How to Make Sodium Tetraborate at Home

Sodium tetraborate is used for various purposes today. It is an important component of slimes. You can easily make such a toy yourself, but what if there is no thickener. How to make sodium tetraborate at home and what can serve as a replacement for a standard thickener? There are many available options.

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.

It can be used for various purposes. It often acts as an antiseptic for various fungal diseases. It is often used in plant growing as an insecticide and pesticide. It can be added to enamels and paints, detergents and cleaning agents. Glass production is impossible without boric acid. The preparation is also necessary for making slime or lizun.

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 flexible.

Step-by-step instructions for making

The drug is sold in hardware stores, pharmacies and is inexpensive, but it is not always possible to leave home to buy it. In this case, there is a way out - to prepare the thickener yourself. There are many ways and recipes.

Sodium tetraborate from borax

If you have glycerin and borax at home, then preparing sodium tetraborate will not be difficult.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make sodium tetraborate at home:

1. Take a deep glass container.
2. Pour 80 g of glycerin and 20 g of borax into it.
3. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
4. Leave the mixture for 24 hours.

After the specified time, you can work with the derivative.

Recipe with boric acid

Those who have sodium bicarbonate and liquid boric acid on hand can combine these two ingredients, which will also result in sodium tetraborate.

Cooking instructions:

1. Pour 40 ml of boric acid into a deep container.
2. Add 30 g of baking soda in small portions, stirring constantly.
3. Mix the mixture until smooth, then filter.
4. The liquid mixture is ready for use.

Obtaining an aqueous solution of sodium tetraborate

This option is suitable for those who have boric acid and laundry soap.

Preparation of the composition:

1. Pour 200 ml of water into a jar or bowl.
2. Grate a bar of laundry soap.
3. Pour the shavings into the water.
4. Add 5 g of boric acid.
5. Mix the mixture and place in the microwave.
6. Make a slime from the resulting mixture.

There is another option for preparing an aqueous solution. In this case, the ready-made pharmaceutical preparation is simply diluted with water. You will need 30 ml of sodium tetraborate and the same amount of water. The two components are combined and shaken well.

Making sodium tetraborate from soda

Specific sodium tetraborate, or rather its substitute, can be prepared from completely safe components.

If everything necessary is present, then the next steps will be as follows:

1. Pour water and baking soda in equal proportions into a bowl.
2. Mix the mixture and leave it for a while to infuse.
3. After the soda has completely dissolved, the mixture can be used as a thickener. The mixture should stand for at least 20 minutes.

Glycerin thickener

Another equally interesting and simple recipe. Here you will need borax (powder), glycerin and plain water.

Cooking instructions:

1. Pour glycerin into a deep metal or aluminum container.
2. Add 5 g of borax.
3. Add 30 ml of water.
4. Mix everything thoroughly.
5. Place in a hot water bath and let the ingredients warm up slightly.
6. Remove from heat and the solution is ready.

A dangerous way to prepare sodium tetraborate from alkali

The following method also allows you to prepare a thickener for slime, but it cannot be called safe.

It is worth acting step by step:

1. Prepare a special container in which the ingredients will be combined.
2. Find 30 g of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) and 20 ml of boric acid.
3. Place the ingredients in a container.
4. Mix.
5. Filter.

What to Replace Sodium Tetraborate with for Slimes and Lizuns

Sodium tetraborate is not highly toxic, but it can cause allergic reactions after contact with the skin and is especially dangerous when ingested (causing vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, loss of consciousness, arrhythmia, etc.). All this often stops parents of small children, because they often put everything in their mouths, and their bodies themselves are too sensitive to various chemical compounds.

Alternatively, you can use:

• potato starch;
• baking soda;
• PVA glue;
• gelatin;
• toothpaste;
• lens remover fluid;
• flour;
• air freshener;
• hairspray;
• marshmallow;
• eye drops "Visine";
• salicylic acid;
• dishwashing detergent;
• washing gel, etc.

Making slime with these thickeners is easy. Here are a few simple recipes:

1. Combine starch with warm water in equal proportions. Add 100 ml of glue. Mix everything.
2. Dissolve 30 g of soda in 100 ml of water, add 100 ml of glue. If the consistency is too runny, it is advisable to add more sodium bicarbonate.
3. Combine 130 ml of PVA glue with a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid or washing gel, shake and leave for 20-30 minutes. Then you can knead it with your hands and get the desired shape.
4. Pour the required amount of glue. Spray hairspray (preferably strong hold) into it, mix the mass thoroughly. The hairspray can be replaced with an air freshener. Then the mixture should stand for about half an hour to thicken.
5. Mix gelatin with shampoo or shower gel. Pour into molds and refrigerate. After an hour, the slime can be taken out.
6. To make a sweet slime, you need to take marshmallow. It is heated in a microwave oven, 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 improvised means. 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 - soft, elastic, etc. You can make sodium tetraborate from different ingredients and choose the best option.