Mixing Resin with Slime-- any adverse effect????

[mazinz]

I am planning out a project. However part of that project is using the Easy Cast two part resins (low odor) kit with an already made batch of toy slime.

I used the Science Bob formula for the slime:


Elmer's glue (most kinds of white craft glue will work)
2 disposable cups
Food coloring (you pick the color)
Water
Borax Powder (available at most large grocery stores near the laundry detergent)
A plastic spoon (for stirring)
A tablespoon (for measuring)


The slime has already been made a long ways back-- but I am going to pour in some resin around it to cover it up so when looking through you can see the slime encased in the resin

My question is if there is any sort of adverse chemical reaction I might not be aware of if I pour resin on the slime?

[LonnieFisher]

The moisture will make the resin not set right.

[Confessional]

In short, yeah there's probably some adverse chemical reaction you're not aware of! Unless you're a chemist; I'm not, but I am pretty aware of the pitfalls and dangers of using resins. As I've mentioned before, hobbyists and even fabricators and artists often overlook the serious issues with these materials.

MSDS sheets are available for EasyCast and all other consumer and industrial epoxy resins. Read them, they are helpful… but also research the unknown as these sheets often only reference incompatible materials and not explicitly list them.

Few things here… water (an oxide) is a typical cause of resins not curing properly (that's why it's always recommended that your mold is dry), "Borax is a natural mineral with a chemical formula Na2B4O7 • 10H2O. The IUPAC name for borax is sodium tetraborate decahydrate. Borax also is known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate or disodium tetraborate. It is one of the most important boron compounds.", and Elmer's is a PVA glue.

Aside from the potential of your slime causing undesirable results in your clear resin, or the acids in the hardener activating the acids in the PVA, there also the possibilities of advancing the vapor… so, whatever you do, do it outside and protect yourself including wearing eye and skin protection and a respirator. I'd do a test with a small about of each material first, and don't handle it or bring it indoors unless it fully cures.

Perhaps nothing dangerous is in this experiment, but as you don't really know that, you should err on the side of real caution. Good luck and stay safe!

[SentientApe]

The question is: what effect are you trying to achieve?

First, the recipe you mention is called "gak" or "oobleck" [EDIT: I forgot "flubber"] in most science circles; the stuff called "slime" is another series of recipes/ingredients altogether. There's also a better recipe for gak, but that's not the issue here. I will use your terminology so as not to confuse the subject.

The "slime" won't hold a firm shape, so it will only interfere with the resin setting process, both because of its fluid nature and because of its high moisture, and you are going to be cleaning up a mess. If you freeze it, the heat of the setting resin is likely going to have the same effect, not to mention the forming ice crystals will partially separate the ingredients.

Is there a possibility of either of the following?

(1) Cast two "blow" halves of the resin in the halves of the mold, let them fully set, then add some to one half and glue the shells together? (Obviously, your mold shape would dictate the feasibility of this.)

(2) Contain the slime in a clear plastic sphere (Christmas ornament section of ANY hobby or DIY store) -- or plastic box, if that is preferred interior shape -- and then imbed THAT inside the molded resin?

[Toy Timelord]

Perhaps you could try casting a cavity into your resin cast, then when it is cured you could inject the slime in, and plug the hole with epoxy?

[SentientApe]

A few chemistry corrections to what has been posted...

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral (although it is often created in a lab) and is a source of boric acid; it does not "come from boric acid."

With a pH of 8, borax (a salt) is slightly alkaline, not acidic.

Elmers Glue (and related white glue) is a polyvinyl acetate, not a polyvinyl alcohol (for which PVA is the common acronym).

The chemical reaction in this "slime" recipe is that the borax solution acts as a catalyst to further cross-link the polymer chains in the glue. I do not know what effect the borax will have directly on setting resin independent of the moisture problem, but I would be surprised if it does not chemically interfere.

[mazinz]

Thanks for the replies. The actual project is setting up a small diorama (like those woodland scenes you can purchase at Michael s or Hobby Lobby). In this case it would be a small swamp with toxic barrels leaking from the side of the land into a small body of water. The resin would serve as the body of water with a few layers of the slime to simulate the toxins leaking in. In the center of the water would be a sort of modified zombie like toy figure (about 5" tall but really skinny) coming out of the water.

