Growing CRYSTAL TREES
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH BEFORE COPYING ANY EXPERIMENTS YOU SEE ONLINE!
Now that's out there.
This idea came to me and I can't believe it actually worked!
Ill be growing my own crystals, and making crystal trees for my Dungeons and dragons campaign.
the tree base method comes from encounter terrain, check out his amazing work encounterterrai...
Come say hi and share your work!
seb.makes.stuff
SebMakesStuff
www.tiktok.com/@seb.makes.stuff
film.imakestuff@gmail.com
Materials list
- Pipe cleaners
- Acrylic paint
- Borax
- Ink paints
- Boiling water
- Paper plates
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:18 The Idea
00:56 Prep
02:50 The Experiment
05:26 The Results
08:33 Attempt 2
09:22 Clean up and paint
09:58 Adding a Display Base
10:22 The Crystal Trees
10:36 Adding Inks
10:54 The Final Results
11:42 Outro - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Smashing idea, It looks absolutely amazing! I wonder how good a crystal golem would come out of a process like this🤔
Gotta try this too. lol
Ohhhh yer I'm going to have to try this out for sure!
😮🤔
If you leave them in longer, the more crystals you will have..yes they is right, the way you crystals. Beautiful trees..❤
The crystals will be bigger if you leave them longer but there is a point that it won't grow any more as the borax will have mostly left the water. I found that 2 days made very little different to the batch that was 24 hours. I think that at that point most of the borax has left the water and either formed crystals in the trees or on the bowl itself
Tempted to experiment and try this with a cheap wig to see if I can finally figure an Ashton Greymoore (Critical Role C3) cosplay, because I wanted good looking crystals for his hair but didn't know where to start.
Sounds like really good idea
Oh now this I would absolutely love to see! You're talking to a fellow critter here.
@@SebMakesStuff how far are you in? I am at ep 72 in cp2 and ep 20 in cp3 ^^
Finished c2 twice and c3-28. I really need to give the first one a go, but the quality drop always puts me off. Plus we now have the show for that 👍
@@SebMakesStuff the quality is fine after ~10 episodes. The show is nice but not really compareable to the real cp 1 as far as I know.
spray with a shellac to help keep the crystals from crumbling
I'll take that into account for my future crystals. They definitely need some kind of coating on the crystals, in my humid climate the raw crystals go white and crumbly in time. But the inks and varnishes I used in this video did keep these ones solid and clear over a long time
I love that you show the initial approach and version 2. That’s more information for us viewers to learn from! Good tutorial, immediately subscribed
Thanks 😊 I like to try and bring you guys along my creative process as much as possible. Glad it's enjoyed
Very cool! I have seen other videos show this experiment detail that the crystals should be coated in clear nail polish to create a protective barrier. Water vapour in the air can cause them to melt slowly. 👍
That's a great note! Ive sealed mine up with gloss varnish since the video. but the clean nail polish is a great idea, I will have to mention it next time I build with these. Thanks 😊
Can't wait to see more!
Thankyou kindly
Absolutely beautiful!!
Thankyou 😁☺️
Beautiful trees, well done. I love trees!!❤
Thankyou kindly 😁 I am quite happy with these
I just recently found your channel and I am glad I found it because that looks amazing!
Thanks ☺️ these are definitely the coolest thing I've done so far
Great inspired technique!
Thankyou kindly
You showed up in my recommended and I'm glad I checked out your video. Even if I don't use this for my sessions, I'm absolutely going to try to make these just for around my room. Thank you for the content.
Thankyou for the kind words 😊 these are a lot of fun to make, I've just kept making them since the video. I'll have a small Forrest soon
Very cool...and congrats on the video! It is doing very well! You deserve it!
Thanks mate 👍 yer crazy to see it jump up in views
I LOVE this!! I'm going to try it!! I've subscribed!
It's a great build, and it's so fun seeing your own crystals grow! Hope you get some magical trees
Great idea! Im going to give it a try.
Hope you get something magical
omgggggg so prettyyyy!
Thanks 😊 i was stocked with how these came out
Coolest terrain workshop i've seen, ever. I'd like to see some Necron green, but im not complaining, top shelf, mate.
Cheers mate! It's probably the coolest thing I've ever come up with, that's for sure. I might have to make some necron green ones next time because that does sound pretty dope
You just blew my mind. You have creativity that is simply humbling. Thank you for sharing with us.
Why thankyou 😁 to be honest this craft blew my mind. I had no idea if it would work or not and it came out so awesome
*jaw dropped* bout to cancel my grim dark campaign and do something more whimsical just to build these. By gawd Seb. They're amazing.
