I call it Oogoo, an inexpensive silicone clay that is easily made. It can be used as an excellent substitute for Sugru. It can be hand molded or cast in forms. Or, it can be used as a casting silicone. It can be colored any color from white to black. It can also be made translucent to allow diffused light to shine through. It can even be painted on in thin layers. It has very good adhesive qualities and will stick to itself, glass, fabric, paper, wood, and some plastics and metals.
This instructable will show :
1- How to mix and color Oogoo
2- How to cast it or hand form it into different shapes.
3- How to make silicone paint
4- Several interesting uses for Gorilla tape and Gorilla Glue, see steps 3, 7, 12 and 15.
5- How to make a few projects using Sugru and a comparison of Oogoo and Sugru
Since I am mainly interested in using Oogoo to embed electronic circuits in flexible forms, this instructable will also show you how to:
1- Make a soft circuit LED pumpkin head robot display that can be embedded on to clothing.
2- Make cleanly etched conductive fabric circuits
3- Make conductive glue using Gorilla glue.
4- Embed circuits in Oogoo or Sugru
The intro pic shows a few of the silicone shapes that I made using Oogoo and a funky, smirky, flexible pumpkin head robot LED display.
This instructable will show :
1- How to mix and color Oogoo
2- How to cast it or hand form it into different shapes.
3- How to make silicone paint
4- Several interesting uses for Gorilla tape and Gorilla Glue, see steps 3, 7, 12 and 15.
5- How to make a few projects using Sugru and a comparison of Oogoo and Sugru
Since I am mainly interested in using Oogoo to embed electronic circuits in flexible forms, this instructable will also show you how to:
1- Make a soft circuit LED pumpkin head robot display that can be embedded on to clothing.
2- Make cleanly etched conductive fabric circuits
3- Make conductive glue using Gorilla glue.
4- Embed circuits in Oogoo or Sugru
The intro pic shows a few of the silicone shapes that I made using Oogoo and a funky, smirky, flexible pumpkin head robot LED display.
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pic2 shows a 2"x2"x2" solid silicone cube that cured enough in two hours to be removed from its plastic box form.
For years I have been looking for an inexpensive way to create a flexible skin covering for robots and electronic circuits. I have tried several kinds of casting urethane rubber and silicone rubber. They all have their difficulties and either set up to fast or too slow. They are too thin or they are too thick. They are also very expensive in small quantities. Added to that is the problem that they have a very limited shelf life and usually must be used within six months. Sugru is great, but it is not affordable for making larger structures.
I and many others have tried using the inexpensive silicone caulk that is readily available from hardware stores. It is used to seal roofing and glass windows. It works fine but has the problem that it can only be used by putting it on thinly and waiting a long time for it to cure. It is also hard to work. It must be smoothed immediately while it is very sticky. Otherwise, the surface cures quickly and then forms a gummy film while the inside remains soft and wet. It has a smoothing time of seconds rather than minutes. If you put it on too thick the inside will remain soft and can take several days to finally cure. People have tried all kinds of additives in an attempt to make it cure in a more useful manner. I have found those additives to be unusable for my purposes.
So I wanted to add a catalyst that would help the silicone to cure from the inside out rather than just from the outside in.
As I understand it, 100% silicone caulk works by the moisture in the air initiating the polymerization of the silicone. So it cures from the outside in and as it does, it allows the water vapor to slowly seep inside and eventually cure the unexposed silicone. While it cures, it gives off Acetic acid (vinegar is diluted acetic acid) which is the strong smell you will notice if you use it.
I experimented with quite a few additives to try and introduce some moisture into the uncured silicone. Several of them worked to some degree, but the hands down favorite was also the least expensive.
It turns out that corn starch is highly absorbent and when sitting around in an open box it will absorb moisture from the air. It is an extremely fine powder that diffuses evenly in mixtures. By adding the right amount of corn starch, the sticky silicone is somewhat stiffened and very quickly starts to set up from the inside out. While it still sets up faster on the surface than in the middle, the whole thing will set up in five minutes to 2 hours no matter what the thickness. The actual curing time depends on the temperature, the humidity, the amount of corn starch added, and the speed at which it was mixed.