Right now this toy is encased in the slime in a jar I have, just like the many old slime toys of the 70's with figures and things sold in the slime (anyone remember when Mork was sold with the slime inside his egg spacesphip)

I wanted to do a layer of resin, let it set a bit, add some slime and then repeat this process so in the end it would look more than just "colored water", and this way it would overtake the water entirely.

Once everything is done I do have the "real water" stuff to spread across the top to finish the effect

But yes this is what I wanted to use the slime for. However though it may work, perhaps just using green resin for these spots might be a possibly safer method

[SentientApe]

Okay... Just trying to brainstorm here...

Now that I have read your description, perhaps it would work to set down the layer of resin -- let it set -- add your "slime," then cover that with a piece of clear styrene plastic (use a broken CD jewel case to save money), seal the edges, and pour resin over that -- if the additional layer of resin is still needed.

Another option might be to skip the slime entirely, but to create a similar -- although static -- effect by frothing (whipping in air bubbles) resin with coloring to create a "toxic brew" in place of the slime. Air bubbles are an anathema to resin casters, because they result in an uneven bubbly texture -- but that exact effect may be perfect for what you are trying to achieve. After that sets, the imbued air bubbles (especially if a nasty color) should look dramatically different from just "regular water."

...If this second idea sounds even slightly intriguing, you might want to try a very small test sample -- perhaps use a power drill with a slotted screwdriver bit to whip as much air as possible into the resin, then pour it on a test surface to see how it looks when it sets. If your test sample is carefully poured onto aluminum foil coated with a release agent, you can peel off the resultant (solidified) "ooze," which might already have the desired "toxic spill" shape and may be set as a piece into a regular layer of resin.

Good luck!

[Confessional]

Sounds like fun Maz; post up some pics… would be cool to see your problem solving.

[mazinz]

Okay... Just trying to brainstorm here...

Now that I have read your description, perhaps it would work to set down the layer of resin -- let it set -- add your "slime," then cover that with a piece of clear styrene plastic (use a broken CD jewel case to save money), seal the edges, and pour resin over that -- if the additional layer of resin is still needed.

Another option might be to skip the slime entirely, but to create a similar -- although static -- effect by frothing (whipping in air bubbles) resin with coloring to create a "toxic brew" in place of the slime. Air bubbles are an anathema to resin casters, because they result in an uneven bubbly texture -- but that exact effect may be perfect for what you are trying to achieve. After that sets, the imbued air bubbles (especially if a nasty color) should look dramatically different from just "regular water."

...If this second idea sounds even slightly intriguing, you might want to try a very small test sample -- perhaps use a power drill with a slotted screwdriver bit to whip as much air as possible into the resin, then pour it on a test surface to see how it looks when it sets. If your test sample is carefully poured onto aluminum foil coated with a release agent, you can peel off the resultant (solidified) "ooze," which might already have the desired "toxic spill" shape and may be set as a piece into a regular layer of resin.

Good luck!

Very interesting with option B

Oh here, this is the character who will be in the resin. The top pic is of him in my actual slime and the bottom pic is beforehand. I also forgot -- he glows in the dark. I also noticed I made a typo in post #7. I do not want the "slime" to overtake the water- I only want it partially





Adding air to the resin sounds neat- however I can also see myself spraying the resin all over the place as the drill grinds away in whatever container I use for the resin mixing.
So taking a step with your idea-- I have used high temp hot glue as a sealer if I had a hole or crack in my Alumilite molds (which are rubber like). The glue did not melt or mesh in with the resin- it did what it was supposed to do and prevented the resin from leaking out. This makes me then wonder-- Do a layer of resin for the water-- use hot glue to add bubbles or "mesh" like texture. -paint the glue with acrylic once dry (I mix acrylic with resin most of the time for coloring) and then cover that with another layer of resin and keep repeating this process. It might then give me the toxic slurp in the water look as well.

The base of the diorama is not going to be that wide and I might end up buying a small clear plastic food container since it would prevent the resin from going anywhere and use something like Plaster of Paris (or milliput) to "build up the structure the way I want and then start the deal filling up the swamp

I also thought of putting a small clear plastic drinking cup upside down and placed on the bottom of the "swamp". The resin along with any paint I use to give this swamp a swamp look, along with the toxic sludge mess should hide it fro the most part. This way once the resin around/covering it is also fully dry- I can drill hole into the cup from the bottom of the container and add a green lcd light to truly give it a glow and it would not be touching or near any resin to heat it up again.

fun fun.

