Introduction: Magnetic Slime

About: I am a student who likes to build and tinker with things and I use my heritage as a basis for inspiration in my daily life.

You've probably seen the ooey gooey wondrous simplistic invention that is borax slime. And even being the great easy-to-make project that it is, every one that you see is the exact same as the rest! So I thought to myself, how can I make it better? And then it came to me, I have to make it COME ALIVE!!... Well, sorta... by creating a new recipe and applying magnetic force to it, I could create the illusion of being alive. So I ordered some supplies online and got to work!

Step 1: Materials

Materials:

-Borax Detergent

-2 Bowls

-2 Spoons for mixing

-1/2 cup Measuring cup

-tsp Measure

-Glow in the dark fabric paint (You can use anything for this really, food coloring, paint, etc. If you can get a hold of magnetic paint you wouldn't need the iron oxide, you would just replace this paint with the magnetic paint. I just chose Glow in the dark paint because Slime that glows is probably the coolest slime :) )

-Water

-Elmer's Glue 5 fl oz

-Black Iron Oxide (Fe3O4)

-Neodymium Magnets (Rare Earth Magnet/ Metal)

Step 2: Borax Mixture

Borax Mixture:

For the first half of the slime, the borax mixture, you will need 1 cup of water and 1/2 tsp Borax. Mix these together very well, enough to where all the Borax is dissolved into the water. This will be the activating ingredient for the second half of the slime.

Step 3: Glue Mixture

Glue Mixture:

The Second half of the slime is where all the fun happens! It's where you get to customize your slime with colors and all sorts of stuff!

To make this step, mix 1/2 cup water and 5 fl oz of Elmer's glue. Once you have a nice consistency, add how ever much paint or whatever you are using to your mixture to get the desired color. Due to my glow in the dark paint being white as well as my mixture, I tested its glow-ability in the dark to get my preferred glow (Sadly I lack a decent camera that can pick up on the glow of the slime in the dark, so as long as you can see your own glow, then you should be good! :) ).

Step 4: Finishing the Slime

To finish off your slime just pour the Borax mixture into the Glue mixture and mix them together. When you feel like you are getting to where you can't mix them anymore just drain out the remaining water and your slime is done! For those of you who don't have the iron oxide or neodymium magnets this here is your finished product! However if you are to get them sometime don't worry you can still magnetize them later.

Step 5: Magnetizing the Slime

To magnetize the slime is actually pretty easy. Just take a small piece of slime and flatten it out, next put just a little iron oxide on it. To mix this in fold the sides in on itself. Repeat until you get the same shade of grey over the whole thing. Apply more iron oxide if needed to achieve a dark grey color. When you have the dark grey color you are completely done with your Magnetic Slime! Now its time to test it.

Step 6: The Slime's Alive!

Now that you have your Magnetic Slime completed, stick your magnet next to it and watch it come alive!! Since this is a Borax Slime it will be pretty jumpy, but hey I think that's better than a silly putty one that hardly seems like its moving.

You can manipulate the slime in many ways including pulling tentacles from it, dragging it up the side of cup or bottle, or even dropping the magnet in it and letting it engulf it in seconds!

This stuff is very cool and I thought it put a good twist on regular ole' Borax slime. It is also a good family project and a great way to get kids interested in the wonders of magnetism! Thanks for reading and good luck on making your Magnetic Slime!