggs got eaten
before a proper time test could be done


--
geoff