Step 3: Mixing Oogoo
Mix By Volume
As stated before, Oogoo is simply a mixture of clear silicone caulk and corn starch. It can be mixed anywhere from 5 to 1 to 1 to 2 silicone to corn starch by volume. Up to a point, the more corn starch you add the faster it will set up. I like to mix it in small disposable cups using a Popsicle stick that is wrapped with Gorilla Tape to create a spatula. See pic4. Once it cures the Oogoo peels easily off the tape wrapped stick and the mixing/spreading stick can be reused.
Mix In Small Amounts
A good starting mixture to try out is 1 corn starch to 1 silicone by volume. It is easiest to mix it in small quantities so as to have plenty of time to work it. To see how it works, you could start with 1 tablespoon silicone caulk to 1 tablespoon of corn starch. You can reduce the amount to as little as 1/4 tablespoon corn starch to 1 tablespoon silicone if you want more time to cast it or sculpt it. I rarely mix up more than 3 tablespoons of silicone at a time.
The dry starch and sticky silicone do not want to easily mix. But if you are persistent and keep quickly stirring and mashing the mix, they will eventually merge into a thick paste. The resulting Oogoo is very sticky and will stick to anything that you spread it on. Most things it will stay well glued to. On a few things like some plastics and metals, it will easily peel off after it has cured.
The resulting Oogoo is a nice reflective white but I recommend coloring it so that you can easily see if you have an even mix. See the coloring step.
WARNING: While mixing, Oogoo will give off the strong smell of Acetic acid which can be irritating to the eyes and respiratory system. I strongly recommend that the mixing and forming be done outside or in a VERY WELL VENTILATED room. You should also wear nitrile gloves while mixing as the uncured silicone contains other solvents that might be absorbed by the skin.
One recurrent problem with silicone caulk is that once opened, it will tend to set up in the tube tip. To get a good seal I have had good luck using Gorilla tape wrapped over the tip. See pic4b. If you leave a quarter inch gap between the wrapped tape and the tip you can squeeze out just enough silicone to seal the tip well from air and moisture.
As stated before, Oogoo is simply a mixture of clear silicone caulk and corn starch. It can be mixed anywhere from 5 to 1 to 1 to 2 silicone to corn starch by volume. Up to a point, the more corn starch you add the faster it will set up. I like to mix it in small disposable cups using a Popsicle stick that is wrapped with Gorilla Tape to create a spatula. See pic4. Once it cures the Oogoo peels easily off the tape wrapped stick and the mixing/spreading stick can be reused.
Mix In Small Amounts
A good starting mixture to try out is 1 corn starch to 1 silicone by volume. It is easiest to mix it in small quantities so as to have plenty of time to work it. To see how it works, you could start with 1 tablespoon silicone caulk to 1 tablespoon of corn starch. You can reduce the amount to as little as 1/4 tablespoon corn starch to 1 tablespoon silicone if you want more time to cast it or sculpt it. I rarely mix up more than 3 tablespoons of silicone at a time.
The dry starch and sticky silicone do not want to easily mix. But if you are persistent and keep quickly stirring and mashing the mix, they will eventually merge into a thick paste. The resulting Oogoo is very sticky and will stick to anything that you spread it on. Most things it will stay well glued to. On a few things like some plastics and metals, it will easily peel off after it has cured.
The resulting Oogoo is a nice reflective white but I recommend coloring it so that you can easily see if you have an even mix. See the coloring step.
WARNING: While mixing, Oogoo will give off the strong smell of Acetic acid which can be irritating to the eyes and respiratory system. I strongly recommend that the mixing and forming be done outside or in a VERY WELL VENTILATED room. You should also wear nitrile gloves while mixing as the uncured silicone contains other solvents that might be absorbed by the skin.
One recurrent problem with silicone caulk is that once opened, it will tend to set up in the tube tip. To get a good seal I have had good luck using Gorilla tape wrapped over the tip. See pic4b. If you leave a quarter inch gap between the wrapped tape and the tip you can squeeze out just enough silicone to seal the tip well from air and moisture.
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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.
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!)
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.)
With a better understanding of the risks, manufacturers are using higher grades of Talc which eliminates the asbestos problem.
There are 'industrial' grades that may have asbestos, but this is supposed to be clearly labelled as such.
Cosmetic/personal use grades have a GRAS status.
I thought it was ok, but then I tried gypsum powder (to make molds with). That worked much better. (no water, 1 part G 1 part S)
But I would like to know if there will be a (chemical) reaction between the silicone and the gypsum in the long term... Maybe someone can tell me, so that I don't have to wait for a year to see what happens :-)
I have been trying to come up with an Oogoo foam that will also give it the resiliency of skin, but so far no luck.
My hunch was that adding gelatine might help. And more vinegar, since the amount in the caulk isn't enough for many bubbles.
So my next batch is a Gummibear disolved in strong white vinegar and mixed with cornstarch. Hopefully I can mix the bicarbonate into the caulk and then get the starch gloop in fast enough for a half-way homogeneous mixture before it all takes off. :-)
Maybe you've done some more experimenting in the meantime.
rp
I think I got the best foam by dissolving the bicarbonate first.
I suspect that mixing it into the caulk in powder form is the cause of it becoming brittle later.
rp
* I mixed Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler with GE Type 1 silicone (the same type here), 1:1 ratio, and I have cellulite/flesh-like flexible and foamy consistency. It's still very flexible after a couple hours, so I assume it will stay this way. It set up slightly slower than the corn starch, but still quickly.
* 1:1 ratio of corn starch and silicone, and it worked as advertised (woohoo!), setting up quickly.
* 1:1 ratio of baking soda and silicone. I expected some kind of 3rd grade science project reaction, but I got nothing. It's crumbly and useless.
* 1:1 ratio of Johnson&Johnson baby talc powder and silcone, and there was no setup at all. It's basically drying like normal caulk. Fail.
For those that would like a pourable version ...use 1-1-1 parts of
100% silicon caulk (white or clear)
Corn starch
Naptha or paint thinner....Naptha will set faster but costs is a little more.
I use this ratio to create molds to pour my fishing lures...like soft rubber worms..etc....it will stand heat up to 500 degrees.
Mix very well....NO LUMPS.....this ratio will start to set in 40 min...and be fully cured in 4-5 hrs....I let mine set for 24 hrs before i put them in full use.
Does anyone have any idea about what would happen to it when underwater and exposed to the chlorine/bromine that will be in the watter?
Also, any suggestions on a mix that dries a bit harder and is easy to work with? I.e. spreading and shaping it?
Any Comments? Has any one tried?
I was, stupidly, thinking that the oogoo would just mold like a clay without fully mixing in the cornstarch.
1) If you wait the 5 or so minutes it takes for the stuff to harden, you can peel it off of just about anything with a smooth-ish surface that it can't ooze into (cloth is the biggest thing to avoid in my experience)
2) If you mix the Oogoo thoroughly enough that it starts crumbling away from itself (usually at about 60 seconds of mixing for a small batch) you can begin to handle it more like a putty than a glob of goop, especially with a bit of extra corn starch on your hands to keep it from sticking.
Hope this helps! :)