How to make sodium tetraborate for slime and lizun at home

Sodium tetraborate is an antiseptic with boric acid, soda in the composition, mixed with glycerin, used by slimers as a thickener. It stabilizes all types of working glue.

The drug is sold in pharmacies at a price of 25 rubles. for 30 ml. It can be added to slimes in pure form or with water. But there are substances similar in composition to pharmaceutical sodium tetraborate. You can also make a similar activator yourself.

From soda

The main ingredient of this recipe must be purchased at the pharmacy, and soda is sold in the grocery departments of stores. The amount of the latter is calculated here. But if more soda is used than necessary, it’s not a big deal. Boric acid simply will not absorb the excess volume; the food additive will remain at the bottom in the form of sediment.

Ingredients for preparing the activator

30 ml of boric acid alcohol mixture,
1 tsp. baking soda.

How to make sodium tetraborate with your own hands

Boric acid must be poured into a deep container.
Then the required amount of soda is added to it.
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The components must be mixed until most of the grains are dissolved.
Then the liquid must be filtered through a thick cloth or napkin to remove undissolved soda, and the thickener is ready.

Watch in this video how to make sodium tetraborate at home from soda:

Safety precautions when making tetraborate at home

Obtaining substances at home is a very exciting pastime, especially for children. Despite the fact that sodium tetraborate is a fairly harmless substance (hazard class 3), you should not neglect safety measures:

Children must work directly under adult supervision. Even in the simplest manipulations with chemicals there is a risk of injury. And the production of borax from dry sodium hydroxide can only be carried out by an adult.
It is best to use gloves when working, as the substance can cause allergic reactions if it comes into contact with the skin.
No food during the experiments - there may be a substance on your hands that gets into your mouth with food. If ingested, the lethal dose of tetraborate is 10-20 g, for children 4-5 g.
Sodium tetraborate obtained at home cannot be used for medical purposes! If the drug was prescribed by a doctor, then you need to purchase it at the pharmacy, since the concentration of the active substance in dosage forms is strictly observed.
After work, be sure to wash your hands!
If trouble does occur and chemicals get into your mouth or are swallowed, seek medical help immediately!

Of water

In this recipe, before mixing, the water should be slightly warmed up so that the soda dissolves in it better and faster. It is more convenient to place all components into the bottle through a funnel. Then the entire measured amount will be used and not spilled or spilled.

Proven recipe

1 tbsp. l. water,
1 tsp. soda,
1 tbsp. l. boric acid.

Cooking method

The specified amount of soda must be poured into a plastic bottle.
Water is also poured there.
Another essential component is boric acid.
The bottle must be closed and shaken to mix both liquids and dissolve the soda in them.
Then the composition is filtered through a cotton pad to get rid of the remaining particles of soda, and the activator can be used.

Watch this video for a DIY recipe for sodium tetraborate from water:

Safety regulations

Tetraborate is used as a preservative in creams and as an antiseptic, which can be applied to mucous membranes. Therefore, slime made with its addition is suitable for play. After all, when used correctly, the product does not pose any danger. The exception is people with individual intolerance to a chemical solution.

Tetraborate may cause a chemical reaction. In this case, it is better not to use it.

When preparing slime with the addition of sodium tetraborate, you must adhere to the following safety rules:

avoid contact with eyes;
do not ingest;
do not make edible slimes with this substance;
Use only special containers when making slimes;
After playing with slime, you need to wash your hands thoroughly with soap.

From boric acid powder

This recipe produces a weaker activator than traditional sodium tetraborate. It works primarily with thick office glue and is added in fairly large quantities. The slime will need to be kneaded for a long time and excess liquid squeezed out of it.

Components

30 g boric acid powder,
500 ml water.

How to cook

Pour water into a container with a lid.
Then boric acid powder is poured there.
The container should be tightly closed and shaken thoroughly to dissolve the crystals.

What is the drug

Sodium tetraborate or borax, borax, is a special compound with an alkaline reaction, a salt of boric acid. It is a strong antiseptic with bacteriostatic activity.

