Unfortunately, homemade “slimes” do not always turn out the way we would like - as in the saying that the first pancake is always lumpy. In today's material, we will look at the main mistakes when making “slime” and find out how they can be avoided so that your baby does not get upset.
“Slime” gained particular popularity in Russia in the 90s of the last century, when the serial cartoon “Ghostbusters” was released on our screens, and one of its characters, a green ghost, became the prototype of the “lizun” or “slime” (from the English .Slime). It’s great that “slime,” which will be no worse than a store-bought one, can be made with your own hands (together with your child) at home, for which there is a wide range of available materials.
Reasons for failure
What are the reasons why a homemade slime turns out to be too hard or, on the contrary, spreads a lot? Problems can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- low-quality or expired raw materials;
- incorrect selection of the consistency of the base of the toy;
- violation of the recipe in terms of ingredients, their quantities and mixing rules.
To reduce failures to a minimum, you need to carefully approach the essentially simple process of making slime, first checking the expiration dates and studying the instructions.
There are situations when the slime does not work out due to the fact that the wrong recipe was chosen. You can find a large number of instructions on the Internet, many of which look interesting and promising, but in fact the result obtained will be unsatisfactory. It is best to choose recipes that have been tested by friends, be guided by reviews, or find another trusted source of information.
Choosing the Right Glue
If the toy is made using glue, it is important to choose the right one. For slime, you can use stationery, construction, silicate or homemade glue, but most often PVA is used. It has gained popularity due to its versatility and low toxicity.
There are different variations of PVA in stores, differing in purpose, packaging, and manufacturer. What should you pay attention to when choosing PVA? The characteristics of some varieties make the glue unsuitable for slime production.
Firstly, you cannot use PVA intended for paper. There is a risk of failure with such raw materials.
Secondly, PVA of either too liquid or too thick consistency is not suitable. Liquid glue may not thicken as a result. Too thick will give the effect of cottage cheese, when interacting with a thickener it will not turn into an elastic mass, but into a lumpy and greasy one to the touch.
See also
How to properly care for slime and where to store the slime so that it doesn’t dry out
Sugar - slime activator
Unfortunately, sugar can thicken the slime only for a short time; in the heat the slime will melt, so it won’t make long-lived slimes.
Add shampoo or liquid soap to the sugar. For 2 tablespoons of shampoo, take a teaspoon of granulated sugar and mix until it is completely dissolved. To make the mass homogeneous faster, it is better to use powdered sugar. After this, put the container in the refrigerator for several hours. To speed up the process, you can use the freezer.
The mass becomes thick, you can take it with your hands. But, as a rule, it melts quickly, the slime loses its shape and spreads.
With the help of powdered sugar, wonderful edible slimes are prepared, which craftswomen use to decorate desserts.
To do this, take marshmallow, melt it in the microwave, and then knead it with the addition of powdered sugar. The result is an elastic mass that stretches and wrinkles in your hands.
If you add a lot of powder, you get a thick mastic, reminiscent of plasticine, from which you can sculpt cake figures.
About the expiration date
When making a toy, all ingredients must be fresh. Expired glue will not give the slime the required viscosity. It is best to use glue no older than two months. In this case, a new tube must be opened immediately before you start making slime; a package that has been left open has worse characteristics.
The same applies to shaving gel and other components, the properties of which ultimately ensure the production of a high-quality toy. Therefore, when selecting ingredients, you need to carefully look at the expiration date.
Compliance with quantities and proportions
It often happens that the finished slime is not viscous enough due to a lack of thickener. The reason for this may be non-compliance with the quantity of ingredients or the properties of the substances themselves. For example, different types of glue behave differently, which directly affects the structure of the finished toy. The degree of thickness can usually be adjusted using simple methods.
Thickening control
Depending on the original components of the slime, different substances are used to control thickening. It is important to add the product little by little, carefully monitor how the mass thickens, stirring thoroughly, and stop in time.
For example, if the slime is based on shaving foam or shower gel, the lack of thickness is combated with the help of boric acid. The substance is introduced into the finished mixture a little at a time, continuously kneading. For 100 ml of combined ingredients, up to two tablespoons of acid will be needed.
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Adding in drops
A thickener such as sodium tetraborate is added not in spoons, but in drops, since it has a stronger effect. Instead of two tablespoons of boric acid, one toy will require only two or three drops of the drug. A thickener will quickly help if the slime turns out to be too liquid or has become so over time. When adding sodium tetraborate, you must carefully monitor the amount of added product. Excess thickener will ruin the toy.
