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Homemade Silly Putty

kinema writes "Have you ever wanted a ball of Silly Putty as big as your head? Now you can make it at home. The University of Minnesota's Chemistry Department has instructions on how to make it on their website." Isn't silly putty a copyright circumvention tool? This should be regulated before it gets out of hand.

225 comments

  1. Dont Joke by nurb432 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It IS copyrighted.. so that page COULD be shut down by ( i think ) hasbro..

    Gotta love the society we live in now..

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:Dont Joke by pheared · · Score: 2, Funny

      No no. It's a copyright circumvention tool.

      Try using Silly Putty some time, and press it ontop of a newspaper.

    2. Re:Dont Joke by MartinG · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "silly putty" can't be copyrighted, because it is not a work.

      It is probably a trademark, which could be enough to stop them using the words "silly putty", but not to stop them posting the instructions. To do that, they would need to have patented the technique of making it. Either way, copyright doesn't come into it.

      --
      -- MartinG To mail me: echo kewyjlcxyzvjfxbqwh | tr bcefhjklqvwxyz .@adgimnoprstu
    3. Re:Dont Joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a chemical compound it would more likely be patented. But after 17 years you're allowed to manufacture and sell your "generic" version.

    4. Re:Dont Joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually it's a security circumvention device, used to bypass fingerprint scanners

    5. Re:Dont Joke by gilroy · · Score: 5, Informative
      From the missed-the-joke department:
      Isn't silly putty a copyright circumvention tool?
      It IS copyrighted.. so that page COULD be shut down by ( i think ) hasbro..

      The original poster was not saying that making Silly Putty might be a copyright violation. He was saying that the use of Silly Putty -- to wit, to copy (say) your Sunday comics and then stretch them -- was employing a "circumvention device".
    6. Re:Dont Joke by JWW · · Score: 1

      Totally correct, and if silly putty (which has been around for ages) is patented, its patent has expired.

      The only action that could be taken (outside of the name thing) would be if the recipie for silly putty was a trade secret. But as a trade secret, if some one discovers what the recipie is you can share it. You have to have a patent to get protection.

    7. Re:Dont Joke by MuParadigm · · Score: 2, Funny


      Elmer's Glue and Borax.

      Slow news day, huh?

    8. Re:Dont Joke by zaphodbblx · · Score: 1

      Actualy they might be forced to mention the name "silly putty" with a tm or R mark after it, but unless they can prove the recipe was stolen that would't have a leg to stand on. Any how any protection they would have on the recipe should have expired by now and I have seen "generic" puttys on the market. some are really bad(stick to anything except comics and stain fabric) and some like "smart mass" rock!

      --
      "A towel is the most astounding Mind-boggleing useful thing in the universe, allways know where your towel is"
    9. Re:Dont Joke by H.G.+Pennypacker · · Score: 1

      The whole point is moot anyhow because copyright circumvention is not illegal (nor does it make sense) but circumventing copyright protections is.

      --
      -- HG Pennypacker, wealthy industrialist and philanthropist
    10. Re:Dont Joke by orthogonal · · Score: 5, Insightful

      [Much speculation by several posters about the patent, copyright, or trade secret status of the formula/recipe for Silly Putty.]

      Here's what I find interesting: Slashdot links to a neat-o geek recipe for a toy, and the first thing many Slashdotters think about is the Intellectual Property status of the recipe.

      I suspect that all these posters aren't lawyers; they're probably some form of "geek": engineers, programmers, mathematicians, chemists, what have you.

      I also suspect that in the great years of Amerfican innovation in the 20th century -- even up to the last 10 years --, geeks would think of geek things: "wow, what could I do with a gallon of Silly Putty", "wonder if I could make it glow in the dark", etc.

      Instead the geek's first reaction is more appropriate to the lawyer or law student. We've gotten so used to frivolous "business process" patents, blant SCO-like attempts to steal other people's ideas, and innovation stifling laws like the DMCA, that geeks have forgotten the instinct to innovate. Now, every geek puts on the lawyer hat, and considers, not "what could we do with that" but instead, "how could I get screwed over if I tried to innovate".

      And if geeks aren't innovating, America's future has just gotten a lot more bleak.

      I hope the plutocrats will remember that most of their riches (and comforts and health) grew out of geeks' playful desires to innovate, and realize that stifling innovation with Intellectual Property laws just means much less pie to go around, for plutocrat and peon alike.

    11. Re:Dont Joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh please. Silly Putty the trademark may pose a minor problem (consider the Tetris-crackdown - oo, everybody elses' games had to change their name), but that stuff is old enough that if the formula was patented, it certainly isn't anymore.

      ISTR that the stuff was invented accidentally, does anyone remember the details of the story?

    12. Re:Dont Joke by duren686 · · Score: 1

      I think they're all thinking about it because of what Taco wrote in the article summary. While I'm sure that a few people at least would be discussing the legal issues of making homemade Silly Putty, it wouldn't be nearly this many if there wasn't a "joke" about it in the story.

      --
      Y2K Compliant since the late 1890s
    13. Re:Dont Joke by bigberk · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Here's what I find interesting: Slashdot links to a neat-o geek recipe for a toy, and the first thing many Slashdotters think about is the Intellectual Property status of the recipe.

      Damn right!! This is what happens when we're inundated with stories about business controlling and dictating technology. You've hit the nail on the head, this is the ultimate reason geeks get pissed off at the DMCA, RIAA, SCO, Microsoft -- they know that all these legal issues are hurting their freedom to experiment and innovate with technology.

      Europe and the United States will fall behind Asia, because we are losing our freedom to innovate. We care so much about protecting big companies' bottom lines that we fail to allow for the freedom to play. As we all know, play = learn = grow.
    14. Re:Dont Joke by Potor · · Score: 1

      don't joke? i predict soon sco will go after those of you who use their trademarked name in /. jokes. of course we must joke.

    15. Re:Dont Joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The phrase "silly putty" cannot be copyrighted because titles and short phrases cannot be copyrighted. It can be trademarked, however - but simply using it on a web page is not sufficient to trigger a lawsuit. Monetary damages due to the use of the trademark have to be possible and probable for a law suit to proceed.

      The formula may be patented (though if it's old enough it probably isn't) but even if it were, the patent only protects the holder of the patent from unauthorized persons or companies making money at the expense of the holder of the patent. The academic presentation pretty much precludes that.

      They're on pretty solid ground here.

    16. Re:Dont Joke by Thjorska · · Score: 0

      That's so true... In fact, just for you, I'm going to go brew up a barrelful of silly putty that glows in the dark. And sings.

      --
      Current Karma Status: Roadkill
    17. Re:Dont Joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Instead the geek's first reaction is more appropriate to the lawyer or law student.

      "Appropriate"? Screw you, hippie :-)

      But seriously: what you're seeing is simply geeks interested in the legal ramifications. Nothing more, and certainly nothing to be worried about. Besides, isn't it actually good news that somebody besides the lawyers is now taking an interest in this kind of thing? Before the shit even has a chance to hit the fan?

