It’s important to use the right amount of water in proportion to the borax so you can make a “supersaturated” solution. This means that there are more solid particles in the water than the water can dissolve. If you use more than 1 cup (240 mL) of water, you can add more borax to ensure that the solution is supersaturated [2] X Research source
If you don’t see the powder floating in the water after you stir, add another 1/2 tablespoon (13 g) of borax to oversaturate the water. Be sure to purchase the powder borax from the laundry aisle of the supermarket. Other forms of borax, like borax soap, won’t work for making crystals.
The more drops of food coloring you add to the water, the brighter the color will be. However, if you add too much, your crystals may be smaller because the water becomes less saturated as you add the food coloring.
This will allow the pipe cleaner to dangle in the water without touching the sides of the jar.
If you don’t have string, you can use a piece of yarn or even a straight piece of pipe cleaner wrapped around the pencil. Make sure the string is short enough so that it doesn’t touch the bottom of the jar.
If it is, adjust the position of the pencil by moving it to one side, or try re-lowering the item into the water.
If you notice the crystals are touching the side or bottom of the jar, remove them from the solution to prevent them from growing too large to get out of the container.
You can hang the pipe cleaner ornament in a window to make a unique suncatcher.
Be careful when handling the egg shells. They’re very brittle and can crack and break easily if you hold them too tightly or drop them.
If you don’t have a cotton swab, you can use a small paint brush to spread the glue.
The alum on the egg will bond with alum in the water as the water cools, forming a beautiful geode-like structure. It’s important that the glue is completely dry before you grow the crystals. You can check to see if the glue is dry by touching the inside of each egg with your fingertip to see if the alum feels moist.
Always be careful when handling and pouring boiling water. It can easily splash onto your hands and arms, causing burns.
The water doesn’t have to be room temperature, but it should be cool enough for you to dip a finger into the water.
Colors like blue, purple, green, and pink tend to show up well in the alum crystals. Lighter colors like yellow likely won’t appear very bright once you remove them from the water.
Don’t worry if the shell shifts to one side or the other, as long as it’s generally positioned with the open side up. If you reach into the water without gloves on, you can stain your hands due to the alum and food coloring.
After 12 hours, you should be able to see sizable crystals on the shell, and you can leave them in the solution for up to 24 hours to grow a larger geode. The eggshell should be able to rest at the bottom of the container with the inside facing up. If it won’t stay, you can also try carefully pouring the solution into the egg and letting it dry on a flat surface covered by newspaper. [18] X Research source