Ive never been more flattered! thank you kindly, they are definitely my favourite build so far and have sparked a few more ideas for future builds so expect more crystals in the future haha
@@SebMakesStuff I started them as soon as I got home from work. I have two of them sitting in my garage. For an "Amethyst" tree, do you have a paint you recommend to accentuate the crystal aspect?
I really like the Vallejo game inks, but the citadel technical soultone blue is also a good option. I've shown all the variations of the paint I currently have on this previous video if that helps.
th-cam.com/video/Wyiyec6-Ns4/w-d-xo.html
@@SebMakesStuff I seem your dragon and ice giant videos. I figured that would be your answer but wanted to see if something had changed
Nothing new on that front yet, but I feel like I'll be testing out alot more crystal build going forward now that I can make these so easily
I tried growing crystals for my table top but I didn't think of borak. Those came out fantastic
Yer Ive tried a few things before but nothing stated strong enough for gameplay. But the borax was a game changer
Wow this is amazing! Wille have to try that for my table :)
Thanks mate. Awesome! love that's it's going to be on a few tabletops
Oh I’m totally gonna try this.
Definitely recommend! It's so much fun pulling the crystals out!
I'll be doing it Thanks
Awesome! Hope you end up with some awesome magic trees 😁
@@SebMakesStuff I of course went to heavy on powder 😂 seems like it burns to a pan 😂😂😂😂. Slowly add the powder I believe. 😂
Amazing! I want to cover everything in crystals now haha!
Haha oh yer it's given me sooo many ideas!
I'm thinking you could add some led lights to the twisting pipe cleaners to get some night glowing cristal trees.
This was an idea I was considering, I'm just not sure how the LEDs would last in the boiling water/chemical solution. But it's worth a test!
Amazing idea! I may use it to create some cool terrain features. What did you use to tint the crystals? Also, did you test how brittle they are? Great video btw!
I started with food colouring in the mix then used game inks from Vallejo to paint over them and seal them up. They are super durable I've had them fall off tables and only loose a few peices. It's also been a few months since the build and they are all holding up as strong as ever.
I'm gonna add LED lights to them and oh man I'm excited
I have plans to try this myself! Hope it works out, keep me updated. Would love to see your end result
Amazing. I've never seen a crystal tree in gaming. I've seen crystal trees, before... Heck there are even "DIY salt crystal trees"... buy I've never seen them in borax, nor used for tabletop. What a great idea! And pretty. Very cool
thank you :D I love the idea of adding something that hasn't been seen before, in a world of fantasy gaming its rare to come up with something new.
Yer ive played with some of the other crystal tree styles, but The borax was a game changer for durability. Can't wait to see them being used on peoples tables
They make brown food color. Just dye your pipe cleaners and let them dry before you use them. I use a company out of China called "Gourmet food coloring liquid." It's really good but best you get it soon we might not be doing business with them much longer.
Really like your work! Thanks
yer I think staining them is a great idea. ive thought about doing that with some broke ink I have picked up from the local craft store. And I know Encounter terrain stains his using timber stain, and that comes out looking great.
neat
Cheers
D&D x Chemistry, love it.
Always fun to find new materials to work with in different realms outside of classic craft
Oh this is a brilliant idea and excellent execution!
I might try to sneak a couple of tiny LEDs in the tips of the branches, do you think the crystals are translucent enough?
Yer the LEDs are a though I had aswell, as long as they survive the boiling water. But the crystals would definitely be translucent enough to have an awesome glow
I wonder if you slide a straw in through the pipe cleaners, could you slide the LED into the center in the straw?
You are a genius, Seb! Sooooo cool!!!! How much Borax did you wind up using? These are beautiful and keep making me think of God Of War and the fast travel area between realms! I totally agree with Falvodor that a crystal Golem would be cool! Seb, what would you use to make a pool of lava? I'm working on a piece for The Tomb of Annihilation and need this lava pool and can't decide what to use for the lava!
Yer this has given me alot of ideas for adding crystal to future builds, things like that god of war fasts travel bridge thing would work perfectly! Hmmmm for lava I would either just try to paint to effects onto the ground then try and use crackle paint to represent the top drying layer. Alternatively you could put some warm lights under a yellow/red resin pour. I've been trying to come up with a good way to make lava for a while, but am yet to come up with something I like
Idea to try- Do the trunk and roots first in one color, then the branches in another. different growing times would improve the results.
I like the idea, it might take a bit of messing around with to keep the first batch from melting with the boiling solution of the second batch. But there is always a way!
Nice cherry blossom tree
I didn't even think of them in that way.....ohhhh now i have some ideas!!!
Thankyou 😊
Man, I just took my tween girls on a game to DMDave's Unicorn Island and these trees would've been PERFECT! I will have to find another setting to put them in ASAP. They're amazing!