    18. Re:Dont Joke by len_harms · · Score: 1

      What you talking about? My first inclination was where do I lay my hands on some sodium borate.

    19. Re:Dont Joke by dakryx · · Score: 1

      Copyright circumvention because it can copy newspaper and stuff before you mash it back up. Didnt anyone else do that when they were a kid?

    20. Re:Dont Joke by kaltkalt · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure they were talking about using silly putty to copy pages from comic books. Ya know, spread it on the page, hold it down, and lift it up -- up comes the ink. Instant derivative work.

      The process to make silly putty itself would be patented, but i'm assuming that since silly putty has been around a long, long time, and since these instructions on the web have not been taken down yet, that the patent has expired. So the silly putty recipe is public domain.

      As for the name "silly putty" that would be trademarked, and trademark protection lasts forever, unless the name is not defended and it becomes something like kleenex or xerox (a generic term). One could argue that silly putty has reached this level of generality.

      As for saying "putting the instructions for making silly putty online violates the silly putty copyright" ... well, you're an idiot and you have no idea what you're talking about.

      --

      Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
    21. Re:Dont Joke by esher72 · · Score: 1

      > Double whammy with that one. Infringe with the copying and the stretched version would be considered a derivitive work. Be careful. SCO might sue.

  2. The missing bit by Mr.+Darl+McBride · · Score: 5, Informative
    The Silly Putty(R) recipe refers to the slime recipe for the actual production procedures. It's not linked in the Slashdot writeup or on the umn.edu Silly Putty page, so I've linked it here.

    Another slime recipe can be found here as well.

    1. Re:The missing bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to insult you or anything, but your trolls aren't even funny any more. Come up with some new material sometime.

    2. Re:The missing bit by Mr.+Darl+McBride · · Score: 0, Troll
      Just because I'm posting as Darl doesn't mean I'm trolling. The article left off a critical page, without which the recipe would be tough to use.

      You, on the other hand, post anonymously because you're afraid of the moderators' response to your trolling. If you're even a little bit sure of yourself, post logged-in so they can show you what the think.

    3. Re:The missing bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      since when did a troll have to be funny to be effective? he made you reply, didn't he? i love darl! darl has power over all anonymous cowards, you and me both! you're just not manly enough to admit it!

    4. Re:The missing bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your 'borate ion' sure does look like a swastika...

    5. Re:The missing bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Huh? No troll there, knucklehead.

    6. Re:The missing bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice troll. Post with your name and face the mods, coward!

    7. Re:The missing bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Darl included the link Taco forgot so we can actually use the information. The link is safe; I'm not sure what AC is trying to do. Probably another humorless jerk who hates SlashDarl because he confuses SlashDarl with the real thing.

    8. Re:The missing bit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Not to insult you or anything, but your trolls aren't even funny any more.

      Troll? It's sad to see brain death in one so young. How you go on talking, I can't be sure. The only troll is you stopping a good user from giving good information. Thank god the moderators weren't fooled.

    9. Re:The missing bit by Directrix1 · · Score: 1

      Did you notice that the borate ion shown on the slime page (the reproducible slime, not the slime of society page) is a swastika?

      --
      Occam's razor is the blind faith in the natural selection of least resistance and in universal oversimplification. -- EF
    10. Re:The missing bit by $0-(jlo)-0$ · · Score: 1

      Does a borate ion normally take the shape of a swastika??? http://www.chem.umn.edu/outreach/Slime.html

    11. Re:The missing bit by orthogonal · · Score: 1

      Did you notice that the borate ion shown on the slime page (the reproducible slime, not the slime of society page) is a swastika?

      I noticed that too. It's rather appropriate, though, that the Nazi symbol is central to slime, given that you can't very well be a Nazi without being slime.

    12. Re:The missing bit by AEton · · Score: 1

      Does a borate ion normally take the shape of a swastika???

      Yes.

      --
      We recently had heard in the office over one of the Yellow Machine that's made by Anthology Solutions.
    13. Re:The missing bit by AchmedHabib · · Score: 1

      Yes, but the symbol was used in many old cultures before the Nazis adopted. Had many differnet meanings depending on where in the world you were. So I have always strange that the adopted it, since many of its(original) meanings must have conflicted with them

    14. Re:The missing bit by inertia187 · · Score: 1

      At least it's not the Napalm & Silly Putty recipe.

      --
      A programmer is a machine for converting coffee into code.
    15. Re:The missing bit by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 1

      Mein fuehrer, I can walk! And it's all because of Silly Putty! -- Dr. Strangelove.

  3. Actual method by ldm · · Score: 5, Informative

    The instructions by themselves are not particularly instructive: "the procedure can be followed from the slime procedure above."
    This is mentioned here. There's a bunch of other cool stuff in the same section, too.

    1. Re:Actual method by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did anyone else notice the symbol drawn up for the Borate Ion, when told that the procedure for "slime" could be followed?? Eerie...

  4. Should we be calling it "Silly Putty"? by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's amazing how a chemical compound created while trying to devise better ways to kill enemies works out to have recreational purposes.

    And they say America spends too much on military research.

    1. Re:Should we be calling it "Silly Putty"? by Guppy06 · · Score: 4, Funny

      And it didn't even involve the phrase "Hey y'all, watch this!"

    2. Re:Should we be calling it "Silly Putty"? by Monkelectric · · Score: 1

      In my experience, immediatley following a hick uttering the phrase "Hey y'all, watch this!" there is usually some very surprised livestock.

      --

      Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

  5. They've had this for years on the inter-web by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Any terrorist handbook worth its salt has had recipes for putties for years. OH! SILLY putty! I was thinking EXPLOSIVE putty! My bad.

  6. ... why...? by TWX · · Score: 0

    I mean, when they created silly putty 'back in the day' they couldn't find a use for it, so it became a way to annoy one's parents. Do they think that we'll find a way now, so they felt it prudent to release this upon us?

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  7. This is very dangerous. by Krapangor · · Score: 0, Funny

    You can make very dangerous grenades by using silly putty.
    Personally I wouldn't publish such information. With the Patriot act you are with one feet in prison when putting this on the web.
    And it's always a little questionable to provide people with information to make dangerous stuff like weapons etc.

    --
    Owner of a Mensa membership card.
    1. Re:This is very dangerous. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're in Mensa, who stole your grammar?

    2. Re:This is very dangerous. by radish · · Score: 1

      More importantly, someone appears to have stolen both his brain cells. The swines!

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

  8. Gak? by The+Z+Master · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This actually looks a lot like the recipe for Gak. The only difference is that Gak uses Borax, which, for all I know could be the same as sodium borate. Are Gak and silly putty perhaps the same except for the glue to sodium borate ratio?

    1. Re:Gak? by jacobdp · · Score: 3, Informative

      Same dif. 20 Mule Team Borax + water = sodium borate solution.

