How to Make Colorful Burning Pine Cones

Throw a couple of these on your roaring winter fire and impress the kids.

Things You'll Need

• Pine Cones
• One Salt Or Compound For Color
• Deep Glass Or Plastic Bowls
• Newspaper

Instructions

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 & Warnings

• 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.

• 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.