The paperclip will act as a weight and keep your string hanging straight down so it doesn't touch the sides. The string should be about 2/3 as long as the glass is deep--it should not be long enough that the weight will touch the bottom of the glass. This will give your crystals plenty of space to grow.Touching or hanging too close to the bottom or sides of the glass could make your crystals smaller or misshapen.









Use a string made from natural fiber, like twine or cotton. Fishing twine or nylon string are too smooth and it will be difficult for the sugar crystals to find crevices to cling to and grow.You can also use a washer or screw to weight the string, or even another piece of rock candy, which may help your crystals grow faster.The pencil should be long enough that it can rest on the top of the glass without falling in. You can also use a butter knife, skewer, or popsicle stick instead. A butter knife or popsicle stick may be more stable, as they can lay flat on top of the glass and won't roll.
, The string should hang straight down and never come in contact with the bottom or sides of the glass.Cover the solution with a paper towel. You don't want to seal the glass with something that will keep the air out, like plastic wrap, as evaporation is an essential part of this process.









As the water evaporates, the remaining solution becomes more saturated with sugar, and the water must force the sugar out. The sugar molecules will collect on the string, forming your rock candy crystals.Tape the pencil to the jar to keep it from rolling or moving while your crystals form., For the biggest crystals, look for a cool, dark space, where the water will evaporate slowly, giving the crystals lots of time to grow.If you want to grow crystals quickly, but don't care if they get big, put the glass in a sunny spot so that the water evaporates quickly.Vibrations can negatively affect your crystal growth. Keep your glass off the ground (and away form the vibrations of people walking on the floor) and away from sources of music or noise, like a stereo or television., Don't touch or tap the glass, or you may disturb the crystal growth and even cause some to fall off the string. After a week you should see big, smooth crystals on the string., Snip the paperclip off with scissors.


If the rock candy is stuck to the glass, run some hot water on the bottom of the glass. This should loosen the sugar enough so that you can pull your candy out without damaging it.
Tie one end of a string around the middle of a pencil and tie a paperclip to the other end.
Dip the string in the glass of sugar








You must make sure the string is completely dry before you proceed to the next step and be very careful not to knock off any of the seed crystals when you place the string in the solution.You can skip this step or try to speed it along by wetting the string and rolling it in granulated sugar (just make sure the string is completely dry before you put it in the glass and the sugar isn't falling off), but making seed crystals will make your rock candy grow faster and increase your chances of success in growing crystals.
Lower the string into the glass of sugar/water solution, resting the pencil on the top of the glass.
Place the glass somewhere safe, where it will remain undisturbed.
Wait one week for crystals to form.
Carefully remove the string from the solution and lay it on wax paper to dry.
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