Create a drip system that is capable of making stalagmites

[Adam Makarenko]

I am an artist and I want to drip something to create stalagmites over time, but obviously a lot faster than limestone versions we know of in caves today.  I've haphazardly discovered that sodium silicate with epson salts might be able to do this (although I am not completely sure) There are a lot of logistics to this idea and maybe there is a better type of solution that would work. 

If anyone has any ideas of how I could do this and what solutions I could use that would be helpful - thanks 

[iNow]

A 3D printer does exactly this and much faster. 

[Adam Makarenko]

want to do it organically though 

 

[iNow]

I understand

[Sensei]

Quote

Create a drip system that is capable of making stalagmites

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalagmite "grows" from the bottom to the top.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalactite  "grows" from the top to the bottom.

 

You could try sodium acetate:

 

On 4/6/2023 at 3:51 PM, iNow said:

A 3D printer does exactly this and much faster. 

..you've never 3D printed anything really.. ?

To make a 5 cm figure you have to wait 2-3 hours..

5 cm height = 500 layers with 0.1mm/layer.

 

[exchemist]

On 4/6/2023 at 3:59 PM, Adam Makarenko said:

I am an artist and I want to drip something to create stalagmites over time, but obviously a lot faster than limestone versions we know of in caves today.  I've haphazardly discovered that sodium silicate with epson salts might be able to do this (although I am not completely sure) There are a lot of logistics to this idea and maybe there is a better type of solution that would work. 

If anyone has any ideas of how I could do this and what solutions I could use that would be helpful - thanks 

The problem with the real thing is there no real way to speed up the deposition of CaCO3 very much - though I seem to get quite a bit blocking the taps at home within a matter of years. I've never heard of making stalactites or stalagmites with sodium silicate and Epsom salts (MgSO4.7H2O) but I can see it might work.

The picture actually shows stalactites rather than stalagmites.  If you are really after stalagmites, then making a chemical garden might suit your needs. This too involves sodium silicate. Instructions here from the Royal Society of Chemistry: https://edu.rsc.org/experiments/making-a-crystal-garden/416.article . This, being designed for chemistry teaching, proposes various chemicals that you would need to order specially. But you could also try iron (II) sulphate, greenish but may go a bit rusty-brown, which is sold in garden centres for calcifuge plants, and copper sulphate, blue, which is or was sold, mixed with calcium hydroxide (I think), as something called Bordeaux mixture to control disease on plants, as well as a Epsom salts. 

[John Cuthber]

This is about the best I can think of as a quick way to grow stuff, but it's not the same thing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_garden

In principle, it should be possible to make a system that drives carbonated water through crushed limestone and then let that solution lose CO2/ evaporate and deposit CaCO3.