Although this may be the first time you have ever heard of making flowers from coal, it's not a new process. It is believed to have been started in the late eighteen hundreds by some creative women. Since the wives of the coal miners of that era had access to plenty of chunks of coal, but little money to decorate their homes with, they came up with a way to make their own flower displays.
Actually, the "flowers" are crystals that form when a chemical reaction occurs. The crystals look a lot like delicate snowflakes. It's amazing to watch as the mixture of chemicals transform into these crystals!
To make your own flower display, you'll need to round up several materials. You shouldn't need to buy them because many of these common materials can be found around your home. You'll need two old glass bowls, some small chunks of coal, a few wooden toothpicks, small pieces of patterned cloth or paper, household glue, table salt, laundry bluing, tap water, household ammonia, and different colors of food coloring.
You'll also need a pair of waterproof gloves, some old rags in case you make a spill, a pair of protective safety glasses to protect your eyes with, and a sturdy, level work surface to set this project up on.
After you have the materials ready, The first step is to place some of the coal into the old glass bowl. Then, place some of the wooden toothpicks, small pieces of patterned cloth, and/or paper into the bowl. Arrange the items on top of the coal any way you wish. Then, use some of the glue to secure the items onto the chunks of coal. Allow the household glue to dry thoroughly before you proceed onto the next step. (Refer to the manufacturer's directions on the bottle to find out an estimated time.)
The second step is to use another old bowl to mix in. Place six tablespoons of the table salt, six tablespoons of the laundry bluing, six tablespoons of the tap water, and one tablespoon of the household ammonia together; stir until they are well mixed. Then, carefully pour the mixture all over the chunks of coal in the second bowl.
The third step is to place drops of the food coloring onto the coal at various places. Now comes the part of this project that you've been waiting for! Start checking on your flower display about an hour after you pour the mixture onto the coal. Because, within the next eight hours, the coal in the bowl will grow flowers of different colors! You're sure to be amazed by the different shapes and sizes of the crystal flowers!
Again, the crystals are formed by the chemical reaction that occurs because of the mixing of the materials. The coal doesn't actually play a role in the making of the flowers. It just gives the mixture a dark platform on which to work. Since the coal miner's wives didn't have food coloring to use, it wasn't used in the original formula. So, your flower display is going to grow to be more colorful and a little more interesting!
