- 1). Place 1/2 cup of salt in a measuring cup. Pour 1 cup of hot water into a small pot and bring the water to a boil on a stove top.
- 2). Pour the boiling water carefully into a glass jar, and add kitchen salt by the teaspoonful to the water while stirring to dissolve.
- 3). Continuously add the salt, teaspoon by teaspoon, until the salt no longer dissolves in the water. The salt will fall to the bottom when you have a supersaturated solution. Add a few drops of food coloring to the salty water if you want colored crystals.
- 4). Tie the end of a 6- to 8-inch piece of thread to a paperclip. Tie the other end of the thread to a pencil. Lower the paper clip into the jar and rest the pencil on top of the jar in a horizontal fashion. The paper clip should be dangling near the bottom of the jar, but not touching it. Wrap the thread around the pencil a few times if it's too long.
- 5). Cover the top of the jar with a paper towel so dust and debris won't contaminate the water. Place the jar in a place where it will be undisturbed.
- 6). Look in the jar after 12 hours. You should see small crystals beginning to form on the bottom of the glass jar, on the paper clip and on the thread. After 24 hours, you should see formed crystals. Look at the crystals after 48 hours; you'll see some single cubes and some clusters.
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