How to Make Colorful Burning Pine Cones

by Catten Ely

The Things You'll Need:

newspaper 

pine cones 

deep glass or plastic bowl 

one salt or compound for color

1. Pour 1/2 gallon of hot water into a deep glass or plastic bowl. 

2. Dissolve 8 ounces of any one of the following chemicals in the water:

alum (thallium) for a bright green flame

strontium chloride for a bright red flame

boric acid for a deep red flame

calcium for a reddish-orange flame

calcium chloride for a yellowish-orange flame

table salt for a yellow flame

borax (sodium tetraborate) for a yellow-green flame

blue vitriol (copper sulfate) or barium for a green flame

saltpeter (potassium nitrate) for a violet flame

or Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) for a white flame. 

3. Soak the pine cones in the solution for 6 hours. 

4. Dry them for at least three days in a warm, dry area on newspaper or hang in a mesh bag.

 

Tips:

  To get the pine cones looking their best, heat them in the oven at 225 degrees F on a foil-covered cookie sheet. They will open all the way and look fuller.

 

Warnings:

Use only one salt or compound for color. 

Be very careful handling these chemicals and follow the manufacturer's directions. Some compounds can be poisonous if mishandled.

Art Work used in border by  Keith Parkinson