Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Slime

Allen Hopps of Stiltbeast Studios is an incredibly creative guy. One of the things I like about him the most is that he's able to see the prop possibilities behind the simplest of materials. In this video he demonstrates how simple school glue and borax produces a polymerized goo that can be used to create everything from slime and ectoplasm to zombie makeup and icicles. It's so cheap to make that you can whip up a gallon for less than the price of lunch at a fast food joint.

I made some small batches of this stuff years ago as a kitchen science project with the kids, but it never clicked just how useful it could be.

8 comments:

Jason McKittrick said...

Wow, that's really great! Brings a bunch of ideas to mind.

Phil said...

Science. Its fun!

Oneiros said...

Hmmmm... I remember trying something similar to this over 20 years ago.

I used PVA wood glue though, mixed with Borax and Glycerine, and it was boiled together.

The objective was silly putty. Which it was for the first 10 minutes, then it just became a rubber ball. And then a fragmentation device. :(

Propnomicon said...

@ Jason McKittrick

One of the great things about Hopps is that he can spot the possibilities something like this presents.

After the holidays I'm going to try some experiments using it was a preservative fluid for bottled specimens. Based on it's viscosity alone it would be ideal for that, but some quick Googling showed a few drawbacks. Borax can be caustic and the gel can apparently support mold.

@ Phil

And gooey, slimy science is the best kind. Heh.

@ Oneiros

It's all a matter of viewpoint. You might think you created a failed silly putty recipe, but you actually developed a cheap, fast-setting casting material. B-)

Alex Kaeda said...

Will the glue/water/borax mix harden into a rigid solid if baked or left to harden?

How hard/resiliant is it when it hardens (assuming it hardens)

Propnomicon said...

@ Alex Kaeda

It appears it hardens into a solid, if it can be used as icicles. I wish I had more time to test it now, but I don't have a spare moment until after Christmas.

Alex Kaeda said...

Doh! I completely forgot the icicles - with the main focus on the goo aspect, I completely forgot the icicles. *sad face*

Ryan said...

Well now I know what I'll be making my "Shoggoth specimen in a bottle" out of! Thanks for posting this!