Does anyone know how to make Flubber?

[mylilnikita]

My dd6 and I are finally home from the Wonder. She made Flubber in the Oceaneer's lab and I think I left Flubber on the ship. I know it is red food dye, water, blue kind of elmer's glue.Help my daughter is upset.

 

[tecdavidt]

Flubber

Put 3 T. of water into a ziploc bag.
Add 1 T. of white glue
Add 2 heaping T. of Borax (it must be Borax)

Shape into a ball. If the mixture is too sticky, roll the ball in a little bit of Borax. Enjoy stretching this elastic substance.

Flubber

In large container combine:
1 1/2 c. warm water (warmer the better)
2 c. white glue (Elmer's work best)
food coloring

In second smaller container combine
1 1/3 c. warm water (again warmer the better)
3 teaspoons Borax

Mix ingredients in each container thoroughtly. Pour contents of smaller container into the larger container. Gently lift and turn the mixture until approximately a tablespoon of liquid is remaining. Flubber will be sticky at first. Let excess liquid drip off. Flubber will then be ready.

store Flubber in an airtight container for about 3 weeks of use.
*Flubber is Non-edible. Adult supervision is needed.

Enjoy, I found these recipes on the internet a few years back. Kathy

 

[Toni Adkins]

My dd6 and I are finally home from the Wonder. She made Flubber in the Oceaneer's lab and I think I left Flubber on the ship. I know it is red food dye, water, blue kind of elmer's glue.Help my daughter is upset.

I've made slime with my kids in Sunday School and it was Elmers glue and food coloring mixed together and then sloshed around in a mixture of borax and water. I don't know if this is the same as the Flubber made on board, but I bet its close. If you do a search for slime or Flubber you should be able to find plenty of recipes since that's how I found mine.

Toni

 

[Threehearts]

I am a room mother and special needs advocate and the kids that I work with would love this for a project. I am, however afraid that even with adult supervision that the Borax could become a safety issue. These kids wouldn't put the flubber in their mouths but they would be touching it and let's face it, all kids stick their fingers in their mouths. What do you think? I'd really love to try this. Threehearts

 

[tecdavidt]

I can't answer the question. It probably depends on how much of the substance needs to be ingested before it becomes toxic. We made the flubber 4 years ago for our Brownie troop which consisted of 3rd graders.
Kathy

 

[araminty]

Hi Threehearts,

I work for an interactive science centre in Australia, and I've done Slime Shows (including DCL style Flubber) for kids of all ages and abilities. The borax in the flubber forms stable cross-links with the PVA glue... basically, this means the borax pretty much stays put within the slime. After you have made the Flubber, you can even rinse it under the tap (faucet!) to remove any borax that HASN'T linked into the slime.

If you're still worried about the borax, another easier and completely non-toxic slime is easily made from cornflour (cornstarch) and water. I've just cut this from the Slime Show script I wrote last year...

Mix a whole box of cornflour with about 300ml of water; don’t measure it, add it bit by bit as you mix (slowly, and using one’s hand is best) with food colouring (a very small bit; you end up with terribly 80s pastel colours, but it means the slime doesn’t stain hands (or other surfaces!) The slime is done (i.e., stop adding water) if your finger doesn’t enter the slime when poked sharply, but sinks in when poked gently. The slime can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, mix thoroughly when you take it out again as it tends to separate. Chuck it out when it starts smelling funny.

Cornflour choice depends on personal preference; some being made of actual corn, some being finely ground normal wheat flour, each with their own pros and cons. Usually you want to avoid the cheapest corn kind, which is sometimes even yellowish in colour and coarser ground than usual.

Water options: just not hot. I have experimented with chilled vs. tap vs. warm, but found little difference. Boiling hot water will ‘cook’ the flour, denaturing the protein.

Food colouring options are also manifold - there are arguments both for and against the traditional green. Personally, show some originality! Yellow, for example, allows the slime to masquerade as ‘custard,’ leading to amusing prop-eating gags. (Mmm, slime. Feel free to eat it; it will do thee no harm, being just flour and water. I feel eating a sample lends credence to the assertion it is made from what we say it is, i.e., no nasty chemicals.) Other colouring options exist, such as using a small amount of paint.

The science - As mentioned above, cornflour slime displays thixotropic characteristics. Microscopically, cornflour has large molecules of irregular, jagged shapes. These can flow over one another when water acts as a lubricant between them. When pressure is applied (stirring or poking or otherwise man-handling the slime) the water is forced out from between the molecules, reducing lubrication, increasing friction, and the molecules jam up.

Wow, this is a long reply! You can see this is my field, right?

 

[Threehearts]

I am definitely going to try this. If I could ask you one more question. I'm fine with metric conversions but "a whole box" of cornflour will be difficult. How many grams or ounces is your "box"? Thanks so much. Threehearts

 

[mylilnikita]

Thank you so much!! I can't believe I left flubber on the ship. DD and I will do this tonight.

 

[araminty]

Oops! I thiiiink, 300g, or 10oz. It makes a nice big batch!

 

[lbgraves]

We did this as alien slime at the school carnival. If you want to add paint (tempera is what is recommended) or glitter to the mix, you need to add it to the glue & water BEFORE you roll it in the warm water & borax. Once you put it in the borax solution, it become a plastic like material & the color &/or glitter will just fall off of it.