So that's it. Oogoo is corn starch and clear silicone caulk mixed together and then molded by hand or by forms to create just about anything you can imagine that needs to be adhesive initially and solid yet flexible when cured.
For years I have been looking for an inexpensive way to create a flexible skin covering for robots and electronic circuits. I have tried several kinds of casting urethane rubber and silicone rubber. They all have their difficulties and either set up to fast or too slow. They are too thin or they are too thick. They are also very expensive in small quantities. Added to that is the problem that they have a very limited shelf life and usually must be used within six months. Sugru is great, but it is not affordable for making larger structures.
I and many others have tried using the inexpensive silicone caulk that is readily available from hardware stores. It is used to seal roofing and glass windows. It works fine but has the problem that it can only be used by putting it on thinly and waiting a long time for it to cure. It is also hard to work. It must be smoothed immediately while it is very sticky. Otherwise, the surface cures quickly and then forms a gummy film while the inside remains soft and wet. It has a smoothing time of seconds rather than minutes. If you put it on too thick the inside will remain soft and can take several days to finally cure. People have tried all kinds of additives in an attempt to make it cure in a more useful manner. I have found those additives to be unusable for my purposes.
So I wanted to add a catalyst that would help the silicone to cure from the inside out rather than just from the outside in.
As I understand it, 100% silicone caulk works by the moisture in the air initiating the polymerization of the silicone. So it cures from the outside in and as it does, it allows the water vapor to slowly seep inside and eventually cure the unexposed silicone. While it cures, it gives off Acetic acid (vinegar is diluted acetic acid) which is the strong smell you will notice if you use it.
I experimented with quite a few additives to try and introduce some moisture into the uncured silicone. Several of them worked to some degree, but the hands down favorite was also the least expensive.
It turns out that corn starch is highly absorbent and when sitting around in an open box it will absorb moisture from the air. It is an extremely fine powder that diffuses evenly in mixtures. By adding the right amount of corn starch, the sticky silicone is somewhat stiffened and very quickly starts to set up from the inside out. While it still sets up faster on the surface than in the middle, the whole thing will set up in five minutes to 2 hours no matter what the thickness. The actual curing time depends on the temperature, the humidity, the amount of corn starch added, and the speed at which it was mixed.
So that's it. Oogoo is corn starch and clear silicone caulk mixed together and then molded by hand or by forms to create just about anything you can imagine that needs to be adhesive initially and solid yet flexible when cured.
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You want others to test out your ideas?
Ideas that are not worthy of testing yourself?
You could do the experiment almost in the time it takes to ask the question.
If you can't be bothered to do the simple experiment, why should anyone else?
Just asking.
Why shouldn't somebody ask if other, similar experiments have been tried?
What is the point of this *community*, if not to share ideas, knowledge and information?
Yellow2121's question is as much a suggested idea as it is a question, and valuable for that reason.
I think your response should be rethought, mikey77. (I am following the 'be nice' policy here....)
He told me that he had actually built the large dome structure his store is in. There are a hundred or more large triangular panels joined to make the structure, each one with 30 or 40 feet of joints. When he had built it, he used a silicone caulk to seal the joints ( the construction method is: panel-silicone rubber gasket-panel with a bead of silicone caulk on the outside, covered by aluminum flashing) the original Home center type silicone started failing after about 2 years, causing leaks. He wrote to some other dome owners he knew and was told to buy either 100% silicone aquarium sealant (expensive!) or "contractors grade" 100% silicone caulk, and to remove the old caulk and reseal with this stuff. He took their advice and it had been over 9 years without a single leak. He was so impressed that he started stocking the "contractor grade" stuff (both to sell and have on hand "just in case") It really didn't cost much more than Home center caulk, so I picked up a tube.