  9. I hope this is a bulk recipe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Have you ever wanted a ball of Silly Putty as big as your head?

    I'm hydrocephalic, you insensitive clod! I'd prefer a smaller head, thank you.

    1. Re:I hope this is a bulk recipe by Wholeflaffer · · Score: 1

      Do you, perhaps, mean 'microcephalic' instead of 'hydrocephalic'? If I were hydrocephalic, I'd probably want a larger head!

      --
      Certified Microsoft Notworking Specialist
    2. Re:I hope this is a bulk recipe by tomzyk · · Score: 1

      I'm hydrocephalic, you insensitive clod! I'd prefer a smaller head, thank you.
      Thanks for the follow-up sentence. Some /. readers may have thought you were trying to refer to something along the lines of a water-proof dildo.

      --
      Karma: NaN
    3. Re:I hope this is a bulk recipe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, hydrocephalic is a condition where the skull fills with fluid and causes the head to become very large.

      -Tim, the AC Poster Child

    4. Re:I hope this is a bulk recipe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quit complaining. Just think of how much silly putty you're gonna have!

      -Tim, the AC Poster Child

  10. We've been served! "Backards?" It's on Silly Putty by Mr.+Darl+McBride · · Score: 0, Insightful
    Isn't silly putty a copyright circumvention tool? This should be regulated before it gets out of hand.

    Funny. :-)

    I don't know about that holding up, but Silly Putty is a registered trademark, and umn.edu should be reflecting that. They should be calling this "a Silly Putty(R)-like substance" before "Binney & Smith Source" goes after them for $3 billion USD.

  11. Microsoft know alot about putty by SystematicPsycho · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ever wanted to know how microsoft patch their software? Gum and putty, they got tonnes of the stuff. Good'ol Bill has the worlds largest bubble bum collection, as for the putty, Ballmer keeps a lump in his back pocket
    --

    --
    Analytic & algebraic topology of locally Euclidean meterization of infinitely differentiable Riemmanian manifold
    1. Re:Microsoft know alot about putty by bryanthompson · · Score: 1

      heh, sounds like my dorm room. Our handle door stopper thing fell off two weeks ago for reasons i won't go into here, so we used putty and chewed gum to stick it back on the wall.

      2 weeks later... still holdin :-)

  12. Now you can... by mgcsinc · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Now you can make it at home"

    Okay, sure, I'll just pull the sodium borate out of my cabinet under the sink.

    1. Re:Now you can... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Hear of "borax"?

    2. Re:Now you can... by Rick+Richardson · · Score: 1

      "100-mule train Borax". You may be too young to remember the commercials.

    3. Re:Now you can... by arodland · · Score: 0, Redundant

      That would be exactly where you would find it, most likely.

    4. Re:Now you can... by bhtooefr · · Score: 5, Informative

      Mod parent down as ignorant - you'll find it as 20 Mule Team Borax, and it'll be by your washer or under your sink. If you don't have any, go to the detergerent aisle in the grocery store.

    5. Re:Now you can... by Xpilot · · Score: 3, Funny

      Okay, sure, I'll just pull the sodium borate out of my cabinet under the sink.

      What, you're saying you don't have any in stock? What kind of geek are you? :p

      --
      "Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
    6. Re:Now you can... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      someone doesn't have a sense of humor...

    7. Re:Now you can... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now look who's the fool. Where would you usually put the detergents? That's right, the cabinet under the sink.

    8. Re:Now you can... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Isn't it 20 mule team?

    9. Re:Now you can... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And you must be too old to remember them correctly.

    10. Re:Now you can... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Parent was not displaying ignorance, he/she was simply parodying the use of the technical term, I think.

    11. Re:Now you can... by Thjorska · · Score: 0

      My putty goes 30 mules to the borax, and that's just the way I like it!

      --
      Current Karma Status: Roadkill
    12. Re:Now you can... by Rich+Klein · · Score: 1

      So a large flask of 16% sodium borate would be 16% Borax and 84% water? Or do we have to take into account the actual percentage of sodium borate in Borax (I don't think Borax is pure sodium borate)?

      --
      -Rich
  13. Go UMN! by dieman · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Woot!

    --
    -- dieman - Scott Dier
  14. Silly Putty is easy to make by edwdig · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Back in my freshman year Chemistry Lab 4 years ago one of the experiments was to make silly putty. I remember it was one of the simplier labs to do, but the end result didn't come out very good. It dries out very quickly, and isn't as "flexible" as the stuff you buy in a store. It broke very easily. I don't remember if the teacher gave an explaination of why the putty we made wasn't as good as the store bought stuff, but I do remember getting the impression that you weren't going to get anything high quality in a small one off run.

    1. Re:Silly Putty is easy to make by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must have gotten the fun chemistry class, in mine all we ever got to do was titration, everything else was just mathematical. For example we spent 3 weeks learning about galvanic and voltaic cells and not once did we get to zap or electroplate anything.

    2. Re:Silly Putty is easy to make by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, I think you might have been in my class. You weren't the cute (and slightly fluffy) redhead with mono, were you?

    3. Re:Silly Putty is easy to make by WhytTiger · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Actually, I remember making silly putty freshman year in speech class... we made it out of elmers glue and liquid starch (as opposed to spray starch)... I hate to say, as I know it will be modded down, but is this really news worthy???

      --
      My Sig Beat up your Honor Roll Sig
  15. From domestic materials? by heironymouscoward · · Score: 5, Funny

    My cousin gave me a recipe for making this from domestic materials... Salt has lots of sodium, and most brands of the toilet cleaner contain borate. Let me see... if I just mix a little of that with some garden fertiliser, then shake the whol >BOOOM

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature
    1. Re:From domestic materials? by schnits0r · · Score: 1

      you forgot one thing....

      then shake the whol BOOOM.DFED#@#SEDFSFSF NO CARRIER

    2. Re:From domestic materials? by Rich+Klein · · Score: 1

      No self-respecting /.er uses dial-up!

      --
      -Rich
  16. Ob. DMCA joke by KillboyPHD · · Score: 2, Funny

    This recipe is a clear violation of the DMCA, in that the end device is capable of copying copyrighted materials (newspapers) and defeating their protection mechanisms (if they've been printed backwards).

    --
    Bah weep granah, weep ninny bong!
  17. Go UMN! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ugly Monkey Nads! w00t!!!11!

  18. Buy in Bulk by jchawk · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those of you who are lazy here are a couple of links to buy silly putty in bulk.

    From Crayola

    Or if you would like to buy 100 pounds of the stuff you can apparently order it directly from Dow Corning. Here's a page with step by step instructions on what to ask for and who to call.

    100 Pounds or More

    1. Re:Buy in Bulk by nucal · · Score: 1
      Who would win in a race between Silly Putty Superman and Silly Putty Flash?

      Silly Putty Hulk no care - want Silly Putty Wonder Woman.

