This is a quick and simple method for making your own general-purpose plastic. The constituent ingredients are milk and vinegar. That's it. The total cost is less than $10, possibly less than $5 if you can get a good deal.
The plastic is moldable, and has a consistency of soggy cheese (I certainly hope I never encounter cheese that's anything like this!). When all is said and done, it should take you about 10-15 minutes to make the plastic (less if you make a small amount), 10 minutes of cleanup, plus 2+ days to allow the plastic to dry. As always, your milage may vary.
As for the final product's strength and whatnot, I would classify it as "okay." If you roll it thin (as I did in this instructable), it can easily be snapped in half, though it will probably survive a small drop on to carpet. Thicker pieces seem to be more resilient against average abuses - no problem dropping on to carpet, and if it's thick enough, you wouldn't be able to snap it in half. A blow from a hammer or other such object would quickly shatter it, though.
All in all, I would say this is mostly useful for folks looking for a fast and dirt cheap alternative to much better products available to the average joe. It's definitely not for something that will be handled on a daily basis - good enough for light decor, not much else.
This is my first Instructable, so bear with. Constructive criticism is always welcome!
The plastic is moldable, and has a consistency of soggy cheese (I certainly hope I never encounter cheese that's anything like this!). When all is said and done, it should take you about 10-15 minutes to make the plastic (less if you make a small amount), 10 minutes of cleanup, plus 2+ days to allow the plastic to dry. As always, your milage may vary.
As for the final product's strength and whatnot, I would classify it as "okay." If you roll it thin (as I did in this instructable), it can easily be snapped in half, though it will probably survive a small drop on to carpet. Thicker pieces seem to be more resilient against average abuses - no problem dropping on to carpet, and if it's thick enough, you wouldn't be able to snap it in half. A blow from a hammer or other such object would quickly shatter it, though.
All in all, I would say this is mostly useful for folks looking for a fast and dirt cheap alternative to much better products available to the average joe. It's definitely not for something that will be handled on a daily basis - good enough for light decor, not much else.
This is my first Instructable, so bear with. Constructive criticism is always welcome!
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Signing UpStep 1: Ingredients & Utensils
This doesn't require anything fancy.
Essential Items:
Milk
Vinegar
Large Pot
Larger Pot (needs to be the same size as the other, or larger).
Spoon, preferably plastic or metal
Strainer or Colander, the finer the better
Stove or other item with which to simmer milk.
Paper Towels, lots and lots of paper towels
Handy, but not necessarily essential, items:
Wax Paper (good for rolling and shaping on. Water and other liquids bead up on it for easy clean-up; also non-stick with the casein)
Aluminum Foil (good for certain types of molds)
Rolling pin (if you're going to make a flat sheet of plastic)
Before you begin making the plastic, it's important to know what you're intending to make. By knowing what you're final goal is, you can make the preparations for the mold before you have a sloppy wad of plastic on your counter.
For this Instructable, I am making a curved piece that will fit on the front bezel of my computer case. Since this is beyond the scope of this particular instructable, I'm going to gloss over what I'm using. My mold is going to be the front bezel of the computer case, covered with aluminum foil. The plastic will dry nicely on top of it, and the aluminum won't shrivel or wrinkle when it gets wet as the plastic cures.
How much milk and vinegar will you need? The basic ratio that I follow is 1 TBSP of vinegar for every cup of milk. (16:1 ratio, milk to vinegar)
1 cup of milk will produce a puck of plastic about 2" in diameter, 1/8" thick.
To cover my case bezel, which is about 6 inches wide and 8 inches tall, I am going to use 8 cups of milk (and therefore 8 Tbsp of vinegar).
Essential Items:
Milk
Vinegar
Large Pot
Larger Pot (needs to be the same size as the other, or larger).
Spoon, preferably plastic or metal
Strainer or Colander, the finer the better
Stove or other item with which to simmer milk.
Paper Towels, lots and lots of paper towels
Handy, but not necessarily essential, items:
Wax Paper (good for rolling and shaping on. Water and other liquids bead up on it for easy clean-up; also non-stick with the casein)
Aluminum Foil (good for certain types of molds)
Rolling pin (if you're going to make a flat sheet of plastic)
Before you begin making the plastic, it's important to know what you're intending to make. By knowing what you're final goal is, you can make the preparations for the mold before you have a sloppy wad of plastic on your counter.
For this Instructable, I am making a curved piece that will fit on the front bezel of my computer case. Since this is beyond the scope of this particular instructable, I'm going to gloss over what I'm using. My mold is going to be the front bezel of the computer case, covered with aluminum foil. The plastic will dry nicely on top of it, and the aluminum won't shrivel or wrinkle when it gets wet as the plastic cures.