A few weeks later, I ran my aluminum duck skiff on to some rocks and ripped about a 16" gash in the bottom. I took it home, flipped it upside down, hammered the ragged edges flat and used some sheet aluminum to make a patch. I put a bead of silicone around the hole and pushed the patch in place. I opened my toolbox to get a drill and my Pop rivet gun -found the drill and the rivet gun , but no damn rivets! My brother-in-law must think rivets are magically replaced by the Pop rivet fairy, because he was the last one to borrow the rivet gun and had used *every* *single* * rivet*!. (I always suspected him of being feeble minded, as he married my sister but this proves it beyond a doubt.)
I didn't want to run to the hardware store, so I put a sandbag on top of the patch, and went in the house for a cold one or two or.... A few days later, my son needed to work on his car in the garage, so he moved the boat behind the garage. It sat there from October until the opening day of fishing season in May. I was out on the water with my son drowning worms, when I noticed the patch on the bottom of the boat. I also remembered I had never gone back and riveted the patch to the boat. It was simply "glued" by the silicone sealant. That was about 2004..
I now have a new Bass Tracker boat (sweet!) and my son has the old duck skiff, with the original 8 year old glued on patch. No leaks, no runs, no errors!
OK, this has been a long rambling pretense to this point, but there seems to be a lot of variability to "100% silicone sealers." Some seem to have durability measured in months, others in years or even decades. I'm about to pull my Formula Ford out of it's winter storage for the season, so I'll be needing parts. I will buy some of the contractor grade silicone and a tube of the home center stuff. I wonder if anyone has tried certain brands or types and found a clear winner? If not, I'll try your excellent idea with both, and report back ASAP. I can think of about a dozen places where I want to try oogoo, thanks for the idea!
The paints should also work to color the Oogoo.
I also noticed that the brand of silicone caulk i bought has two types that are clear and give off the vinegar smell, they stick to different surfaces better, one for bathrooms, one for windows household, i will use them all and see what happens. My original question was concerning the colored caulk, and i caught the answer, It should still work for some uses, i noticed the artist paints in tubes are linseed oil based, and i have linseed oil to thin. hopefully we can get a cliff notes of what all the different mixtures , such as talc and chalk and bicarbonate soda have worked for something or not. I know the original baby powder from talc also had additives, when i was a scuba diver, we didn't use the baby powder on our dry-suit seals, only talc from the pharmacy, the perfumes and additives could cause the seals( latex) to breakdown.
Great information and thanks to all for sharing their trials and errors. I agree with the early response od do it and see what happens, as long as it is not a possible dangerous reaction. The added bonus of thinning the silicone for mold making and quick drying, i will also try. Thanks for the info.
Cant wait to make a soft robot you are amazing
I've got a project where I need to fit a tube through a stopper (not necessarily air tight). I'm thinking of using Oogoo to make the stopper since the glass is an odd shape and drilling a 3/4" hole through its center.
Feasible?
A better way is to cast the hole in the Oogoo as you cast the stopper and use a 3/4 inch metal or plastic tube to create the hole. You can then remove it and replace it with a more permanent tube.
People prone to allergic reactions just have a "programming error" in their immune systems at a low level. Once that happens, you can get reactions from a wide array of substances that perfectly innocuous.
The major source of chemical irritation in this case is going to be vinegar in the silicone. It is an acid and it is pure i.e. undiluted by water. Back in the day, when vinegar was widely used for many processes, people were killed by breathing vinegar fumes because the acetic acid destroyed their lungs.
I dont have that sensitive skin but this rash like thing is rather bad.
I hope this helps you.
Also if you are making jewelary try testing a small bit of it before doing anyting to adventurous.
Since it is totally inorganic, and based on silicon, should be compatible and not rot.
One of the main duties was to assist clients in using the respiratory therapy machines, of which there was a large room full. Each client would come in twice a week for an hour of "treatment" which consisted of breathing a solution to "cleanse" their lungs. I asked one of the regular clinic workers why there were so many machines and so many patients and she told me the story .
