Starch in place of borax

One can use starch instead of borax to make gak/goo/slime. We published making gak/goo/slime using a saturated borax solution in the October 2016 issue of Chem 13 News. The following are recipes using starch in place of the borax to make the material.

Sta-Flo^® Concentrated Liquid Starch:

1. Measure a tablespoon of a 50:50 mixture of Elmer’s^® glue and water into a small plastic cup (3 oz).
2. starch — a half-teaspoon at a time — stirring until the desired consistency is obtained.^®Add a little Sta-Flo

Do not add too much or the material will become runny.

Niagara^® Spray Starch (aerosol or non-aerosol spray)

1. Measure a tablespoon of a 50:50 mixture of Elmer’s glue and water into a small cup (3 oz).
2. Add starch by spraying into the cup with the glue/water mixture while stirring until the desired consistency is obtained. Do not add too much, the material will become runny.

Other brands of liquid or spray starch would probably work as well. Larger quantities of the gak/goo/slime can be prepared by proportionately increasing amounts of each reagent

More discussion on borax and slime from Ken and Kacey...