    2. Re:Buy in Bulk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or if you would like to buy 100 pounds of the stuff you can apparently order it directly from Dow Corning.

      While it's interesting to know that silly putty is avilable in industrial quantities, I'd rather know WHO is buying 100 lb. blocks of silly putty and, well, what in the world are they using it for? Is there really an industrial application for the stuff, or is the world even weirder than I thought it was?

    3. Re:Buy in Bulk by len_harms · · Score: 2, Interesting

      One use is for physical therapy. My grandma used about a 2 pound chunk while recovering once from a fall. They gave it to her for building up her grip strength and to grip while in pain when trying to walk. When she died I snaged the 2 pound chunk. No one else wanted it...

    4. Re:Buy in Bulk by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 1

      It's classified. I can't tell you what it's used for, but it involves sex with crash test dummies and stealth aircraft.

    5. Re:Buy in Bulk by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      WHO is buying 100 lb. blocks of silly putty

      People who wish to give the best birthday present ever?

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    6. Re:Buy in Bulk by beetle496 · · Score: 1
      For those of you who are lazy here are a couple of links to buy silly putty in bulk. From Crayola
      Why is 100x of the "designer" colors $1.33 when the original is less than that for quantity one
      --
      I paid the going retail price for a Windows screen reader and got a free Unix computer!
    7. Re:Buy in Bulk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think I'm going to open a spa and give silly putty baths.

      I'll have to remind my clients not to "go under" - they might not make it back to the surface.

  19. Re:history of silly putty or SLiMe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So was the titanic.

  20. yes by fireduck · · Score: 3, Informative

    sodium borate is borax. seems rather odd to have a recipe that includes elmer's glue combining with an esoteric chemical when there's a much commoner name that could be used...

    1. Re:yes by Naosuke · · Score: 1

      actually borox is sodium tetraborate decahydrate so it is a different chemical.

    2. Re:yes by Ardeaem · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually, Borax, Sodium Boratem, and sodium tetraborate decahydrate are the same chemical, Na2B4O7 + 10H2O.

      This according to this site.
      Of course, IANAC.

  21. Ive known about this for several years by DigitalReligion · · Score: 3, Informative

    Glue borax and water.

    Its not really the same consistancy of silly putty from the times Ive made it.

    1. Re:Ive known about this for several years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lawyers guns and money.

      Can't get me out of this.

    2. Re:Ive known about this for several years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blood crank and sperm.

      It's not really the same Friday night if your mom isn't around.

    3. Re:Ive known about this for several years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Neil Alex and Geddy.

      When Neil dies from cancer it won't really be the same if they replace him.

    4. Re:Ive known about this for several years by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      New hope Empire and Return.

      It's not really the same watching the special editions.

  22. Goop, Glop, Gak, Flubber, and Oobleck too by trveler · · Score: 5, Informative

    Check out this link for these recipes.

    --
    ... is whot bwings os tugevza tsuzay.
  23. sodium borate by paradesign · · Score: 1, Funny
    no wonder i was never allowed to eat the stuff.

    where would one go to buy this stuff anyways?

    --
    I want 2D games back.
    1. Re:sodium borate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Albertsons. Look for Borax, retard.

    2. Re:sodium borate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check under your sink... I'm sure you have some, will be labeled borax.

  24. OMG... by The+Z+Master · · Score: 0

    They're Nazi's! Just take a look at the bottom-center of this diagram.

    </joke>

    1. Re:OMG... by capnjack41 · · Score: 1

      When you're playing with borate ions, you're playing with Hitler!!

  25. Sodium Borate == Borax by trveler · · Score: 1
    --
    ... is whot bwings os tugevza tsuzay.
  26. Refine your own oil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's easy. Just heat the oil to 600c and feed it into the distillation column in your backyard. Cheaper than buying your own natural gas.

    1. Re:Refine your own oil by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > Just heat the oil to 600c and feed it into the distillation column in your backyard.

      Finally! Now I have a use for that old distillation column that's been sitting in my back yard all these years.

      WTF???

  27. recipie is wrong by kencurry · · Score: 5, Informative

    from www.sillyputty.com

    "Silly Putty is a dilatant compound, a silicone based polymer..." This statement makes sense also because the inventor was (is) a Dow chemist/engineer. Dow has always been a leader in silicone chemistry.

    The recipie from U of M is a borate cross-linked PVA (from the Elmer's), better known as slime. This is NOT a silicone polymer.

    Before I flame UofM Chemistry dept., I will give them a change to correct this gaff.

    --
    sigs are for losers (except to point out that sigs are for losers)
    1. Re:recipie is wrong by Meowing · · Score: 1

      Yep, it was indeed an early attempt to produce a practical silicone rubber (obviously, Dow Corning learned a few things since).

      There are instructions for ordering DC 3179 dilatant compound in large amounts (100 lbs or more) on these pages.

    2. Re:recipie is wrong by Hatta · · Score: 1

      Yep. Any clues on the REAL recipie? I've been looking and all i can find are cheap knockoffs. Theres no substitute for the real thing.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    3. Re:recipie is wrong by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1
      ep. Any clues on the REAL recipie? I've been looking and all i can find are cheap knockoffs.

      There was a woman who toured the factory with her daughter. She asked if she could have the recipe and they of course said no. Then she asked if she could buy it and they said "sure, it's two-fifty." Pretty inexpensive, she thought, and since she had already opened a tab at the Silly Putty company store, she said "just put it on my tab." A few weeks later she gets a bill for $250!! Well she was so steamed that she emailed the recipe to all her friends, and encouraged them to do the same. That showed them!!

  28. My dreams realized by Faust7 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Have you ever wanted a ball of Silly Putty as big as your head?

    Why, yes! Yes I have!

    Now you can make it at home.

    "We went to the bars and then a house party last night. What'd you do?"
    "I stayed at home and made Silly Putty! I'm going to kill myself!"

  29. this is Gak, not Silly Putty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Anybody know how to really make silly putty? Gak is boring.

  30. Hmmm sodium borate by Gudeldar · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Right make it at home Let me just go to the cabinent I have thats full of highly toxic chemicals I also enjoy how that there aren't any exact measurements Large Flask may be some sort of scientific standard of measurement but I sure as hell have no idea what 55% of a "large flask" is

    1. Re:Hmmm sodium borate by DigitalReligion · · Score: 1

      Its all relative.

      as long as its got the right proportions it doesnt matter what a Large Flask is.

      btw, you can buy Sodium borate at your local grocery store.

      Borax: A hydrated sodium borate, Na2B4O710H2O, an ore of boron, that is used as a cleaning compound

    2. Re:Hmmm sodium borate by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      The directions clearly state to mix the glue solution and the sodium borate in a 4:1 ratio.

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
  31. THAT'S A LOTTA SILLY PUTTY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    weeoooweeoooweeoooweeeooo

  32. Homemade Silly Putty = by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the result of nasal spelunking: boogers!

