I was trying to find a recipe I could use to produce a chemical reaction for the Mad Scientist contest and the chemical reaction contest. I came across this one and thought is was interesting. For this tutorial I will be making Plastic milk.

Step 1: Recipe

Recipe ingredients:

2 Cups Milk
2 Tablespoons white vinegar

This recipe came from here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIvAl4lu1uA.

It is very helpful to view this video so you can see the process of making plastic milk.

It is a quick and easy project.

Step 2: Utensils

Utensils needed:

Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Coffee filters to absorb the liquid
Fine weave strainer
Spoon
Plate
Pan
Cookie cutters
Skewer not shown
Wax paper not shown, line the plate with wax paper.

Step 3: Measure/ Heat

Measure:

Measure 2 cups milk and set aside.
Measure 2 Tablespoons white vinegar and put it into a small glass reserving until later.
Line the strainer with 2-3 coffee filters or paper towels.
Line the plate with wax paper.

Pour the milk into the pan and heat on stove. Do not boil! Heat until almost too hot to touch but not boiling

Add vinegar.
Stir gently.
Allow it to separate into globs.
Stir again.

Step 4: Strain

Remove from the stove:

Place strainer in sink.
Pour Contents into the lined strainer.
Allow to drain a couple of minutes.
Carefully pull up the filter and gently press with your fingers to remove liquid from ball.
You might need to place it in another doubled coffee liner and squeeze again to remove excess moisture.
It should begin to form a paste.
Let it set 5 minutes.

Step 5: Molding

Method:

Gently roll the plastic in a tight ball.
Gently press flat to form shapes.
This part is tricky you need to work with it and try to keep it together nicely.
You accomplish this by pressing down and pulling toward the center with your hand.
Using the cookie cutters make the shapes.
Form a couple of balls if you desire.
Using the skewer poke holes where you want if you are going to make jewelry.

Step 6: Place Shapes on Plate

Place the shapes on the plate lined with wax paper:

Place the shapes on a plate.
Set in a safe warm area away from children and pets.
Allow to dry
Turn over after a few hours to allow the back side to dry.

Please note: I made a ball because they mentioned it was rubbery and I thought I would see if it bounced. We will see.

Step 7: Uses

Uses:

Allow to completely dry before working more with it.
You can make shapes from the plastic clay.
Paint it when it is dry.
Write on it.
Make jewelry.
If you can mold a perfect circle it bounces.
Embellishments for many things.
Gift tags.
Dog Tags.
Key ring tag.
Picture frames?
Dolls.
Game pieces.

This list is very long.
I can't wait until the paint dries so I can create something that I will post here when it is done.

Step 8: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

This was a fun experiment. It would make a great craft project for the family.
What I did was turn milk into a solid through a chemical reaction known as a polymer molecule strand.
The individual protein strands within the milk and the vinegar solidified making plastic.

The plastic is based on a protein called casein - adding the acid causes it to unfold from its usual tangled form,and change into longer sections, which are the lumps that are removed to form the ball .
Casein-plastic used to be used to make shirt buttons.
Some cheeses (like the processed cheese slices) are made in a very similar way, so can be genuinely called "plastic cheeses".
I Painted the shapes thinking I would glue them on boxes for embellishments or make jewelry. I am very happy with the results.

Thanks you for stopping by and please check back soon as I am working on some interesting things to share.

Have a nice day!

Sunshiine