Homemade Fireplace Sprinkles
There is nothing more romantic than snuggling up in front of a crackling fire on a cold winter evening. With a little application of basic chemistry, however, you can add some color variety to the normal golden tongues of flames. Creating colorful flames can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including soaking logs in various chemical solutions before use. One of the easiest ways to get this colorful effect is to make your own fireplace sprinkles.
Things You'll Need
- 5-gallon plastic bucket with lid
- Small wood chips or cork chips
- Water
- Coloring chemicals
- Large wooden paint stir stick
- Paper towels
- Rubber gloves
- Safety glasses
- Newspaper
- 2 plastic tarps
- Air-tight storage container
Instructions
-
-
1
Mix your chemical solution. Lay down the plastic tarp to protect the surface from any accidental spills. Center the five-gallon bucket on the tarp. Add 1/2 pound of your chemical and a 1/2 gallon of water, into the bucket. Stir the solution with the paint stick until the chemical is completely dissolved.
-
2
Add the sprinkles material. Add the small wood chips or cork chips to the bucket and stir to ensure they are coated completely with the solution. Add enough wood or cork chips to soak the solution. Loosely cover the bucket with the lid and allow the wood or cork chips to soak until all of the solution is absorbed. If after 24 hours there is still a significant amount of solution in the bucket, use it to soak more chips after the current ones are removed. Do not dispose of the chemical solution down the drain.
-
-
3
Dry your sprinkles. Spread out a second plastic tarp, to protect the surface where you'll be drying your sprinkles. Lay out several layers of newspaper on top of the tarp. Carefully remove the wood or cork chips from the five-gallon bucket and spread in a single layer, on the newspaper. If there is a small amount of solution in the bottom of the bucket, clean out with paper towels. Let paper towels also dry on the newspapers, as these can be burned to create color too. Allow your sprinkles to dry completely and store in an air-tight container. To use, sprinkle the chips over your logs before lighting your fire.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use the following chemicals to achieve the desired colors:
Blue - Cupric chloride
Red - Lithium chloride or Strontium chloride
Green - Cooper sulfate or Borax
Orange - Calcium chloride
Purple - Potassium chloride
After your sprinkles are dry, you can also burn the newspaper to get colored flames.
You can also burn the wooden stir stick when you're done making your sprinkles.
Do not use a metal bucket for your chemicals, as it may interact with the chemicals.
Always wear rubber gloves and eye protection when working with chemicals.
Do not use chlorates, nitrates or permanganates as chemicals for your fireplace sprinkles, as they produce dangerous fumes when they are burned.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