Second thickener
If the slime does not thicken, you can add additional thickener. The choice of product depends on the ingredients used for the base. Slimes made from glue can be thickened with baking soda in addition to sodium tetraborate. Pour the powder little by little with a teaspoon, starting with half, while continuously kneading.
If you need to achieve a thicker consistency, increase the amount of product.
How to fix slime if it doesn't stretch
You can save poorly stretching slime through various means, namely with the help of:
- Antibacterial gel, which will not only soften the product, but also make it stretchy.
- Shaving balm.
- PVA glue, which allows you to increase the elasticity of anti-stress.
- Sodium tetraborate.
- Toothpaste, considered the best moisturizer for slime.
Shaving balm can add softness and elasticity to the product
Correctable situations
The easiest way to correct the consistency of slime is one made using soap compounds mixed with starch, soda or salt. If the slime is too liquid, simply add powder and mix thoroughly. You can save an overly thick toy by adding detergent. If the slime made from a mixture of glue and tetraborate turns out to be a bit runny, you can try to correct the situation by adding the following products:
- film mask;
- washing gel;
- lens liquid;
- liquid or dry starch.
How to make an activator with your own hands
If you experiment with different recipes, it may happen that some of them do not work. The mixture will not thicken, or even turn out to be liquid like water. In such cases, a universal thickener will come in handy, adding which you can try to save the unsuccessful slime. You can prepare it in reserve and keep it on hand just in case.
How to make slime from starch
To prepare the activator, you will need a liter bottle of water, into which you need to add 50 ml of tetraborate. Shake the liquid.
If necessary, a few spoons of this solution can be added to the remaining ingredients.
Stirring and cooling
When making slime, it is important to add the ingredients in the correct order and mix them thoroughly. If you break the sequence, the chemical reaction necessary to form the structure will not occur, and the toy will not turn out.
For example, if a slime is prepared from shaving foam, shampoo and salt, then first of all, combine the liquids and stir them thoroughly. Powder added too early will prevent the foam and shampoo from interacting properly, which will affect the consistency of the slime. If the ingredients are not stirred, the structure will turn out lumpy.
Cooling is necessary if the recipe requires heating the starting components to evaporate excess liquid. This way you can make slimes from shower gel or shampoo. After removing the moisture, the composition is cooled for half an hour, only in this case the toy will acquire the necessary thickness.
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What is a slime activator?
A slime activator is also called a thickener. This is a substance that is added to other ingredients so that they change their properties. Due to a chemical reaction, the liquid mixture coagulates and becomes thick and plastic.
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Most often, the role of an activator is played by various liquids of suitable composition. But sometimes these substances come in the form of a powder or gel.
Why different types of slimes may not work out?
An anti-stress toy, depending on its components, appearance and characteristics, may turn out differently. In addition to the usual standard slimes, edible, magnetic, rainbow, transparent and other slimes are prepared at home. When making each type of toy, they face different problems. Multi-color layered slime must rest in the box for several days before use. Otherwise, you won’t be able to achieve the effect of multi-colored stripes.
Glossy slime, or glossy slime, will not turn out shiny if you add one type of glue during the manufacturing process.
The effect of a glossy surface will be achieved only by using PVA and transparent office glue together. “Glass” slime will not turn out transparent if you use white PVA glue to make the toy. To avoid cloudiness, you need transparent glue, such as stationery glue. A slime that uses two or more colors will not turn out beautiful if the shades do not combine with each other.
Factors on which the quality of homemade slime depends
- Similar toys were invented back in the 70s and were made from guar copper, minerals, and borax. Both then and now, “slime” is a slimy and viscous jelly-like substance, bright and pleasant to the touch, which does not stain objects and is very popular with children (unlike most parents).
To ensure that the result of making “slime” is a beautiful, safe and attractive toy for your baby, you should:
- Choose only high-quality materials (based on the selected recipe).
- Strictly observe the proportions (regarding all ingredients prescribed in the recipe).
- Carry out the entire algorithm of actions step by step , without disrupting the manufacturability of the process.
If all these points are performed correctly, the “slime” will be homogeneous, without lumps or inclusions, it will easily separate from the container in which it was mixed, and will not stick to your hands or spread.
Slime
Otherwise, you may end up with a lumpy sticky mass - too tight or, on the contrary, liquefied, with excess liquid. If the slime doesn't work out, don't rush to throw it away; perhaps it can still be saved. Let's take a closer look.
