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Add some rainbow to your fireplace with Rainbow Flame Crystals. Ooh, or how would this rainbow light show be for your outdoor fire pit!? Just sprinkle these crystals on your fire place, wood stoves or campfires — the colored flames last for about 10 to 40 minutes.
Check out this Scout Master’s Amazon review:
At the campfire this product produced some very nice blue, green and ever so often purple flame, which both the kids and the adults found very enjoyable (hint: don’t tell them that you’re using this stuff, especially the kids). The effects lingered for some time, about five minutes per heaping tablespoon of product. I found that a larger amount — maybe a half cup — was the best way to apply the product to a large fire.Also, it’s better to sprinkle the product throughout the fire, rather than pour it in so it piles in a single location. Dispersing the crystals troughout the fire will create an instant and thorough color flame effect, while pouring will get you an instant effect in a single location, with a pile of crystals that becomes somewhat self-insulating. Once a log falls or you stir the coals, and that pile of crystals is disturbed you will get another burst of color, which actually is a pretty cool effect, giving you shots of color hours after you’ve applied the crystals.
Amazon has a range of rainbow fire crystals to choose from right now. Stare into a fire and trip balls for only $10!
Cooooooool! I wonder what chemicals they’re made of, though…if you’re breathing in something yucky?
Actually, it’s just basic minerals and kind of the same chemistry that’s in fireworks. Different minerals burn in different colors. Calcium burns yellow/orange, lithium burns red, etc.
http://webmineral.com/help/FlameTest.shtml#.UFsYLI2PWac
Sorry, I’m a chemistry nerd and a (former, pre-asthma days) pyro. tehe
Lol, I was about to say that too—probably just metal salts. Chem nerd pride!!
Re: chemicals
It’s just a bit of chemistry. Here’s is Rutland’s product sheet.
Here is its technical data sheet with a bit more detail on its safety warnings.
It sounds like it’s safe as long as you have the fireplace well-vented (many have a setting that will actively pull the smoke/fumes up and out, so that would probably be ideal?) You and your family should maintain a good distance away from the fire (ALL THE TIME, anyway) to ensure you don’t inhale directly from the fire.
If it’s still a concern, only burn this outside, where it will still be totally magical.
When I was little and planned on living in a mansion when I grew up, said mansion was going to have at least one spooky, candle lit hallway. And I was gonna have candles made with different minerals so that the flames were different colors. I assume that this would work, but never did end up doing the science project to check (plants are just so much easier to get and kill).
Gah! Why couldn’t you have posted this at least a week ago? Tonight is the start of our annual family camping weekend and that would have awesome!
As a camp counselor we always threw Kool-Aid mix into the fire. It didn’t last any longer than a few seconds, but it made huge outrageous colored flames. Also, it was safer than the bug spray and other flammables we threw into the fire after the kids were in bed…
Gahhhh!!! I love rainbow stuff soooooo much! I’m a serious sucker for anything rainbow. I don’t camp often and don’t have a fireplace so I’m plotting how and when I could use these….!Awesome-sauce.
I’ve used them, I was lucky enough to get them at a dollar store in high tourist season in cottage country… they lasted a couple minutes but if you had extra you could have them going for a while… I don’t think you can cook over them though… no marshmallows or hotdogs but as an after meal activity it was cool.