Haha oh yer these definitely belong on a unicorn island! Love that you're playing with your girls
@@SebMakesStuff They're very fun to play with. Everything is so new and amazing to them! And because they have no experience, they think I'm the best DM on the planet. Lol I totally recommend playing d&d with kids. It's great!
I love it! It sounds like a great time. And I'm sure the little ones would shock me with what they come up with in game. It's always the girls at my table that do the most insane things
@@SebMakesStuff yeah they're young so they don't know what they can't do! They shocked me the other day because they decided to sneakily murder an evil green dragon. After approximately a dozen good rolls on a 20-step plan they made all by themselves, I rolled really low on his saves so I let them have it. They earmed it! Lol (it was only a wyrmling)
Perfect! Haha I love it, it takes so long for adults to realise just how open the game is to their crazy thoughts, too used to games with one path. But kids.... They're perfect!
FEY WILD!!!!!!
How sturdy are they? Do the crystals flake off easily? They look amazing!
So far they are holding up well. I've dropped one off a table and it only had a little bit of crystal break off. Nd a few others have been knocked over several times without any breakage. I've have them over a month both and no real issues
What is the proper way to dispose of the left over solution?
I just tipped mine down the laundry sink. Seeing as the original borax is offten used to clean sinks it seemed appropriate. But I am by no means a safety or chemicals expert
So awesome! Definitely want to make some. I haven't used Borax before though, is that stuff harmful to breathe in etc?
Im sure it wouldn't be great to breathe in. But if you're cautious as you work with it while it boils, you'll be fine. But by all means, do your own research before trying anything you see on the internet.
Especially with cleaning products/chemicals.
The main research that causes people to worry about this chemical is about rats who ingested large amounts. But still, always be careful.
@@SebMakesStuff thank you for the reply!
I'm always happy to help anyone thats keen to get involved in the crafting world in any way i can. Thanks for the questions 😁
Wait I don’t have pipe cleaner does it work with any other material or thing I mean grow on it
Besides pipe cleaners
It absolutely does. It just really sticks nicely to the pipe cleaners. If you watch my crystal snails video you can see how it came up on a plaster and a resin cast.
Think this would work with rock candy? Things looking tasty without actually being eatable might be dangerous for my group.
well you know im going to have to try now! this could be bad for my sweet tooth
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
So much love 😊 thankyou
Hey Seb, what kind of paint did you use on the crystals?
I use the vallajo inks set. I use them for all of my transparent paints. Love the way they come out. I do have another rvideo where I tested a bunch of different ways to paint transparent things and the inks won by a long shot. Highly recommend!
What kind of colors do you use to Color the white or too bright crystals? Btw I really like this video and I’m maybe gonna try out soon 😊
I originally tried to color the solution with food die. But after it didn't come out in a way I liked I ended up using 'vallejo game Inks'. They did a great job of adding colour while also sealing up the crystals. I've also seen people using clear nail polish colours as a way to color and seal similar crystals so I might have to test that out on a future crystal build I have coming
what are the measurements for the water and borax?
It's not exactly a perfect measurement thing. You boil the water and slowly mix more and more borax in until it reaches full saturation and you can't make any more dissolve into the water. If you add in too much too quickly it makes it harder to dissolve it all in. So it's a process more than a recipie
Why the preference for borax? Could you use salt?
I didn't know that it could be done with salt, and I'm not sure what the long term strength of salt would be. The borax recepie is just something I remembered from years ago. I'll probably have to try it with salt tho
can you also use salt crystals?
I havnt tried the salt crystals myself. But a few people have mentioned it. I'm going to have to give it a go at some point and see how they hold up compared to the broax.
Looks awesome but how do you preserve the crystals? I understand some of them degrade over time
The coats in ink have managed to seal up the Crystals. I've also played around with gloss varnish and have been told clear nailpolish is another great option.
The ink and varnish options for me are still halfing strong after a year. Where as ones I didn't seal up have turned a bit cloudy in humid environments
@@SebMakesStuff thanks for the response and update on the sealing process
Always happy to talk craft! 😁
Did you put with nail polish before painting?
I generally put the inks (painting) on first, then seal it all up with the gloss varnish or nail polish. I like how the ink seeps into the cracks in the crystal when applied directly to the crystal
could this be done with sugar crystals, maybe?
I like this thought and want to investigate it further
So final test.
6 months later how are these crystals holding up? 😊
great question, im actually think gin of doing a follow up to this video to show that.
The ones that I coated in inks are doing great! they are still solid and look exactly how thyet did when I finished them. But some of the ones that I didn't seal up with inks have gotten a cloudy white layer over some of the crystals. This only happened to the ones that weren't sealed and were kept in a room that got super humid over the summer. so I think some warm moisture pulled out some of the borax.