  33. Explanation please? by leomekenkamp · · Score: 1

    Could someone please for all of us silly slashdotters who do not know what Silly Putty is (or maybe know it under another name) give some explanation? From what I found on google it seems to be some sort of flubber", but then, sort of, ... different.

    This being slashdot, could anyone also put up some links about all models of starwars ships that have been created with this stuff?

    --
    Wenn ist das Nunstueck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.
    1. Re:Explanation please? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://www.sillyputty.com/history_101/history101.h tm

  34. -1 Troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of course references to cmdrtacos semen were not included in the original article.

  35. That's NOT Silly Putty by Bob+Cat+-+NYMPHS · · Score: 4, Informative

    Dow 3179 Dilatent Compound is. It is silicone-based, like the Horta.

    You can order 50lb blocks from Crayola or 100lbs from Dow. See http://vern.com/putty/ for more info.

    Slashdot editors can't even check facts on Silly Putty stories. Sad.

    1. Re:That's NOT Silly Putty by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 1

      Of course not. They're too busy washing their Pet Rocks.

      --
      You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
  36. Re: ... here's the *creative* text. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    * Wooden stir sticks
    * Food coloring
    * Cmdr Taco's gaycum


    Now if you're going to be creative and add your own ingredients like 'gaycum', you probably should have realised that you won't need the food colouring anymore..

  37. WRONG!!! Its missing Silicon! is fake recipe! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    WRONG!!! Its missing Silicon! It is a fake recipe!

    Real silly putty does not dry out or leave much of a residue and is of course feshy-colorred.

    Real silly putty has alwasy been :

    65% dimethyl siloxane, hydroxy-terminated polymers with boric acid
    -- 17% silica, quartz crystalline
    -- 9% thixotrol ST
    -- 4% polydimethylsiloxane
    -- 1% decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane
    -- ~1% glycerine
    -- ~1% titanium dioxide

    and of course you can manufacture it now, out of patent, but you have to be careful how you market it.

    Or you can buy it from DOW in bulk for under 10 dollars per pound.

    I am the first post that mentioned this and its 12:18 PM E.S.T. , so I can't imagine how something that I knew most of my adult life was not mentioned or corrected by ANYONE else. More amusing is that no one moderates on slashdot anymore even though technically all email accounts are mostly anonymous.

    But for those that care. There is the CORRECT resipe , and its totally different than the poisonous one for mere slime the article mentioned.

    1. Re:WRONG!!! Its missing Silicon! is fake recipe! by djdrew6k · · Score: 0

      hey, I would have replied with a similar response (albeit without the smarty-pants recipe :)), but alas, I was asleep. But you are NOT alone. I made that other recipe in chemistry class years ago, and so I was left thinking "wait, this was definitely NOT silly putty I remember making..."

    2. Re:WRONG!!! Its missing Silicon! is fake recipe! by chriswaco · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You are correct. It is fake!

      We made actual silly putty in high school about 20 years ago. The main chemical was highly reactive to water, including the moisture in the air. A small bottle of the stuff (Dimethyldichlorosilane IIRC) came packed in 5 layers of protection, including a small wood box, and could only be ordered with the aid of a helpful adult with access to dangerous chemicals.

      When we withdrew the liquid from the bottle using a syringe in our lab's hood, a wet rag 4 feet away starting smoking.

      The putty we created wasn't very good. It did bounce, but didn't have all of the properties of the real stuff. Once we realized that we had no good way of disposing of the chemical, we had to keep making putty until it was all gone!

      Today, we'd probably all be arrested for doing this in a public high school, but it was a great learning experience.

    3. Re:WRONG!!! Its missing Silicon! is fake recipe! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      actually, this recipe is basically a slightly
      obscured mixture of dimethlysiloxane and borax.

      the silica and titanium dioxide can be
      replaced with an equal wt pct of diatomaceous
      earth, btw.

      so, you can probably go with 80% dimethyl
      siloxane, 20% diatomaceous earth, and borax
      added until it has the desired consistency.

  38. Jeebus, isn't that schitt messy enough? by jamehec · · Score: 1

    I had some when I was a kid. It was messy, it stuck to everything, and the messes resulted in me getting a lot of spankings. Not only that, but it stank worse than my whisky farts do today.

    No, I do NOT want a wad of silly putty that big. No. Damn. Way.

    --
    This post made with the Dvorak layout.
    "Friends don't let friends use QWERTY"
  39. AKA Happy FUN Ball! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Happy FUN BALL!
    -only $14.95-

    Warning: Pregnant women, the elderly and children under 10 should avoid prolonged exposure to Happy Fun Ball.
    Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly accelerate to dangerous speeds.
    Happy Fun Ball Contains a liquid core, which, if exposed due to rupture, should not be touched, inhaled, or looked at.
    Do not use Happy Fun Ball on concrete.

    Discontinue use of Happy Fun Ball if any of the following occurs:
    Itching
    Vertigo
    Dizziness
    Tingling in extremities
    Loss of balance or coordination
    Slurred speech
    Temporary blindness
    Profuse sweating
    Heart palpitations

    If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head.
    Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types of skin.

    When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be returned to its special container and kept under refrigeration...

    Failure to do so relieves the makers of Happy Fun Ball, Wacky Products Incorporated, and its parent company Global Chemical Unlimited, of any and all liability.

    Ingredients of Happy Fun Ball include an unknown glowing substance which fell to Earth, presumably from outer space.

    Happy Fun Ball has been shipped to our troops in Saudi Arabia and is also being dropped by our warplanes on Iraq.

    Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

    Happy Fun Ball comes with a lifetime guarantee.

    Happy Fun Ball

    ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES!

  40. The history behind it. by los+furtive · · Score: 3, Informative

    I was a bit dubious to your military claims since the linked article only makes reference to an attempt to make a synthetic rubber. However, a bit of research on sillyputty.com shows not only that you are correct, but also lists the ingredients (boric acid and silicone oil) required to manufacture it. Read on for an excerpt:

    1940 In the midst of World War II, the Japanese contine to invade rubber producing countries in the Far East, cutting off supply to the United States. This begins to hamper war production efforts, especially for truck tires and boots. As a result, the government's War Production Board asks American industry to attempt to develop a synthetic rubber compound.

    1943 James Wright, a Scottish engineer working for General Electric's New Haven, Conn., laboratory, combines boric acid and silicone oil in a test tube. The compound becomes "polymerized." Wright removes the goeey substance from the test tube and in his exuberance tosses some on the floor. Bouncing putty is born.

    --

    I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.

  41. Just Buy in Bulk by Jagasian · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You can buy 5 lbs of silly putty for $60. Many people have done this before, and you can do some very interesting stuff with it. Like make a potato gun that shoots baseball sized balls of putty at brick walls. There are videos of this, and the putty ball shatters like a piece of glass because of its "silly" properties.

    Its fun to do other experiments like bake it, freeze it, etc...