There were finishing lines where workmen would grind out and repair flaws in the ceramic coatings. Ceramic is silicon. This was before the health problems caused by breathing fine silicon dust was realized.
She then told me that in years past there were 3 large rooms filled with the machines, but as the clients died off from silicosis, they no longer needed so many machines. Silicosis is a particularly gruesome way to die, as your lung capacity is gradually reduced to nearly total suffocation. I myself have reduced lung capacity, and I can tell you that of all the things that are over rated, Breathing is not one of them.
If you do try the Cabosil, take *every* precaution against breathing any of it in. Wear an air supplied respirator if possible or at least a properly fitted N-95 rated "nuisance dust mask". (do a bit of research before using it to ensure the particle size is not too small for a N-95 mask to filter out first!)
Comes in small quantities.
Cheap.
Will give your Oogoo a nice scent.
Comes in a powder form.
Ingredients:
*GE waterproof silicone from Wal-Mart (white)
*Corn starch from Wal-Mart
*Paint thinner again from Wal-Mart
As suggested by previous posters, I followed a 1-1-1 ratio, mixing 1/4 cup of each part (silicone, corn starch, & paint thinner) in an Anchor glass mixing cup (also available at Wal-Mart). The silicone was not exactly pourable, but it was very smooth and easy to spoon, unlike the 1-1 ratio of silicone to corn starch, which was like peanut butter. For me, the mixing was very easy using the paint thinner and the cleanup was equally as easy. With a paper towel, the silicone wiped right off my stirrer, a plastic spatula (not the burger flipping kind), and using mineral oil, the silicone came right out of my glass mixing container; soap and water finished the job. I used a popsicle stick to apply the silicone to the part to create a one-piece mold. Within 2 hours (playing it safe), the silicone was completely cured. Based on observation, however, I am convinced that the silicone was completely cured within 45 minutes. While removing the mold, the silicone ripped in a place where I had applied it too thinly so I reinserted the item into the mold and applied more silicone, which bonded nicely. I ended up with a few air bubbles in my original "pour" but that was a result of not pressing the silicone into some of the deeper features. The bubbles were minor though and not noticeable. After removing the mold a second time without additional tearing, I used PermaStone break-resistant casting material (Hobby Lobby) to cast my mold. To prevent against bubbles and sticking, I used Airid bubble preventer (Hobby Lobby). The results were outstanding, awesome, and fantastic! Using the PermaStone, the cast part actually came out heavier than the original resin part. Pictures are below. They are large so you can see the detail that was captured in the casting.
I have been wanting to cast my own lion statues, foo dogs, wall mounts, etc and this technique now empowers me to do these larger objects at a fraction of the cost. I now need to practice at making mother molds. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. By the way, my first mold was very flexible, which made removing it from the piece quite easy. While the mold was stubborn at points, I did not find the silicone to be brittle on the fine details or deep cuts. Had I used a mold release, I am sure the mold would have separated from the part with much greater ease.
*NOTE: I did use protective equipment in an open area while working with the silicone and I suggest to anyone working with these materials to do the same, just to be safe (gloves, goggles, and dual cartridge respirator inexpensively available at Harbor Freight Tools).
Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone.
Like all minerals, the carcinogenic properties of talc, asbestos, silica (sand) etc all come from mechanical abrasion causing irritation, inflammation, cell production etc which can eventually cause a cancer. However, to get any significant chance of actually getting cancer, you have to exposed to literally 10,000 times or more than you would in normal use.
Prior to the 1970s, asbetos was the ONLY flexible fire proof material and they put it in everything from gas hoses to all types of tiles, insulation etc. Basically, everything that might at some time face heat or fire had asbestos put in it.
Yet, the number of cancers caused by asbestos remain microscopic for the generation exposed.
In the case of talc, you could use natural talc once a day, everyday for decades and it would have the same statistical effect on life expectancy as crossing the street once or eating five bananas (from radiation from the potassium.)