Prints Composed of Crystals - Growing crystals in situ with the image

[holmburgers]

Ron, do you mean at EKC?

Did you guys ever do any actual work?



Well pretty & colorful crystals are what we need for this to work.. 'just need a bit more know-how when it comes to crystals.

[DPVisions]

I am going to be forced to stop reading this forum.. To many interesting ideas are coming forth and I have Shinny Object Syndrome and cant resist takink an interest in the ideas.

Cheers,
David

[holmburgers]

David, no, you mustn't stop reading! I need smart folks like you to take an interest in the ideas, and maybe someday they'll actually grow legs.

[Photo Engineer]

Chris;

I got a kit for crystal growing when I was about 10 and grew these colorful things in a clear glass jar. The kit had the ingredients which included some common chemicals and I think one of the was glycerine. Anyhow, I recreated it about 5 years later with the help of a friendly pharmacist. I grew some again in blue, red, yellow and green.

I remember it was simple abut I can't remember the chemistry.

You dumped the salts into water and they did not dissolve right away. Then you added a liquid to the container and as the salts tried to dissolve, they formed colored "mountains" growing upwards from the bottom until they began to topple from their own weight. It was a very interesting and exciting thing to show to friends.

I never did it again, and never at EK.

PE

[Hexavalent]

I have been forcing myself to not even think about this whole concept.
Alas, I am powerless when it comes to shiny sparkly things.

This "crystal recipes" website might offer some ideas.

[anikin]

Holmburgers,

My kids did some crystal growing a couple of years ago: http://www.anikin.com//photos/read.2...DSC_7804.b.jpg

I was thinking in similar terms as you did. Basically, make a cyanotype as a seed image, and then use crystals to grow on it. If it works, if should be really beautiful! One day if I get some spare time I might try it...

Eugene.

[holmburgers]

Hey Ian, thanks for the link. The chrome alum one is tempting since I've got some, though copper sulfate sure is purty..

This guy seems to know a thing or two about crystals... http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/crystals.htm ...and he even uses potassium chromate (quite fond of that one), potassium dichromate (doesn't mention any health risks, hmm) and potassium ferricyanide, to name just a few.

I'm tempted to email him.

Ron, don't know why I assumed you did that at Kodak!