Homemade glue

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Homemade glue is an adhesive prepared at home, or by one's own efforts with normal household products. There are many types of glue that can be made. Unlike commercial glue, for example Elmer's glue, homemade glue can have the ability to stick or hold better depending on the ingredients that are used. It is best when the glue is kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Most basic homemade glues use vinegar and milk. When mixing vinegar and milk, a chemical reaction causes the milk's protein, the polymer casein, to move away from the liquid part of the milk.[1] This solution is called white solids or precipitation.[2] The vinegar is an acidic based substance that causes the casein to precipitate and solidify. It clumps together leaving the rest of the milk.[3]

The clumps or casein is also called "curds", while the leftover liquid is called "whey". When removing the whey with a paper towel or another liquid absorbing tool, the curds appear to have cheese-like texture.[4] This cheese-like substance is the casein.

Casein is the sticky material used in many adhesives, paints, and plastics.[5] It is one of the basic proteins of milk. It constitutes about 1/3 of the dry matter in milk. Casein protein is made through different amounts of amino acid linking together and forming a polypeptide chained-structure.[6]

Moreover, glues must also contain bases, opposing acid. Some homemade glues use baking soda, a sodium bicarbonate, as bases[7] It is noted when adding a base, like baking soda, to the casein, the mixture tends to bubble.[8] It causes the casein to unclump and become a thicker plastic-like substance, having different physical properties than milk or vinegar.[9]

Glue has been widely accepted because of its exceptional ability to produce strong bonds between materials. From a liquidated solution and at a cooled state, glue passes from a liquid to hard substance, which provides a permanent, strong, quite durable, grip to objects. Moreover, glue has been commercialized and sold around the world. But, because the actual making of glue has been known to be an easy demonstration of chemical reactions, homemade glue has also become popular amongst elementary school students. In some schools, the homemade glue experiment has been a part of their educational curriculum. Moreover, some people prefer homemade glue over commercial glue because of their control over the substance and its ability to be easily made.

Contents

[edit] History

Glue, or a kind of adhesive, dates back to the earliest recorded times. The creator of glue has never been fully confirmed.

Clay pots have been discovered by archaeologists dating back to the 4000BC repaired with a kind of glue made from tree sap. Most of the first adhesive materials were natural substances from the Earth. Some ancient glues were also made from animals, like buffalo hooves. Moreover, the Native Americans of Eastern United States used spruce gum and fat to cork the seams of their canoes, making them waterproof. During the Babylonia, people used a kind of tar-like glue for statues. It was also known that the Egyptians used animal-made glue for their tombs, furniture, ivory, and papyrus. In the Medieval times, egg whites was a popular ingredient for homemade glue. They used it to decorate parchments with gold leaves. The earliest glue factory was founded in the 1700s in Holland.

Homemade glue led to the patent of commercial glue around 1750s in Britain. The first glue was made from fish. Then came patents for glue from many other materials, like rubber, animal bones, fish, starch, milk protein, or casein.[10]

In the late 1800s in Switzerland, casein was first used as a wood glue. Today, it is seen to be used to glue grocery sacks.[11]

In 1942, the original cyanoacrylates, a substance used as tenacious adhesive, were discovered. Scientists were in search for clear plastic gun sights for the war. Because discovered formula stuck to everything, it was first rejected by the American researchers. However, in 1951, Eastman Kodak, Harry Coover, and Fred Joyner reclaim the formula and commercialized it as a product in 1958.[12] This product was called "Super Glue".

Over the centuries, the word "glue" has also been loosely used for the word "adhesive".

[edit] Experimental Purposes

Some people make homemade glue for experimental purposes. The homemade glue experiment demonstrates several fundamental chemical processes. It shows how acid reacts to solids, showing a process called precipitation. It can also show how bases are used to oppose and acid, reversing the reaction, and leaving a highly concentrated version of the original substance.[13]

[edit] Recipes

There are many different kinds of homemade glue: liquid glue, flour based glue, waterproof glue, papier mache glue, waterproof glass glue, cement glue, etc.

[edit] Liquid Glue Recipe

[edit] Materials Needed

  • 6 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon black vinegar
  • Small saucepan
  • Small bowl
  • 9 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup hot water

[edit] Directions

  1. Mix water, corn syrup, and vinegar in the small saucepan.
  2. Bring water, corn syrup, and vinegar to a full boil.
  3. In the small bowl, mix the cornstarch with cold water.
  4. Add this mixture slowly to the hot mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture returns to a boil.
  5. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
  6. When cooled, pour into another container and let stand overnight before using.[14]

[edit] Flour Based Glue Recipe

[edit] Materials Needed

  • Whole wheat flour
  • Cold water

[edit] Directions

  1. Mix whole wheat flour and cold water together, making sure it has the consistency of a pancake batter mixture
  2. Beat until the mixture is free of lumps
  3. While continually stirring the mix, slowly bring mixture to a boil.
  4. When cooled, pour into another container.[15]
  5. If alum is added it will keep much longer without spoilage.

[edit] Basic Waterproof Glue Recipe

[edit] Materials Needed

  • 2 1/2 ounce of unflavored gelatin
  • 2 Tablespoons cold water
  • 3 Tablespoons skimmed milk
  • Small bowl
  • Saucepan

[edit] Directions

  1. Put the cold water in the small bowl and sprinkle gelatin into the bowl until the mixture softens.
  2. Pour milk into a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.
  3. Pour boiled milk into the small bowl with the water and gelatin and stir until dissolved.
  4. When cooled, pour into another container and let stand overnight before using.[16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ CCMR - Ask A Scientist!
  2. ^ Ion Development - Articles - Science Experiments - Homemade Glue from Milk
  3. ^ CCMR - Ask A Scientist!
  4. ^ Ion Development - Articles - Science Experiments - Homemade Glue from Milk
  5. ^ Homemade Polymer & Slime Science Projects
  6. ^ ScI-Journal | A comparison of home-made and commercial glues
  7. ^ CCMR - Ask A Scientist!
  8. ^ Ion Development - Articles - Science Experiments - Homemade Glue from Milk
  9. ^ Ion Development - Articles - Science Experiments - Homemade Glue from Milk
  10. ^ What Sticks - History of Adhesives and Glue
  11. ^ CCMR - Ask A Scientist!
  12. ^ The History of Super Glue - Super Glue Corporation
  13. ^ Ion Development - Articles - Science Experiments - Homemade Glue from Milk
  14. ^ Homemade Glue
  15. ^ Homemade Glue
  16. ^ Homemade Glue