[Toy Timelord]

Think smaller, not bigger. Use a straw to blow bubbles in the liquid resin! Just make sure that just like when siphoning gas, you do not want to inhale the resin!

[thunderbolt]

howabout just using glow in the dark hot glue sticks for the layers of slime, its a nice booger color when it sets. I just saw green glue sticks at Joanns. You could lay down a layer of hot glue between resin water pours.

[mazinz]

Think smaller, not bigger. Use a straw to blow bubbles in the liquid resin! Just make sure that just like when siphoning gas, you do not want to inhale the resin!

Gotcha! Will give it a try, if not might go with the hot glue method

howabout just using glow in the dark hot glue sticks for the layers of slime, its a nice booger color when it sets. I just saw green glue sticks at Joanns. You could lay down a layer of hot glue between resin water pours.

Actually I gunked up the skeleton using different colors of hot glue(this included the glow stick versions you mentioned). In post#10 of this thread, the skeleton was just grey plastic- everything else on him comes courtesy of hot glue and various colors for it. Him glowing was also from the glow hot glue sticks

However unless you hold it up to the light it really does not glow (unlike some other stuff where average room light is enough to give it a charge). So using an led under the "swamp" still might give it an eerie effect.

I also might have to cut my friend in half, since he is taller than your average figure and I do not want to use a ton of resin to fill the bowl due to his height. So possibly severing him at the pelvis might be a better method

[mazinz]

Gotcha! Will give it a try, if not might go with the hot glue method



Actually I gunked up the skeleton using different colors of hot glue(this included the glow stick versions you mentioned). In post#10 of this thread, the skeleton was just grey plastic- everything else on him comes courtesy of hot glue and various colors for it. Him glowing was also from the glow hot glue sticks

However unless you hold it up to the light it really does not glow (unlike some other stuff where average room light is enough to give it a charge). So using an led under the "swamp" still might give it an eerie effect.

I also might have to cut my friend in half, since he is taller than your average figure and I do not want to use a ton of resin to fill the bowl due to his height. So possibly severing him at the pelvis might be a better method

So almost a year ago I had posed the question of mixing epoxy resin with slime. We had a lot of inteligent replies about chemicals and it was not until 3 days ago did I finally get around to trying it out, though the project changed a little.

In post 11 of my thread here:

http://megomuseum.com/community/show...onsters-thread - which by the way I am going to be updating very soon.

you will see a pic of my "slithering creature from the swamp". Since that time I have made a few versions of him in various colors and material (like adding sparkles, etc). However I am still going to do the small swamp diorama and I am going to use this guy instead of the original skeleton that I had a pic of on the previous page of this thread.


So the slime shown on the previous page and almost a full year old IS STILL working fine. Perhaps it is because my basement is a bit colder and it was stored in a previous sort of air tight spaghetti jar, but it has not dried up, molded out or anything else.

I took the allumilite mold that made the slither creature and added some resin to coat the top of the creature and the sides. I let this dry for the normal 48-72 hours. I then added a small amount of slime to the chest cavity. I also made sure that the slime was not spread out too far (wide) on the body so when the next batch of resin was poured on top it would sort of cocoon the slime. I had some interesting results

first no toxic fumes, no explosion, nothing in that sort of realm. The slime sort of gathered in onto itself like it was shrieking back from the resin. Of course this is also probably because the resin is a much heavier and thicker substance. Everything seem to be drying fine. A short while later I saw two small parts of the slime almost trying to break the bottom (which is facing the top for this mold) surface of the resin but did not fully do so. The extra resin I mixed was also starting to thicken so I just poured a bit more over the slime capsule section to seal it up and stop the slime from escaping.

In the end the resin did encapsulate the slime. The bottom section hardened up a bit so it could not break free and to be extra safe I covered it up with a layer of hot glue.

Once that was done I took him out of the mold and then gave it a few brush layers of "realistic water" from woodland scenics to give my monster a true "watery/slimey covering'. I wanted to whip up another batch of slime and do it in a florescent green as well as making the mold of this guy in lesser colors but as a test it came out ok.

So unless I was lucky, yes mixing resin with slime can be done.