Plastic Milk

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.

Comments

[them8triark]

with this, are you able to finely sand the pieces if you want to?

[sunshiine]

I have not tried that but I would think you could. What is difficult is molding the pieces because it does not stick together like clay. I only made these one time. Maybe adding something that would stick to the milk better so you could mold it more smoothly? It doesn't hurt to try different methods. I hope this helps! I enjoyed making these! Thanks for asking and do have a splendorous day!
sunshiine

[FrozenIce]

Woohoo for the cross!

[sunshiine]

Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Have a splendorous day!
sunshiine

[FrozenIce]

Thanks! By the way, your name reminded me of a song:
Thousand Foot Krutch- Sunshyne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3n-gZ37JkE

[sunshiine]

Checked out the song! Thanks so much for sharing!
sunshiine

[Moco cochino]

Can yuo tuoch the plastic to molde it?

[sunshiine]

Maybe if you allow it to dry a while because this is not as firm as clay. I hope this helps and thanks for commenting!
Sunshiine

[Moco cochino]

Okay

[ChrysN]

Hi, Sunshine, Congrats on being a runner up winner! I was wondering if you can use expired milk? I have some in the fridge right now that ruined my morning coffee, but I thought that since there is quite a bit left to make some plastic from it.

[sunshiine]

I forgot, I think the best way to do this is just follow the instructions. I was thinking your milk was clumpy already but no, just follow these instructions and it should be fine. Sunshiine

[ChrysN]

Thanks, I will give it a try and let you know how it turns out!

[sunshiine]

Thanks!

[ChrysN]

It worked fine. Once I started heating the milk it already began to separate. I still added the vinegar though. I was worried that it might be stinky but it didn't smell very much and once it dried, it didn't smell at all.

[sunshiine]

Hi CHRYsN! I am pretty sure that will work. Just follow the directions except omit the vinegar. Please let me know how it turned out if you make it and I will add that information to my instructable. I just don't see why it wouldn't work. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! Sunshiine

[babelsgp]

Congrats! I noticed that you also wanted to paint what you create, I wonder if the paint made from milk would adhere to itself? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein_paint

[sunshiine]

Might be worth a try! Thanks for sharing!

[babelsgp]

Possibly before the plastic dried?

[kristinsilver]

In reading through many of the comments, I didn't see anything regarding the smell. I am thinking about doing this for a scientific art project for kids, but want to avoid a room full of drying expiring milk stench. How stinky is it when it dries?

[sunshiine]

I apologize for not answering this question sooner but my PC died. I would think it might be offensive if you had 30 of them but thought of a possible solution. Perhaps drying them in sand covered in a box with air holes at the top might work. A simple experiment might be worth it. Thanks for commenting and have a nice day!
Sunshiine

[techturtle2]

Can you speed up the drying process by heating/cooling the plastic?

[sunshiine]

I am sorry it took so long to answer this question. My Pc died. I would think a fan blowing on it or heated in the oven might help. I am sorry I can't answer your question better. Thanks for commenting and have a nice day!
Sunshiine

[phanalax]

Ok, for all of you who don't know what you're talking about, this is not cheese. there is a chemical called casein within milk which is very similar to the long polymers in plastics you see today. once formed it makes A knid of plastic called galalith: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galalith , so yes this is a real plastic.

[babelsgp]

Casein has lots of uses, from glue to paint to plastic AND cheese. Cheese is produced by coagulation of casein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein. Paneer, an Indian cheese, really is made in this fashion, they do not use rennet or anything else to solidify the casein, like most cheeses are. They just acidify and separate the milk, pull off the curds aka casein and flatten and fry and go! Very tasty I might add.

[sunshiine]

Thanks for the information! I appreciate your comment!
Sunshiine

[bajablue]

Woot-woot-woot! Congrats on making the finals!!! I'll be pulling for you!!!

[sunshiine]

Thanks friend! Have a bajablue kind of a day!
sunshiine

[yazoo32]

this is just dried out Paneer, an indian cheese

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paneer

[sunshiine]

Thanks for sharing! Have a super day!
Sunshiine

[Shadow13!]

I've been looking for some type of plastic or rubber like handle/grip for some of my homemade knives. Would this be strong enough and durable enough to work and would it be able to stand up to repeated use?

[sunshiine]

Hello Shadow: I have some information that might interest you that came from one of my comments.
Here is a comment made on potato plastic page:

I just thought I'd mention that we're constantly posting answers to specific questions that people have about making bioplastic at home on the website,

http://green-plastics.net

We've had recent questions about everything from how to make home-made bioplastic waterproof, to explaining the chemistry behind why the vinegar helps improve the bioplastic that you are making.

It would be great if you could let people know about our Q&A board in your instructable!Here is a link to make plastic using potato. I think he may have some answers you are looking for. I don't think my plastic will hold up to regular use but this guy might have already used it so he could better answer your questions.

Here is the potato plastic link : http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Potato-Plastic!/
Hope you get answers to your question! Have a great day and thanks again for commenting. Sunshiine

[sunshiine]

I have not forgotten you! My plastic may take another day to dry. I have posted some pictures on my page to show shrinkage that might interest you though. I will get back to you, promise. Sweet dreams!
Sunshiine

[Shadow13!]

Thanks and in the mean time I'll keep looking around.

[sunshiine]

If you find anything please do share! Are you looking for something to make yourself for the knife? They do sell the rubbery stuff that they use on tool handles at Home-Depot not sure that is what you are really looking for though. I am serious an inner-tube just might do the trick. My husband used it on our garden tools and it was great. Thanks for commenting. Sunshiine

[Shadow13!]

Yes, I'm looking for something to make myself for my knives. I have one knife in particular right know that I want it for. It is a kerambit, which has a finger ring that I am trying to make thicker width wise without making the hole too much smaller. I've considered the tool dip but I would like to find something I can make myself if possible.

[sunshiine]

My pieces have dried and they seem fairly strong. If I were you I would make up a batch and use it on a dud or a plastic knife and try it. I am happy with mine but I did not try real hard to break it. This plastic has an odd texture. It takes a little working with it to get it to form a close bond. It does not dry real smooth. The plastic on the link I sent looks like it has a much smoother texture. Sunshiine

[Shadow13!]

When I have some free time I'll give it a try, thanks for all of your help.

[sunshiine]

You are welcome! Please let me know how it worked! Sunshiine

[sunshiine]

I am sorry to say I can't answer that right now. It is still wet. I will get back to you on that when I can give it the tough test. But from my stand today, I don't think this is what you will want. Not sure but, they did use to make buttons out of it, buttons are washed so I guess we will have to wait. Are you familiar with sugrue? I think it would be a great thing for a knife. Do an Instructable search on knife and sugrue and see what others have said. I think you might appreciate that. OH, I just thought of something! How about an old bike inner tube? If I think of any more I will let you know! Sunshiine

[Kozz]

Very cool! I was wondering about milk-based plastics after listening to a podcast about The Toaster Project: http://www.thetoasterproject.org/
This guy initially tried to make plastic from potatoes, but it was far too brittle for his application. I wonder if milk plastics approach would have given him better material?

Thanks for writing this up.