How much milk and vinegar will you need? The basic ratio that I follow is 1 TBSP of vinegar for every cup of milk. (16:1 ratio, milk to vinegar)
1 cup of milk will produce a puck of plastic about 2" in diameter, 1/8" thick.
To cover my case bezel, which is about 6 inches wide and 8 inches tall, I am going to use 8 cups of milk (and therefore 8 Tbsp of vinegar).
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1. Heat some skimmed milk (do not let it boil)
2. Add about 3 teaspoons of vinegar (an acid) to the milk and stir slowly until the milk
separates into curds (solid sticky bits) and whey (clear liquid)
3. Pour the curds and whey through a tea strainer or sieve to collect the curds
4. In a container, add a little bit of bicarbonate of soda or milk of magnesia (alkali)
5. You should now have a sticky white substance called casein (milk protein). This can
be used as a binder in paint – just add some pigment!
Any other chemistry suggestions would be welcome.
Imagine, an army of Cheese-weilding warriors!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy_Biodegradable_Plastic/
As for "making it stronger" (your note below), you could possibly add some fabric, of some sort to strengthen it.
far, far too brittle. is this true?
But what are the advantages of extracted plastic?????
Although it contains caesin, would it cause any harm if someone eats it??????
Please do reply as soon as possible......
Just dissolve the styrofoam (polystyrene?) in acetone to a thick goo, mold and leave to dry in a remote area as not to get her indoors all worked up about the acetone smell?
It can take days & days for it to dry on its own, and of course it gives off acetone fumes the whole time. There's no chemical reaction - the acetone just dissolves the styrene in the the mostly-air styrofoam (emphasis on "foam"!), and then gets trapped inside the drying skin of the finished plastic if it's thick, slowing down the drying.
It shrinks somewhat in the drying process, but never (IME) breaks. Also, it seems to change if left in the acetone for a long time, becoming resistant to shape change, so it's best to mold it immediately after dissolving the styrene.
My project is quite simple: I have a motorbike where you cannot really get any plastic parts for it anywhere for love or money, and I need new wingmirror shells.
So either you are very very very lottery jackpot winning lucky if you find a part on ebay, or you cast it yourself.... I was originally thinking about resin casting, but resin costs a fortune. Casein seemed a good idea but being organic , I'm not sure about resistance to mold and fungus, and styrene seems easy enough to make... even if it may be more fragile than standard ABS plastic, I'm not very worried. You just need a ton of styrofoam to get a handful of goo :)
The other alternatives, like Sugru cost too much to be cost effective, and low temperature thermoplastics could melt if being left in the sun too long, so this method could allow me to make my prototype mirrors !
Cheers,
Daniel
Don't forget that needles have specific sizes; hand rolling, or using a straw might not create a standard size.
But I think most knitting needles were made out of galalithe - and I'm not really sure I want to use formaldehyde. Hmmmmmmmmmm. On the other hand, casein needles might even break when I'm carefully sanding them down.
Another question, I'm sorry... ;-) Any idea on how to turn the casein into a spinnable fibre?
Actually this is exactly the same as making tofu, from soya bean curd.
Citric acid - in powder form is cheap - especially in bulk.
Don't know about the casein content of soya bean flour...
Might be an idea to use skim milk powder as the fat free casein might be a better product.
Just curious - not that chemically ofay myself, but one would think that modifying the protein with HEAT and or other chemicals may have been done... just looked up.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=0g9QjxsbqmUC&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=casien+plastic+heat+chemical&source=web&ots=u7KLwl6eWg&sig=9V40234r-SgMztftGpwzPYDrQgI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:SLP_f4OuT7QJ:www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/crystal/resources%2520for%2520teachers/Polymerization%2520-%2520Christy%2520Boettcher%2520%26.doc+casien+plastic+heat+chemical&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=au
http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/repairs/painting/Paint-Making-Color-Grinding/Part-V-Casein-And-Cold-Water-Paints-Chapter-XXXI-Origin-A.html
http://www.plastics-china.com/Raw_Material.htm
Casein Formaldehyde (Lactoid, Erinoid, Galalith)
Invented at the turn of the century, manufacture was based on fat-free milk to which resin was added to form curds which, when suitably dried, processed and coloured, could be extruded into rods and made into sheets. The material was then hardened in a bath of formaldehyde from whence it was machined into the desired end use. The brilliant colours and patterns made casein a leading material for making products such as buttons, buckles, fountain pen, barrels and knitting needles.
http://museo.cannon.com/museo/inglese/eplasti.htm
# Casein formaldehyde
Casein formaldehyde is a plastic of natural protein origin made from organic substances such as milk, horn or vegetable products such as soy beans, wheat and the like. It was obtained in 1897 by Adolph Spitteler and W.Kirsche who started out with whey and formaldehyde and tested the action of an enzyme on them. The patent was registered in Baviera and then extended to the USA, Great Britain and Italy. It should be noted that with its commercial name, Galalith (Galalite in Italy and Erinoid in Great Britain) it sometimes looked like celluloid, sometimes ivory and sometimes artificial horn. The first factory to manufacture it was in Great Britain in 1913. In 1930 world-wide production had reached 10,000 tons. Casein formaldehyde was used to make buttons, pins, cigarette-cases, fountain pens, umbrella handles and radio cabinets.