  42. SillyBall by panic911 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    That's awesome, someone should come up with a new sport called sillyball or something. Have the rules based off of basektball rules, just a little sillier ;).

  43. The recipe by bezuwork's+friend · · Score: 4, Informative

    The recipe, well, at least the ingredients, are here.

    1. Re:The recipe by LinuxInDallas · · Score: 1

      Is my childhood memory fading? I don't remember silly puddy as being "bouncy."

    2. Re:The recipe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless the recipe has changed since your childhood, the gob of pink gunk in the plastic eggs will bounce if it's compressed tightly into a ball. It will bounce about as well as a rubber superball but I seem to remember that if there were any "flaws" in the ball structure or if you hit the floor hard enough and at just the right angle, the ball would shatter along the flaw lines.

      I think the actual recipe has long since faded into the public domain. The name is property of hasbro, but chemistry professors and highschool teachers have been making batches of the stuff for years (at least as far back as the late 80s)

    3. Re:The recipe by Stephen+Samuel · · Score: 1
      Is my childhood memory fading? I don't remember silly puddy as being "bouncy."

      Oh yeah! quite bouncy!

      That's part of what made it silly. It was bouncier than most balls, but since it didn't hold shape very well, it would bounce off in a random direction when it hit the floor, the wall, the table the cat and/or the window (not necessarily in that order).

      --
      Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
  44. Its too early in the morning.. by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    Yup.. i missed it.. need more sleep.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  45. Re:WRONG!!! Here is correct Silicon full recipe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    As a followup to my own post, here is the correct Silicon full recipe

    Preparing "Silly Putty", a silicone polymer (a methyl silicone, polydimethylsiloxane), via the hydrolysis of dichlorodimethylsilane with simple lab tools.

    This silicone, which contains residual hydroxyl groups, will be cross-linked using boric acid (B(OH)3). This trifunctional acid forms -Si-O-Blinkages resulting in a peculiar type of gum. The commercial "bouncing putty" found in novelty stores is a silicon polymer with softening agents, fillers and coloring agents added. The actual full list of Silly Putty ingredients with colorants and softening agents is :

    -- 65% dimethyl siloxane, hydroxy-terminated polymers with boric acid
    -- 17% silica, quartz crystalline
    -- 9% thixotrol ST
    -- 4% polydimethylsiloxane
    -- 1% decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane
    -- ~1% glycerine
    -- ~1% titanium dioxide

    This putty recipe is similar and equally pleasing:

    Day 1: This reaction must be carried out in a fume hood.

    Wear gloves to measure 20 mL of Si(CH3)2Cl (MW = 129.06, density = 1.064 g/mL) in a dry graduated cylinder. Rapidly transfer to a dry 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask equipped with a rubber stopper. Si(CH3)2Cl2 reacts rapidly with moisture to produce HCl gas so make the transfer swiftly. To this add 40 mL of diethylether and hydrolyze by adding 40 mL of H2O dropwise. HCl gas is evolved in this hydrolysis step.

    The addition must be made slowly at the beginning of the reaction or too vigorous an evolution of the HCl will occur. The ether component will be warmed up to its boiling temperature if H2O is added too quickly. It is a good idea to have an ice-bath ready to cool down the reaction flask if the hydrolysis becomes too exothermic. The first 10 mL addition of water is very vigorous but less so afterwards. After this initial quantity, you may increase the rate of addition. The product has a very strong odor; be sure to do this in a fumehood!

    Separate the ether layer at the completion of the hydrolysis step by pouring the mixture into your 250 mL separatory funnel. Wash the ether layer 3 times with 100 mL (for each wash) of 1 M Na2CO3.

    This step is done to neutralize any residual acid remaining in the wet ether solution. Vigorous evolution of CO2 gas is observed at this stage as the neutralization proceeds. Add 10 mL more of diethylether to the flask after the first wash. Finally, perform on additional wash with 100 mL of water. Dry the ether solution over anhydrous magnesium sulfate in a stoppered Erlenmeyer flask, which you let rest for step two.

    Day 2:

    Decant the ether solution, filtering off any magnesium sulfate, into a pre-weighed 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask and evaporate off the ether using a water bath - not a hot plate. Note the yield of the dimethylsilicone oil (you should have approximately 9.5 g of material).

    Add about 5% (by weight) boric acid (about 0.48 g for a yield of 9.5 g of oil), stirring continuously during the addition and for a few minutes after. This will cause the oil to become very viscous.

    Heat the mixture to about 170-180 C in an oil bath and leave at this temperature for 2-3 hours. Allow to cool and remove the product from the flask by scraping it out with a spatula. If the gum is somewhat brittle, continued kneading will produce the desired gum-like characteristic. Once the gum has been removed, clean your Erlenmeyer flask with methanol.

    Perform and report on the following tests:

    (1) When rolled into a ball, does your product give a lively bounce on a hard surface?

    (2) Does pulling sharply cause the gum to cleave?

    (3) Does pulling slowly result in a stretching reminiscent of chewing gum?

    (4) Does your product flow into a flat plate when placed on a flat surface?

    (5) Is print transferred to the gum when test (4) is conducted on a flat newspaper?

    General References

    1. J. E. Mark, H. R. Allcock, R. West, Inorganic Polymers, Prenti

  46. He died! by Scottm87 · · Score: 1

    INVENTORS -- On Nov. 15 Earl Warrick, 91, who was credited as one of the inventors of Silly Putty, died at his home in Loma Linda, CA. He was a Dow Corning research scientist for 33 years.

    1. Re:He died! by falzer · · Score: 1

      INVENTORS -- On Nov. 15 Earl Warrick, 91, who was credited as one of the inventors of Silly Putty, died at his home in Loma Linda, CA. He was a Dow Corning research scientist for 33 years.

      Sad. I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will miss him - even if you didn't enjoy his work, there's no denying his contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.

  47. Silly Putty, a movie by bezuwork's+friend · · Score: 4, Informative
    Any discussion about Silly Putty isn't complete without this link. It is the movie where some guys drop a rather large ball of Silly Putty off of an office building for fun.

    I think this was on /. before, but couldn't find the past story.

  48. Not Silly Putty by Jagasian · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The Elmber's Glue recipes don't make actual silly putty. They make some cheap nasty knock-off that creates a silly putty-like compound that is slimey, leaves a greasy mess on anything it touches. Not only that, but this putty goes bad over time, unlike the real silly putty, which never dries out or gets moldy.

    There is a recipe for making the real silly putty compound, but it is far more difficult and requires ingrediants and tools not found in a grocery store.

    1. Re:Not silly putty by UserGoogol · · Score: 1

      Yeah... real silly putty involves silicone oil instead of Elmers.

      At any rate, if you're going to be making non-newtonian fluids, you can't go wrong with Oobleck. (Corn starch and water.)

      --
      "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
    2. Re:Not silly putty by back_pages · · Score: 2, Funny
      This is not Silly Putty, or anything like it. I'm sick and tired of people saying that the glue and borax formula...

