Knapper
01-19-2008, 12:33 AM
In todays comments on mountwashington.org, I requested that our readers make a Borax/sugar/salt snowflake and post your results here. If you skipped our homepage and came straight here, here is how to make a flake:
What you will need:
-String
-Wide mouth jar (apple sauce, mayonnaise, etc.)
-Pipe Cleaners (3-6 will work)
-Borax/sugar/salt
-Pencil or pen
-Boiling water
-Food coloring (optional)
-Scissors
Take your wide mouth jar and make sure it is clean. Next up, take your pipe cleaners and create a six-sided snowflake shape. Take a piece of string and tie it to one of the arms of the snowflake shape. Tie the other end to the pencil or pen. Test the shape you made by putting your flake in the jar. The pencil should rest across the top of the jar with the snowflake hanging freely in the jar below it. If not, reshape or trim the sides with scissors until it dangles freely. Next up, fill the jar with water until the flake is well submerged in water. Once you have measured the appropriate amount of water, pour this into a pot. Bring the water to a roaring boil (kids, make sure an adult helps you on this part of the project). Add borax or sugar or salt (borax will form crystals the fastest but sugar or salt is edible) to the water one tablespoon at a time. You should end up with a ratio of 3 tablespoon to one cup of water solution but the best method is to slowly add borax or sugar or salt until you cannot get it to dissolve anymore. Once you reach this point, you can add some food coloring for colored crystals. Next, carefully pour this supersaturated solution into the jar. Hang your flake shape in the jar of solution and let it sit undisturbed overnight. Come back in a day and you will have a flake covered in crystals. If you don’t get results immediately, give it a day or two more, sometimes it takes a bit longer to get the formation you are looking for. You can also keep it in the solution longer for a bigger flake.
Lastly, post a picture. To post, you will post a reply in this thread and post one of two ways. First, if you have it posted on another website, you can click on the picture that looks like a sun over a mountain range which is the “Insert Image” icon and past your url. The other option is to click on the paper clip shape next to the smiley face in the first row. Then browse for your image on your computer and post it. If you still need help, feel free to ask us in this forum, I am sure someone can answer your questions.
I look forward to seeing everyones results.
Ryan Knapp
Staff Meteorologist, KMWN
What you will need:
-String
-Wide mouth jar (apple sauce, mayonnaise, etc.)
-Pipe Cleaners (3-6 will work)
-Borax/sugar/salt
-Pencil or pen
-Boiling water
-Food coloring (optional)
-Scissors
Take your wide mouth jar and make sure it is clean. Next up, take your pipe cleaners and create a six-sided snowflake shape. Take a piece of string and tie it to one of the arms of the snowflake shape. Tie the other end to the pencil or pen. Test the shape you made by putting your flake in the jar. The pencil should rest across the top of the jar with the snowflake hanging freely in the jar below it. If not, reshape or trim the sides with scissors until it dangles freely. Next up, fill the jar with water until the flake is well submerged in water. Once you have measured the appropriate amount of water, pour this into a pot. Bring the water to a roaring boil (kids, make sure an adult helps you on this part of the project). Add borax or sugar or salt (borax will form crystals the fastest but sugar or salt is edible) to the water one tablespoon at a time. You should end up with a ratio of 3 tablespoon to one cup of water solution but the best method is to slowly add borax or sugar or salt until you cannot get it to dissolve anymore. Once you reach this point, you can add some food coloring for colored crystals. Next, carefully pour this supersaturated solution into the jar. Hang your flake shape in the jar of solution and let it sit undisturbed overnight. Come back in a day and you will have a flake covered in crystals. If you don’t get results immediately, give it a day or two more, sometimes it takes a bit longer to get the formation you are looking for. You can also keep it in the solution longer for a bigger flake.
Lastly, post a picture. To post, you will post a reply in this thread and post one of two ways. First, if you have it posted on another website, you can click on the picture that looks like a sun over a mountain range which is the “Insert Image” icon and past your url. The other option is to click on the paper clip shape next to the smiley face in the first row. Then browse for your image on your computer and post it. If you still need help, feel free to ask us in this forum, I am sure someone can answer your questions.
I look forward to seeing everyones results.
Ryan Knapp
Staff Meteorologist, KMWN