"The curds are neutralized with a base, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), to cause them to unclump and become a thicker plastic-like substance."
Could be a useful additional step.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galalith (if that's what this is) suggests this is a thermoset plastic. So it won't melt.
dude i ate it, tastes good (if you used calamondin (kalamansi) or lemons. They make "kesong puti" out of goat milk here in the philippines"
First of all, when you heat milk, it will rise (very rapidly too) at one point. Is that what you call boiling?
I used 1% (organic) milk. I pored some into hdpe container after it rose. I may have used a foaming whip while it was heating. and did use foaming whip after I pored into container. Straining it had very little and very thin clumps of goop. Metal strainer instead of coffee filter prob didn't help much. No amount of reheating and adding more vinegar helped in getting a useful amount of goop.
As I write this, I realize that foaming whip probably broke down the cassein into smaller than metal strainer holes.
This process needs the milk to be simmering. There will be a little bit of foam at the edge of the pot, but not much. You definitely shouldn't see it bubbling.
Once you've hit that point, add the vinegar. Follow the steps I've laid out; they work quite well.
And, why are you using hdpe? That's already plastic...petroleum based, and nothing like what we're making here. I'm also a little confused as to how you got liquid hdpe...I didn't think that was something readily available outside of an industrial facility (nor something you would be handling in the kitchen...)
I still don't understand what simmering milk is.
When you Heat milk, it will eventually rise up and thicken, and quicklyoverflow the pot. Simmering must mean the very light bubbling thatoccurs just before this stage?
Darn right. It gives it a little more "bite"! (it will also slow down growth of green fur :) )
This plastic is actually featured in quite a few elementary science projects. <cheap plug>
I actually learned about it from a nifty book "Sneaky Uses for Everyday Items" (Buy it from ThinkGeek).
</cheap plug>
I was surprised that this hadn't been posted before on Instructables.
Constructive criticism sucks
Constructive criticism is a good thing. It only sucks if you don't like being corrected, or having someone provide an idea that may benefit your work.
Poor consistency, and it doesn't stick to itself without applying a bit of pressure.
The ratio for vinegar / milk might be different but there is a very similar form that is eaten as cheese (Perhaps its just not a kind of cheese you see in France? I've also seen variations with lemon used instead of vinegar, wonder if that would work for plastic too.)
"In addition to being consumed in milk, casein is used in the manufacture of adhesives, binders, protective coatings, plastics (such as for knife handles and knitting needles), fabrics, food additives and many other products. "
So, yes, this is plastic.
just cos its used in the manufacture of plastics doesnt make it a plastic, it makes a part of a type of plastic, not one in and of itself
unless im mistaken the definition of a plastic is a long-stringed hydrocarbon polymer
this does not involve cracking
so tisnt one of the above
which would mean it isnt a plastic by definition
or so i believe
=]
<a href="http://www.google.com/books?id=csZLAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=casein#PPA109,M1">Casein: Its Preparation and Technical Utilisation
By Robert Scherer, Charles Salter</A>, 1911
There's a pretty thin line between a big bunch of protein molecules (polypeptides) stuck together and a big bunch of polyamides as seen in various synthetic polymers like nylon or Nomex (tm).
That would be why one familiar natural protein polymer was used as the elastic in medieval siege catapults and trebuchets; hair.
Nice instructible Coffeebot, I've set this as a homework excercise for my fourth year chemistry class and look forward to seeing how they do.
let it set up hard, then any clear
epoxy will work.
If you're not worried about flamability,
then penreco makes a clear candle-gel
(basically, clear vasoline) that ought to work,
and you can even add scents to it.
http://www.penreco.com
and another at Kinkade Studios $14.95 for 16oz
Google for "Acrylic water". I think it's a little different than a normal plastic resin.
Seems to be hard and water insoluble, but soluble in salt solutions.
http://www.soymilkmaker.com/
though actually now I use it to make walnut milk - healthier for men.
It makes milk from any bean, nut, grain or seed.
I mean...what?
No. Seriously?
I agree, though...it is atrocious; but it's what we can afford, currently.
As for the powdered milk, I haven't got a clue. As I've said for others asking about various kinds of milk: Try it, and let us know!