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1. Prepare your craft pipes by shaping
them as desired. We made loops in the top and bottom of each pipe and then
wound it around a pencil to create the spiral.
2. Colour with sharpie markers if wanted.
3. Attach a length of string to one end and hook onto a pencil, twig,
or other strut that will suspend the stems above and within the borax solution.
Making the borax solution
1. Firstly please check if your glass jar/container is tempered and
can withstand very hot water without shattering.
2. mix up a solution of of 1 pint boiling water with 3 full tablespoons
of borax powder approx 100g and stir until dissolved. As with many laundry detergents please take care not to
inhale, ingest or taste test this solution
3. Position the shaped stem/s in the cloudy mix so that they aren't
touching the bottom, sides or another stem.
4. Wait and watch!
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5. Crystals can begin to form within the hour. Check frequently so you
can remove the stem when you're most happy with the grown formations.
6. Once removed leave to dry. Keep
out of children's and pet's reach
More crystal explanations on the science
club website
7. If wanted, regenerate the solution by emptying out the majority of
clear water, adding 1 spoonful of borax and topping up slowly with boiling
water. This will dissolve the settled borax/crystals in your jar and enable
you to make more stem decorations.
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Turning spirals into
yule tree decorations
Use bails, beads, charms, cages and ribbons to transform your crystals into
uniquely pretty tree hangings.
Once dry the
crystals are quite sturdy. If you find the looped areas have disappeared
use long nose pliers to clear/crush a path for your bails and rings to be
attached.
Use stones and cones from your own garden to personalise your creations.
Gift a jar filled with all the necessary bits 'n' pieces to an interested
friend or family member and invite them to join you in growing crystals.
Please include a borax safety sheet to ensure the powder and resulting crystals
are kept & displayed well out of children's reach.
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purchase a santa charm set on ebay limited number sorry
Print a guide to include in your jar and
a jar shaped gift tag label
to address your present.
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For safety
Concerns about the use of borax in homes and around children & pets
are ongoing. With sensible precautions these crystal decorations can be
thoroughly enjoyed and truly admired as they adorn thought-out branches of
well positioned yule trees.
Quote from Intralabs' borax
listing on ebay.co.uk and their website
Is Borax Safe?
The short answer is Yes, Borax can be handled like table salt and short
term exposure presents very little risk. Before the year 2010 you could
enter your local chemist or pharmacy and pick up some borax easily. It was
used for many things and hailed by some as a “wonder powder”. Then in June
2010 the ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) submitted a supporting document
to the Member State Committee to request reclassification of Disodium TetraBorate,
Anhydrous (Borax) and it hydrated forms because of its repro-toxic properties.
Borax is now listed in the ‘Substances of Very High Concern’ list and it
has been reclassified as Hazard class – Re-protoxic, Category – 1B. Any product
that contains above a particular % concentration of borax (about 4-8%)
should display the warning “May damage fertility” and “May cause harm to
the unborn child”.
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