Can be used for various purposes. Often acts as an antiseptic for various fungal diseases. It is often used in crop production as an insecticide and pesticide. Can be added to enamels and paints, detergents and cleaning products. Glass production cannot be done without boric acid. The drug is also necessary when making slime or slime.

Why is this component needed when making slime?

Sodium tetraborate is almost always included in slime. It acts as a thickener. The children's toy becomes elastic, but at the same time viscous and elastic.

From borax

Borax for this method of mixing the activator can be found at a hardware store or wherever repair supplies are available. Glycerin is available freely in pharmacies. To heat the mixture, you don’t need to use a microwave, but simply put a closed container with it in hot water for a few minutes. In principle, the activator will work without this. But if the liquid is heated, it will become more transparent.

What to make from

1 tsp. drills,
4 tsp. glycerin.

Making a thickener at home

Borax must be poured into a mixing container.
Then glycerin is added to it.
Now the container needs to be closed and shaken several times so that the borax crystals combine well with the gel liquid.
Then it is placed in the microwave for 30 seconds, after which it is shaken again, and the activator is ready.

From laundry soap

The soap should first be grated so that its particles are very small. But after adding the chips, you can also put the mixing bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. Heat will help all components connect faster and better.

What is needed to prepare tetraborate

200 ml water,
5 g boric acid powder,
2-3 pinches of shavings of 72% laundry soap.

Preparation method

Place water and boric acid in one bowl.
When the components are well combined, laundry soap is added to them.
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The liquid must be stirred with a spoon so that the last of the ingredients used dissolves.

Why does the toy sometimes not thicken and what should I do?

The main reasons why the slime does not thicken, as well as what to do in this case, are discussed below:

Insufficient thickener. All the ingredients required for the recipe were added to the container, and the mixture still did not begin to thicken. Add more thickener from the recipe or all-purpose and see the result.
The glue used is expired. The longer the glue is open, the less properties necessary for the slime remain in it.
Therefore, to prepare slime, it is advisable to take a sealed tube of glue. Expired glue can make your slime sticky and runny. Some types of glue are generally unsuitable for use in making “hand gum.” Such glue cannot even glue paper properly. If you strictly followed the recipe, but tetraborate did not help, then look for the cause in the glue.
Excess water. If there is too much water in the slime solution, it will be very runny.
How to correct the situation if the slime turns out to be very liquid:
1. Use glue. Let's say the recipe required mixing glue and water. If there was more water than glue, then you just need to equalize the proportions by adding more glue to the solution and mix everything well.
Mix vigorously. The more the slime solution is stirred, the faster the chemical reaction occurs. If the mixture allows, then you can pick it up and start kneading it.
Add more thickener. You just need to do this gradually and in small portions. Otherwise, if there is excess, the slime may completely harden.

Different thickeners have different effects on the consistency of the future slime. They have different physical properties: density, elasticity. Using the thickeners presented in the article, you can do experiments every day. And the most important thing is that all of the above ingredients are widely available: in a pharmacy, store or online, so purchasing them will not be difficult.

Tetraborate analogues

Instead of sodium tetraborate, you can use products that also contain borates:

Spray, ointment, Teymurov's soap. Each of the preparations contains boric acid, so any is suitable for creating slimes. Spray has a liquid consistency, soap has a creamy consistency, and ointment has the thickest consistency. The concentration of the main substance in the preparations is lower than in sodium tetraborate, therefore the listed activators are used in larger quantities. They have a drawback - a rather strong smell. But you can buy the products at any pharmacy.

Liquid for lenses. Many of them contain a borate buffer. For slimes you should use Licontin, ReNu, Opti-Free, Biotrue. There are few borates in solutions for CL, so a large amount of one of them should be added to slimes. Another important nuance is that these activators must be combined with baking soda. A little food additive is added.

What types of activators are there, what are they called and what do they look like?

There are various thickeners for slime, and below is a list of the most popular ones:

Visin (eye drops);
borax (sodium tetraborate);
gelatin;
liquid laundry detergents;
potato starch;
hairspray;
dishwashing detergent;
air freshener;
baking soda;
salt;
solution for contact lenses;
salicylic acid or any alcohol tincture;
powdered sugar.

Whatever thickener is used from the above, there is a recipe for “chewing gum for hands” with each of them. All of them can be divided into three main groups:

saline;
soapy;
sprays.

Salt

They are considered the most popular thickeners. Their main advantage is that they are publicly available and can be purchased at any pharmacy or store. They are also very effective and are added to the composition at the very end, after mixing all the ingredients.

A solution containing borates is called saline. For example:

contact lens product;
sodium tetraborate;
borax;
boric acid;
"Vizin";
salt.

Important! If you are using borax in powder form, you should first dilute it in a ratio of 10 grams of salt per 125 milliliters of water.

Soapy

Soap thickeners are used as a replacement for salt thickeners. This could be dishwashing detergent or washing machine gel.

Method 1.
1. Pour 125 milliliters of PVA into a blender.
Shake all this well for a few minutes.
Pour into a separate container and let stand for 20 minutes. Ready. You can take it out and play.

This slime can cause allergies on your hands.

Method 2. A teaspoon of Fairy is mixed with PVA, and the mixture is kneaded well. The slime turns out pleasant to the touch and beautiful.

Sprays

Very often, when salt or soap thickeners are not available, sprays (hairspray or air freshener) are used. A product with a strong level of fixation is used.

When using sprays, the mass does not always thicken.

Method for making slime with spray:

Pour PVA glue into a bowl.
Gradually add spray, spraying for 5-7 seconds.
After each addition of spray, stir the mixture for 5 minutes.
Perform these steps until ready.

Important! You cannot use a hair freshener and hairspray to fix your hair in one slime.

In addition to the freshener and fixation varnish, you can also use Teymurov’s foot spray, which contains boric acid and helps thicken the mixture well.

Slime with tetraborate from office glue

With this method of creating toys, you can improvise with the ingredients. For example, liquid soap is replaced with shampoo or shower gel. And if there is no lotion, you can add more nourishing cream. The activator is prepared from 2 tsp. sodium tetraborate and 200 ml of lukewarm water.

What to make from

80 ml stationery glue,
1 tsp. nourishing cream,
1 tsp. liquid soap,
1 pea of toothpaste,
0.5 tsp. body milk,
3-4 tbsp. l. shaving foam,
0.5 tsp. dye,
0.5-1 tsp. dilute sodium tetraborate.

Cooking method

The glue is squeezed out of the tube into a large container.
You need to add cream to it.
The next ingredient is toothpaste in a small amount.
The composition must be supplemented with body milk.
Read also: Elmex toothpaste and its main characteristics
It should also contain liquid soap.
The volume of the slime will be greater if shaving foam is added to the composition.
The next step is to mix everything.
A homogeneous mass can be painted.
All that remains is to add diluted sodium tetraborate.
The base will stabilize after a few minutes of stirring with a spoon.
The collected mass is kneaded with your hands.

Watch this video on how to make slime from office glue and tetraborate:

How can you replace sodium tetraborate for licks and slimes?

The use of sodium tetraborate in the production of slimes is convenient and effective. It is useful to know that borax can be replaced with other components.

Proper replacement of sodium tetraborate guarantees the preservation of the specific properties of licks and slimes.

There are many recipes without the use of sodium tetraborate. In these cases, soda is usually used as the main component, and a number of other components that are responsible for the structure of the toys. These include: flour, starch, glue, shampoo, detergent, toothpaste. Sodium tetraborate itself is replaced with naphthyzine or lens liquid.

Making slime with such thickeners is easy. A few simple recipes:

Combine starch with warm water in equal proportions. Glue is added in an amount of 100 ml. Everything gets mixed up.
Dilute 30 g of soda in 100 ml of water, add 100 ml of glue. If the consistency is runny, it is advisable to add more sodium bicarbonate.
Combine 130 ml of PVA glue with a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent or laundry gel, shake and leave for 20-30 minutes. You can then knead it with your hands and get the desired shape.
Pour the required amount of glue. Spray hairspray into it (preferably with a strong hold) and mix the mixture thoroughly. Varnish can be replaced with air freshener. Then the composition should stand for about half an hour to thicken.
Mix gelatin with shampoo or shower gel. Pour into molds and place in the refrigerator. After an hour, the slime can be taken out.
To make sweet slime you need to take marshmallow. It is heated in the microwave, then mixed with powdered sugar. The mass does not stick to your hands, it turns out pliable and plastic.

Anyone can make a thickener for slime using available materials.

When starting work, you need to remember that the quality of the toy depends on the components. In one case it will be more elastic and viscous, in another it will be soft, elastic, etc. You can make sodium tetraborate from different ingredients and choose the best option.

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General information about slimes How to make glue for slime with your own hands, proven recipes

Slime with tetraborate from PVA glue

In this recipe, artificial snow does not need to be previously combined with water for swelling; it is added to the slime in its pure form. Daiso clay can be replaced with light plasticine. But if you don’t use either one or the other, the slime will still turn out unusual and interesting.

Ingredients

60 ml PVA glue,
2 doses of liquid soap,
2-3 drops of liquid paint,
1-2 tsp. artificial snow,
0.5 tsp. diluted sodium tetraborate,
1 small piece of Daiso clay.

How to make

The PVA must be transferred to a mixing cup.
Liquid soap should be added to it.
The components are immediately mixed.
To give the mass a bright color, dye is added.
It needs to be shaken until the shade is even.
Next, artificial snow is poured into the liquid, stirred, and the mixture is allowed to stand for several minutes.
Then an aqueous solution of sodium tetraborate is poured into the base in portions.
The mixture must be stirred with a spoon until it stabilizes.
It is kneaded a little in your hands.
All that remains is to mix the slime with Daiso clay.

Festive sparkling glitter slime

This recipe is a worthy addition to the existing interesting ideas for creating slime at home, and the glitter will “refresh” it and save it from mediocrity.

Components:

transparent stationery glue (30 ml);
colorless liquid soap (30 ml);
about 10 drops of sodium tetraborate;
water (40 ml);
highlighter cosmetic (3-5 g).

Preparation:

Mix glue with soap.
In another container, combine 10 drops of thickener with water.
Mix both solutions, stirring with a spatula. Once the mass begins to thicken, knead it with your fingers.
Add powdered highlighter and mix in.

To extend the period of use, you need to put the substance in a container with an airtight lid so that it does not dry out.

Slime with tetraborate from glue stick

With this method, you do not need a microwave or steam bath, but the main component must be kneaded well. Very little activator is required, since there is little glue. Tetraborate can be diluted with water in advance so as not to over-thicken the slime.

Components

15 g glue stick,
1-2 drops of sodium tetraborate,
0.5 tsp. water,
1.5 tsp. shampoo.

Cooking method

The glue stick needs to be released from the packaging and squeezed in your hands until it softens.
Sodium tetraborate is added to this mass.
And you need to knead it again until it lags behind your hands.
Next, water is added to the base.
It also needs to be mixed into the slime.
The last component is shampoo, which is added in 2 doses.
Now the mass needs to be completely kneaded.

The safest slime

If all the above methods do not seem safe to you and do not inspire confidence in you, but you want to please your child, then we suggest you make a beautiful and interesting toy (slime) without sodium tetraborate and starch, without shampoo and dishwashing detergent, without glue and washing powder . The shelf life of such a toy is not very long, and it differs noticeably from the original in appearance, but it is safe, and you can be sure that nothing will happen to your child, even if he puts the handgam in his mouth.

Lizun with tetraborate analogue - Naphthyzin

Naphthyzine as a thickener is much weaker than tetraborate, but it still needs to be used carefully and little by little. In this recipe, it is especially important to mix the base well at each stage. Then the slime will be soft, smooth and shiny.

Components

40 ml PVA glue,
2 tsp. water,
0.5 tsp. body lotion,
1 tbsp. l. starch,
6 tbsp. l. shower mousse,
5-6 drops of liquid pigment,
1 pinch of soda,
1-1.5 tsp. Naphthyzin drops.

How to make slime with your own hands

In a clean bowl, combine PVA glue and water.
The next component is body lotion.
It needs to be mixed into the mixture with a spoon.
Then starch is added.
After this, you also need to mix the base with a spatula.
To add airiness, add shower mousse.
After another stirring, you need to pour in the dye.
When the base acquires color, soda is poured into it.
The mass must be stirred again.
Then Naphthyzin is poured into it in portions.
The base must be stirred with a spatula until the glue stabilizes.
At the end, be sure to knead it with your hands to rid the slime of excess moisture.

Sand handgam

A trip to the seaside with children is a reason for experimentation. Sand is an excellent material for a jelly-like product, and beautiful pebbles will add originality to the slime. You can play with it on vacation and bring home a toy that smells of sea air.

What you will need:

stationery glue (50 ml);
water (2 tbsp);
regular or kinetic sand (necessarily clean);
a few drops of sodium tetraborate.

Step-by-step instruction:

Combine the glue with water, adding sand gradually 0.5 teaspoon at a time until the mass is sticky and soft.
Add sodium tetraborate (3 drops), stirring with a stick, bring to the desired viscosity.
Stretch with your hands.
Decorate with beach decor.

A new slime will give you many pleasant moments of leisure, and working together as a family on a craft will charge you with team spirit and bring you together.

Slime with tetraborate analogue - washing gel

The recipe uses concentrated Persil gel, but Perwoll or Laska are suitable for the same purpose. You will need a lot of activator. Still, it should be poured in little by little, and the base should be thoroughly stirred, first with a spatula and then with your hands.

What do you need

100 ml PVA glue,
1 pinch of powder dye,
6 tbsp. l. shaving foam,
2-3 tbsp. l. Persil liquid washing gel.

Cooking method

The glue is placed in a bowl and dye is immediately added to it.
You need to mix everything so that the color of the future slime appears.
Next, shaving foam is squeezed into the composition.
The base must be mixed again.
Then Persil gel is poured in parts.
Stir the mixture with a spoon until it thickens.
Then it is kneaded manually until it comes away from the skin.

Slime with tetraborate analogue - liquid for lenses

With this method of making slime, the more homemade foam, the more voluminous the toy will be. Therefore, it is better to use thick shampoo. A liquid glue, like Lucha, will do, but it works. You can also replace PVA with stationery.

What to make from

1 tsp. shampoo,
1 tsp. water,
85 ml PVA glue,
0.5 tsp. acrylic paint,
1 pinch of soda,
1.5-2 tsp. liquids for lenses.

How to cook

Shampoo is poured into a plastic bottle.
Water should also be sent there.
Close the bottle and shake until foam appears in it, and put it aside for a while.
Glue is poured into the working container.
You need to attach foam from the bottle to it.
The composition must be mixed.
Then it is tinted by adding and stirring pigment.
Soda goes into the liquid next.
After using it, the base is stirred again.
All that remains is to pour in the lens solution.
Now you need to stir with a spoon until the glue curls.
The collected mass is crushed by hand.

We recommend reading about how to make slime from sodium tetraborate. From the article you will learn about slime recipes made from shaving foam, corn starch, toothpaste, film mask, glycerin and other ingredients. And here is more information about how to make slime from glycerin.

Using sodium tetraborate is the easiest way to thicken slime, but you can do without the finished product. After all, with Teymurov’s spray, boric acid, solutions for lenses, Naphthyzin, Levomycetin, the toy turns out no worse. And, of course, even tetraborate substitutes should be used carefully and little by little.

Slime recipe without sodium tetraborate

We will need:

PVA glue, 65 ml
liquid for lenses, 35 ml
soda, three pinches
water, 125 ml

Pour the required amounts of glue and activator into a bowl-shaped container, which will be liquid for lenses. In the second container, prepare a solution of soda and water. Add one teaspoon of the resulting solution to the adhesive mass. Next, stir all the contents well until the mass begins to move away from the walls of the dish. Let's crush the slime in our palms and make sure it's ready for use. If desired, the slime can be decorated with beads or given color using dye.