Homemade Silly Putty Recipes

Silly Putty was invented in 1943 when an engineer accidentally dropped boric acid into silicone oil. It made its big debut at the International Toy Fair in New York in 1950, packaged in plastic eggs to be sold as an Easter novelty item. Since then, Silly Putty has remained a popular science toy! While you probably don't have the ingredients to make the original Silly Putty polymer, there are a couple of silly putty recipes that use common household ingredients.

Silly Putty Recipe #1

The first recipe is a stiff type of slime that resemble putty:

• 1/4 cup glue
• 3/8 cup water (1/4 cup water plus 1/8 cup water)
• 1 tablespoon borax

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Silly Putty History and Chemistry

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

1. Mix together 1/4 cup glue and 1/4 cup water. Add food coloring if you want colored Silly Putty.

2. In a separate container, dissolve 1 tablespoon borax in 1/8 cup water.

3. Stir the borax mixture and glue mixture together to make the putty. If the Silly Putty is too sticky, you can add more borax one teaspoon at a time to stiffen the mixture.

Silly Putty Recipe #2

This recipe relies on polymerization between starch and glue. This recipe produces putty with a nice workable consistency:

• 1/4 cup liquid starch
• 1/4 cup glue

1. Mix the liquid starch and glue together. Add food coloring, if desired.

2. If the Silly Putty is too sticky, add more liquid starch until you get the consistency you want.

How to Store Homemade Silly Putty

There are many fun activities to try with the putty, plus you can keep it for later use. Store homemade Silly Putty in a sealed plastic container. Putting the container in the refrigerator helps prevent mold from growing on the putty.