Bismuth Shot — 1 lb, 99.99% Pure

At a glance

About this lot

A one-pound bag of 99.99% pure bismuth shot, the raw material for growing your own stair-step rainbow bismuth crystals. Bismuth melts at a low enough temperature to work on a kitchen stove or with a small hot plate in a stainless steel pot, and as it cools it forms the stepped, square hopper crystals that bismuth is famous for. The rainbow colors appear on their own as a thin oxide film forms on the hot surface.

Shot is the easiest form to melt evenly: the small pellets heat quickly and pour cleanly, and one pound is enough for several growing sessions or a handful of medium-sized crystals. Unused metal and failed pours can simply be re-melted.

Growing tips

• Use a dedicated stainless steel pot or ladle, never cookware you will eat from again.
• Work in a ventilated area, wear eye protection and heat-resistant gloves, and keep water away from molten metal.
• Melt slowly, skim off the dull oxide skin, then let the pot cool undisturbed. After a minute or two, pour off the remaining liquid to reveal the crystals that grew underneath.
• Slower cooling generally gives larger crystals.

Curious why the crystals come out square and rainbow-colored? Read Bismuth: Why This Metal Grows Rainbow Staircase Crystals.