And a hammer. When buying bismuth online, it comes in a massive chunk of solid metal. Fortunately, bismuth is brittle, and with just a hammer (and massive swings), the chunk can be broken down. Another excellent quality it has is its low melting point. Bismuth melts at ~300°C, meaning that, given enough time, a gas stove can easily melt it. From there, it’s just luck. Bismuth crystals grow on the underside of the surface, meaning there is no way to tell their size/color before removing them from the pot. Even more infuriating, their size heavily depends on the cooling setup. The longer the cooling duration, the better the crystal. Because of this, I had to combine sand, aluminum foil, and an old pot before I even saw crystals larger than my fingernail. But, with enough patience, my crystals have grown significantly:
