Make Rheopectic slime in less than 15 minutes! (It is not Oobleck)

Welcome to my easy slime-making instructable.

Update: I added the translucent and more slimy version. Check it out.

First, I want to thank the kind help of JustAnotherDave who has done an excellent job editing this instructable. Thank you very much :)

I'll show how to make your own high-quality slime (this slime is not Oobleck; it is not made with starch) in less than 15 minutes (the timing starts once you have gathered the materials). Of course, you will learn about two topics related to slime structure and behavior: polymers and non-Newtonian fluids. To learn what "rheopectic" means, keep reading.

First we are going to make slime, then I'll explain the science behind slime.

Step 1: Safety first

This project is very safe.
However, it involves the use of borax which can cause skin and eye irritation, so do not touch it and of course do not eat it. It is toxic if eaten! Wash your hands very well after you finish your project and do not use the spoons and flasks you used in this experiment for food any more.

The resulting slime is also safe for children older than 5 but is not for eating (just imagine what a very viscous polymer would do to any stomach!). If it is accidentally eaten, look for medical assistance immediately! I advise you to watch your kids while they are playing with it to avoid accidents. If you or your children are allergic to anything, by all means use gloves to manipulate the slime. I'm not responsible for any damage or accident caused by making or playing with slime.

Comments

[christophungus]

Dragon Quest 9 is out!!!

[Ada22]

Yeah!!!! Go dragonquest!!!

[Okaysure]

Isn't aloe vera gel/juice mucilage? You can get that at any drug store.

[ffengyi]

aloe vera is a plant... it can't be mucilage...

[ixisuprflyixi]

Mucilage is a thick gluey substance secreted by many plants; including the Aloe Vera plant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucilage

[BrittLiv]

Hi, I just browsed through the comments and was suprised, that nobody picked up the Adsorption theory. I don't think it's the right explanation, because the same effect also occurs with wet sand (like it's said in the link, that you gave us). In my opinion it's due to the fact, that the macro molecules are getting caught, when shear stress is applied. They don't have enough time to rearrange their structure and this results in a higher viscosity.

[turbosinaboy]

Good job!! Does anyone knows how to make this putty 'conductive'??

[JKibs95]

wait... what is the point of the slime if you can't touch it?

[gario10]

You can stand on top of something and throw it at someone's head.
Skin and eye irritation, they teach you how to make dangerous weapons here =D

[M4industries]

 +1

[JKibs95]

Your answer wins...

[M4industries]

 0.o 

I don't understand, I just agreed that it defeats the purpose of slime. Maybe I just don't follow your response.

[uberdum05]

He meant dont touch the borax

[JKibs95]

Oh, I took your response as you giving the point value of the slime... sort of a pun... but I guess it wasn't...

[M4industries]

 Oh, now I get it!

Sorry, I'm fairly slow with understanding jokes. =P

[theawesomeninja]

I guess it makes more sense to [Like] (Facebook style!) but it makes more sense now with the launch of Google + which uses [+1] as a substitute for [Like]-ing

[fearsom 1]

ya i just dont get whats fun about non-touchable slime...

[minime12358]

you can touch it.... just wash your hands after wards and dont eat it.

[erfror]

Hey, didn't you say "don't touch it" on the first page? o.O

[MadMechanicMike]

likes like a slime from maple story

[limpport]

 Except Dragon Warrior first came out in 1986 on NES.

[gloryhound100]

I love the chocobo songs in the background of your vidios! Of course the slime you have produced in this instructable really is nice also so kudos!

[BlessedWrath]

Still wondering about other colloid solutions (such as Polyethylene Glycol and Sillica Nanoparticles with Ethanol as a temporary solvent).

The idea, here, is to temporarily thin the fluid with the ethanol, saturate a fabric, then evaporate the ethanol, leaving the fibers permeated with the non-Newtonian fluid.

This process is used to make Shear-Thickening Fluid, for use in soft body armour. STF-treated Kevlar four layers thick showed the same protective quality as fourteen layers of standard Kevlar.

Have you heard of the techniques necessary? Are there other solutions and processes which would produce the same effect?

[TFElite]

This is Neat! And OMG WTF HAPPENED TO TM2 MEGATRON!?!?! lol

[wombat12]

omg. people. u can touch the slime just wash hands after use

[SlimeRocks]

IF I BEEN TO CHOOSE WHO SLIME IS THE BEST I'LL PICK YOU

[jolson42]

YEAH, MAN! SLIME IS A PRETTY COOL GUY! EH GETS THICKER WHEN SHEAR FORCE IS APPLIED, AND DOESN'T AFRAID OF ANYTHING!

[SlimeRocks]

MAN THAT SLIME IS SO COOL ITS BETTER THAN MINE

[judaith]

Awesome job on this, I am new here and you are the first person to actually provide the science behind what they post along with all of the references and I really appreciate that. I am actually going to copy/paste a link to this because the other slime type pages are full of people asking, "does anyone know why this works?" Thanks again.

[sharynmorrell]

mucilage is psyllium husks, available from your local health food store or some large supermarkets (health food section). Or you can use Metamucil, from your pharmacy or large supermarket.

[Cloud_Strife2020]

thanks, I'll try to found it... so, the glycerine is not good?

[Cloud_Strife2020]

I can use the glycerine to the place of the mucilage?

[Soylent Green]

You can use the translucent Elmer's Galactic glitter glue instead of the mucilage and get a waaay waaay cooler effect.

[lemonie]

You got a link from Coudal.

L

[Arbitror]

And:

youtube.com, stumbleupon.com, google.com, blog.makezine.com, youtube.com, youtube.com, google.com, google.com, youtube.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, ca.youtube.com, youtube.com, uk.youtube.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, google.ca, google.com, google.com, google.com, search.comcast.net, youtube.com, blog.makezine.com, espanol.answers.yahoo.com, neatorama.com, forum.hardware.fr, youtube.com, google.com, google.com, , google.ca, google.com, google.com, search.msn.com, linkfrenzy.livejournal.com, google.com, google.com, google.com, youtube.com, youtube.com, google.com, google.com, google.com

[lemonie]

Well it has been 18 months... L

[syribia]

=) :-) :) =) :-) :)
thank you for advising =)
I`m happy :-)

[Miltron_B]

Wow! Cuantas visitas tienes! Arriba de las 30 mil. Felicidades, un logro sin duda para "Mexican Instructables" Te sacaste un 10 poniendo un slime de Dragon Quest! n_n" Muchos Saludos, Miltron.

[Arbitror]

Is Spanish allowed on this site?

[Miltron_B]

Si, mi lerdo amigo monolingue. Esta permitido.