Check this.

Here is a link that might be useful: this

Make a super saturated sugar solution. Heat warm water and add sugar until no more will dissolve in it. Remove from heat, pour into a clean tin can roll a string in dry sugar and suspend the string down the middle. Tie the string over a skewer or chop stick. As it cools the sugar will form crystals on the string.

Here is a link that might be useful: rock candy

Mine never worked either!

I just called my MIL who is a retired JHS/HS science teacher, and if it makes you feel better she said she never had success herself so she never made it a project for her classes. What she would do instead was salt crystals. She said regular salt works well, but epsom salt is even easier.

I'll be watching with interest to see if anyone has had better success than you, my MIL or me!

Start with distilled water.

Impurities in the water serves as "seeds" to grow crystals. You will get smaller crystal with impure water.

Put the solution in the refrigerator also helps. Give it a lot of time. It takes many days for the water to dry out.

dcarch

Hmmm...I think we've already looked at all those links! LOL!

Some say "prime the string/stick with sugar" some don't. Some say boil to 265; some say to 247, and others don't even bother with boiling temps. Some sites say "cover the jars" others say "place them in the refrigerator"!!!!!

It sounds so dang simple, but very tricky to actually pull off.

It really should be a "fail-safe" experiment. It is almost impossible for it not to work. It is just that it takes many days for the water to dry out and the crystals to grow.

It would help if you start out with "seeded" strings or sticks. First soak the strings or sticks in the sugar water and let them dry out completely. The strings or sticks will be "seeded"

You can also melt some store bought flavored candies into the sugar water to give it color and flavor. Don't put too many candies in the sugar water. Candies may have inverted sugar, which doesn't crystallize as well.

Good luck.

dcarch

Never really worked for us either, and I tried a bunch of different methods. Best I ever got was slight crystals on the string. Certainly not what we envisioned in our "Bill Nye, Science Guy" attempts.
Jo

We may not be much help, but we're consistent. It never worked for me either!

Annie

As I said, it is impossible for it not to work. It would be against the law of science.

The problem you guys had mostly was because you were not patient enough.

It took me a month to make this.

dcarch

COOL!