But overall they have still stayed strong
make more crastal stuf plees
My latest video is another crystal build, and I have a few more planned for the future. They are a super fun material to work with, so expect to see more
I do it for school
Love that!
Those crystals with an angle could be used to make crystals growing up the side of cave walls.
Absolutely! I want to make some cave terrain/dioramas with them soon. Keep an eye out for that in the near future!
I want to try these with LEDs and UV/Glow in the dark powder
Yer ive had a few people say the same. I think im gonna have to make another batch with lights soon
Love the idea of the uv/glow effects aswell
I wonder if this could be done with Christmas lights or some sort of LED's so they really glow
I did want to play around with that, but I wonder how well the lights would hold up in the boiling hot liquid. I should find some watertight LEDs to test it out with tho
@@SebMakesStuff might even be able to make a quick seal with hot glue but idk how well the Crystal's would form on glue or how well it'd hold up but I'd say worth it to experiment with old xmas lights. After I move I'll definitely be making some crystal trees! The best crafting videos are the ones that give you inspiration
Oh yer I'll definitely be testing it out! And I couldn't agree more it's all about inspiration in this hobby and I'm stocked that I've been able to inspire a few people
@@SebMakesStuff well thank you can't wait to see your test results
Hmm, might be tough to do over in Germany.
All I am finding is "Borax-substitute". sadness.
Oh damn. I wonder if that would do the same thing 🤷🏼♂️ could be worth an experiment.
I know this video is a year old. but just as a heads up borax is poisonous. so if you get it on your skin or inhale it or don’t clean the container you are using really well before using it for something else it can make you really sick and or cause skin irritation
Yer I'm aware of the risks, most of which are based on consuming the borax. Everything I used are only ever used for crafting so nothing is used for food prep. And like any cleaning products and chemicals care should absolutely be taken, and I probably should have been more clear about that in the video. I will definitely be more clear about this if I do more videos using this method, as I know not everyone will do their own research.
It's not a real experiment unless someone starts a fire!😂
Couldn't agree more
Send some more for me I am in grade4
You can do this with salt too I'll bet! :)
Yer I've heard that you can but I'm yet to try it. I'll probably have to give it a test and compare the two. I wonder if salt will be as strong and last as long. Definitely an experiment worth doing
@SebMakesStuff salt is in a different crystal system (isometric vs monoclinic), too, so it should look a little different also!! Post a video if you do!! 😁
Thanks for the video but you nearly knocked a cloth onto that open flame. We've only ever had electric stoves and this has just made me never want to try a gas cooktop.
Haha that's why I have a fire extinguisher!
I am 9years old that is my mother and father
😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Glad you liked it 😁 they are a lot of fun to make. But you will definitely need mum and dad to help with a craft like this
Is it real
Very much so! One of the coolest things I've made to date!
Great idea unfortunately borax is banner in UK and Europe.
Yer ive heard this since posting this video, its a pity as its a useful product. I have seen a few options to make something similar with salt. I might have to try it out some time t give all of you guys an option
@@SebMakesStuff they banned borax due to health concerns such as cancer, if I remember correctly.
It was banned because it caused reproductive defects when fed to rats in high dosages. But i generally wouldn't recommend anyone eat any kind of cleaning chemicals. Its also dangerous if pets injest it, but once again these things arent mean to be eaten. Borax is actually considered quite safe from all the research i have done since being told about peoples concerns.
Nghệ thật sự
My name is Adelein wat is youre
I'm Seb 😁 nice to meet you adelein
Man you need to clean your cooker its gross
Haha fair, the fun of living in a share house, it's always hard to keep things clean
Suggestion! I love the video BTW.
Try using the individual pipe cleaner without the tree itself. Do everything else as you've done. Keep the part where there's no fuzz along the wire.
You definitely know how to make a wire tree. Get some armeture wire with the brown paper coating. Pita to work with but not impossible. Make your tree from that.
You've got branches. You've got crystals. Tie the exposed end to the end of the armature wire branches and shape accordingly. You'll have crystals that are supported by the heavier gauge wire and that gnarled trunk and branches as a finished piece.
Yer that would be a great build. Could make some really big trees that would handle their own weight. I think I might have to add that to the build list!
@@SebMakesStuff if you try the armature wire, tip from experience. You might want to use a work glove as its easier on your fingers. Size? As compared to say a tabletop game setup like the one you demonstrated, it's pretty huge as compared to that.
Have fun! 🙂
A giant crystal tree would be pretty awesome 😏
@@SebMakesStuff I agree totally! Ive had this idea to do something like it for a certain artistic endeavour. Pending on what you're going for, that might take a little tinkering to get it to how you want it. 🙂
Life size crystal tree! Haha I might be a bit delusional with that one. But dam it would be cool
Send me a message when you read it thank you