      Gosh, me too. Here's what you do.

      Take a breather, then you and your Super Friends can meet at the Halls of Justice and concoct some plan to bring truth and balance back into this wacky world where evildoers peddle glue and borax and call it "Silly Putty".

    3. Re:Not silly putty by psiphre · · Score: 1

      you are my hero.

  49. That's something new? by jamehec · · Score: 1

    Okay, so the AK-47 and the M1921AC are not chemical compounds - but they were created to kill enemies AND they have recreational purposes. :sets selector to "Rock 'N' Roll" mode:

    --
    This post made with the Dvorak layout.
    "Friends don't let friends use QWERTY"
  50. hey, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what's Putty? I want a Silly Pussy!
    home made, that's cool. won't have to interrupt my UT2003 sessions.

  51. The smell of Silly Putty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Has changed.. It doesn't smell like the stuff we had when I was a kid.

    What gives?

  52. Something I'd like to know by Tycho · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So what would happen if you dropped a head sized or larger amount of silly putty from three stories up? Would it bounce or would it splash? Or would it pancake? Has anyone actually tried this?

    --
    Impersonating Tycho from Penny Arcade since before there was a PA.
    1. Re:Something I'd like to know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It shatters. There's a video link a few posts above.

    2. Re:Something I'd like to know by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  53. Not silly putty by NeoSkandranon · · Score: 1

    This is not Silly Putty, or anything like it. I'm sick and tired of people saying that the glue and borax formula makes it, when in fact it produces a slimy concoction most similar to the Gak that Nickelodeon markets. The result of the recipe posted will make a slimy, sticky, greasy blob of crap that will dry out in a few days

    --
    If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
  54. Re:Slashdotted already - here's the text. by cannon_trodder · · Score: 1

    Will someone please mod the parent down? For God's sake, two people have pointed out that it is a troll and they have been modded as trolls!!

    I refer to the *special* ingredient below "Food coloring" and above "Zip lock bags"

  55. This isn't *really* silly putty by purdue_thor · · Score: 5, Informative

    I had my students make this one time -- I was teaching a class on polymers. I had seniors in college playing with glue and boarx like little kindergarteners. Hah. They enjoyed it and learned something about viscoelastic polymers in the process, so I think it was all good.

    Anyway... while fun, the stuff isn't really Silly Putty (R). That's a silicone polymer. The poly(vinyl alcohol) that's in glues these days does a pretty decent impersonation, though. You'll notice that it does feel and act differently, and it tends to dry out much quicker than the real stuff.

    Just in case anyone cared on this obviously slow news day.

  56. Re: Suprised by kernelfoobar · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm suprised that among all slashdotters, nobody mentionned this. I think it's probably Silly Putty (TM) with more intense properties.

    my 2 cents

    --
    Here we go again!
  57. Quite amusing by caluml · · Score: 2, Funny
    The history of silly putty is quite amusing.

    Yeah, hahahah, heh, heheh, wooo.
    Thank god for that. I've finally stopped laughing. Took me 30 minutes though - take care clicking on that link if you've got to do something soon.

  58. Better place for bulk & all things putty by thirty2bit · · Score: 2, Informative

    www.puttyworld.com

    1. Re:Better place for bulk & all things putty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is an understatement! Among other cool things they have Magnetic Putty and pocket blacklights ...

  59. Re:We've been served! "Backards?" It's on Silly Pu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, they're probably go after the 12 year old who tries the recipe out.

  60. Re:Slashdotted already - here's the text. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Haha, interesting? I could understand informative, funny, or troll, but how is that interesting?

  61. slashdot by Hatta · · Score: 1

    Is it sunday already?

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  62. Re:Not silly putty -- you are redundant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your post was AFTER the complete full recipe was posted in post article #6957422 complete with all lab steps and ingredients, and as a followup to its own post mentioning all you mentioned.

    Your post is therefore factually redundant becuase it was written after the other was posted and should not be rated #2, while the other languishes.

    You should either read more of the important posts or learn to moderate.

  63. Re:you post is redundant ! there are full recipes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your post was AFTER the complete full recipe was posted in post article #6957422 complete with all lab steps and ingredients, and as a followup to its own post mentioning much of your criticisms.

    Your post is therefore factually redundant becuase it was written well after the other was posted and should not be rated #2, while the other 12:43pm EST full lab recipe post languishes.

    You should either read more of the important posts or learn to moderate.

  64. Didn't you make that in 5th grade science class? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It turned your hands all green, or whatever colour it was you decided to dye it...

    the non dyed stuff took on the appearance of god only knows what paste...yum

  65. copyrights by potpie · · Score: 1

    the name "silly putty" is probably copyrighted, but they can't shut down the site just for showing how to make it. That would be like a clothing company suing a site that gave instructions on how to sew certain things, or a software company suing because someone posted how to program their programs. Hmmm.... I'm glad silly putty has been made open source.

    --
    Esoteric reference.
    1. Re:copyrights by kaltkalt · · Score: 1

      trademark covers brand names, not copyright.

      --

      Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
    2. Re:copyrights by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > they can't shut down the site just for showing how to make it

      True. Especially because the end result of that "expiriment" isn't very close, chemically, to the real Silly Putty.

  66. Don't you mean a cookie recipe? by yerricde · · Score: 1

    There's an urban legend like this about a cookie recipe.

    And this is the recipe in question.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
    1. Re:Don't you mean a cookie recipe? by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1
      There's an urban legend like this about a cookie recipe.

      well yeah, that was kinda what I was making reference to.

  67. Great-Silly Putty Roof-Drop Video by the_pooh_experience · · Score: 2, Informative

    I have been waiting for a chance to post this like I found several years ago. Ever wonder what happens when you drop 50 lbs of silly putty (from Dow chemical) off a 6th(?) floor parking garage? Well you too can find out at Silly Putty Physics Experiment. Complete with medium and large video (actually the video is about all there is to the thing). Just like McDonalds and Starbucks, there is no "small".

  68. this isn't the recipe for real silly putty by bodrell · · Score: 1
    Sorry to rain on everyone's parade.

    This is the cheapo, ghetto version of silly putty, which will likely rot (that's right, as in decompose) because of the materials used.

    Real Silly Putty is made by Dow Corning (in my hometown of Greensboro, NC, in fact) from silicone-related starting materials. But if you just want something to impress the youngsters in your school science class, using glue and sodium borate will attract their attention for at least a few minutes.

    I'm too lazy to find it myself, but I'm sure the patent on Silly Putty includes the real ingredients and process info. Any Karma Whores out their want to go patent-fishing?

    --
    Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a soportar Si la vida me da palo, yo la voy a espabilar
  69. This isn't new or news.. by Suppafly · · Score: 1

    I remember making putty using nearly the exact same recipe when I was in HS Chemistry several years ago.

