This is a complicated question and time is short - so the fee is high.
My name is Conn Iggulden. If you put my name into Google, or better
still, Amazon, you'll find a list of books I've written. If you try
Amazon with 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' you'll find a listing for a
book coming out in June. As well as Bows and arrows, stories of
courage and about eighty other subjects, I have a chapter on growing
crystals.

I would like to find a company willing to send 100gm of potassium
aluminium sulphate, better known as Alum to any boy who sends them a
stamped addressed envelope and a fee. Ideally, it wouldn't be more
than a few pounds.

It seems to me that I should be able to find some entrepreneur willing
to buy it in sacks of 25kg and send it out, or find a company willing
to do this. My problem so far has been either a refusal to sell to
private individuals, or claims that the amounts are too low.

It could be 500gm, if the price wasn't crippling.

My question then, is this : Can you find me a company or individual
whose address I could put into the book and who would send out the
chemical as I've outlined above? It doesn't seem a lot to ask to have
boys growing crystals on windowsills. Alum is legal to send through
the post in the UK. You will actually have to have talked to the
company as I've tried about eleven now and no luck.

Conn Iggulden

Perhaps they are concerned about their ability to screen for gender.
Wouldn't want any girls slipping through.

Girls are smart enough to know that if they want some alum, all they
have to do is go borrow mom's styptic pencil.

Or to go to the grocery store and look in the spice aisle. No wonder
boys are having such a hard time finding the stuff.

Thanks - I tried a couple of grocery store aisles and no joy, at least
in England. However, I did find a UK spice website willing to provide
the stuff. I knew it was used in a styptic pencil and also to whiten
bread at one time. As I have the website, I'm cancelling the question,
but thanks for the interest.

Conn Iggulden