  70. I have a formula by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1) 1 cup of starch
    2) 1 egg
    3) 3 1oz tubes of Tester's model glue
    4) 8 oz of rubberized caulking

    Mix all this together in a food processor (one that you're willing to sacrifice in the name of making putty)

    Put contents in a glass jar and store in freezer and wait 24 hours.

    Oh, wait... did the silly putty have to bounce, hold its shape, and not stick to your hands?

  71. DON'T Follow those instructions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A friend of mine tried it. It ended up doing nothing but create an odorless gas that made him really fucking high as a kite. Err, wait, on second thought...

  72. Slime is a nazi conspiracy! by ded_guy · · Score: 1

    On the slime page, the shape of that borate ion is a little bit suspicious...

    --
    In the future, all spacecraft will be made of cheese.
  73. Well, no.. by k98sven · · Score: 1

    I suspect that all these posters aren't lawyers; they're probably some form of "geek": engineers, programmers, mathematicians, chemists, what have you. /. is heavily slanted towards computer geeks. And for that group, IP issues are a big deal (and also a popular discussion subject on /.)

    However, it's not particularily representative. Within most science/engineering fields, IP is not considered the enemy, and for fields like math and foundation research it's a nonissue.

    Remember, in most areas, patents work. They do encourage development and investments in research.

    Now, software patents ARE a BAD idea. But don't take the computer geeks' view as valid for all engineers and scientists.

    1. Re:Well, no.. by BiggerIsBetter · · Score: 1

      If you can patent an algorithm, why wouldn't it apply to fields like Math. What if Company X patented an algorithem that turned out to be part of a proof for a significant proof, for example, which may have applications in cryptography?

      --
      Forget thrust, drag, lift and weight. Airplanes fly because of money.
  74. Another recipe by Doubting+Thomas · · Score: 1

    The one my high-school physics instructor used is simple enough that I still remember it after more than ten years:

    One part liquid laundry starch
    One part corn starch

    mix well

    --
    Just because it works, doesn't mean it isn't broken.
  75. You could try your local grocery store by lorcha · · Score: 1

    Or buy it online if you're too lazy. (thanks google)

    --
    "Avoid employing unlucky people - throw half of the pile of CVs in the bin without reading them." -- David Brent
  76. Re: Suprised by athakur999 · · Score: 1

    I bought some of that stuff. It was interesting for a day but got boring rather quickly. It's pretty much silly putty, but much firmer (kinda close to the sticky tack stuff used to put posters on walls).

    Oobleck is much more interesting and a hell of a lot cheaper.

    --
    "People that quote themselves in their signatures bother me" - athakur999
  77. Better than Silly Putty by runchbox · · Score: 1

    Poster putty holds its shape better, and its not as expensive. Plus, you can bill the company for the office supplies. It's not liuke it actually holds posters on to the walls very well.

    --
    If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal -- Jello Biafra
  78. This seems familliar... by nlangille · · Score: 1

    # Large flask of 55% Elmer's glue solution in water # Large flask of 16% sodium borate This brings back memories of my summative assignment for grade 9 science, which was to develop the most bouncy ball possible using glue and borax.

  79. Taking Silly Putty on Airplanes by billstewart · · Score: 1
    Do not try this at home. This stunt was not performed by trained professionals, but by skilled amateurs who were not paying attention.

    A few years ago, some of my friends got together an order for a batch of Dow 3179 Dilatent Compound in its original pinkish color, and I got a kilo or so as a present for my sister's kids back east, whom we were about to go visit. In the shuttle on the way to the airport, my wife and I realized that our carryon luggage had two half-kilo baggies of plasticy clay and a digital alarm clock, and if it looked odd on the baggage xray it might be incorrectly perceived as something bad. But it was too late to turn around and still get to our plane, so we just kept going.

    Fortunately, though this was after the mid-90s attempts at restricting US travel and civil liberties and resale of frequent flyer tickets in the name of national security, it was before the military takeover of the US airports, and the rent-a-guards didn't notice anything, so the only negative consequences were the usual ones involving Silly Putty, rugs, furniture, ceilings, etc.

    And on the way back, we didn't have the plastic material, and our flight didn't go through the Gate Which Must Not Be Named (you do know not to refer to the 4th gate of Terminal C using the natural name that's between C3 and C5, don't you? :-)

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
    1. Re:Taking Silly Putty on Airplanes by Penguinshit · · Score: 1

      Your saving grace is the absence of nitrates.

      Of course, the shit-disturber in me would have pressed the clay into oblong form and tossed in a couple of feet of Cat-5 cable (quite normal for me to carry around as I also wire networks for a living). No note, nothing to overtly attempt to raise the ire of the guards, just a little something to make the X-ray operator a tad uncomfortable.

  80. Good Luck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The swastika is a very old symbol with use widespread throughout the world. Sometimes referred to as a "Gammadion" "Hakenkreuz" or a "Flyfot," it traditionally had been a sign of good fortune and well being The word "swastika" is derived from the Sanskrit "su" meaning "well" and "asti" meaning "being." It also is considered to be a representation of the sun and is associated with the worship of Aryan sun gods. It is a symbol in both Jainism and Buddhism, as well as a Nordic runic emblem and a Navajo sign.

    from:

    http://www.holocaust-trc.org/wmp14.htm

  81. Huh? by bobobobo · · Score: 1
    Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.

    I'm afraid I don't understand your sig. Mode me down -1 ignorant if you must. But why would I insert a jalapeno rectally in the first place?

    1. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've obviously never eaten large amounts of jalapenos. Jalapenos and other hot peppers have the ability to burn twice! And this does not involve rectal insertion!

    2. Re:Huh? by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      Why would you insert chocolate rectally? Like the other reply said, if you eat a shitload of chocolate, it won't burn going in or out. If you eat a shitload of jalapenos, it'll burn when you eat them, it'll burn when you shit them, and (if you eat enough) it'll burn when you piss them.

    3. Re:Huh? by RobertB-DC · · Score: 1

      Why would you insert chocolate rectally? Like the other reply said, if you eat a shitload of chocolate, it won't burn going in or out. If you eat a shitload of jalapenos, it'll burn when you eat them, it'll burn when you shit them, and (if you eat enough) it'll burn when you piss them.

      +1, Most On-Topic Use Of The Word "shitload"

      (By the way, I sent your .sig to my wife the first time I saw it. She really likes jalapenos... the first time around, at least.)

      --
      Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
    4. Re:Huh? by bhtooefr · · Score: 1

      This is why I think they should add sig-modding. Quarter karma point for each sig modpoint, maybe? (BTW, read the NEW sig - meant to put it in last night)

  82. 50 lbs. of Silly Putty by nameer · · Score: 1

    At work we needed a large quantity (~10 lbs.) of the stuff for an experiment. We we able to get a "sample" quantity directly from DOW in a 50 lb. bucket. We gave half of it to the salesman for his kids, leaving us with about 25 lbs. 10 lbs. for the experiment, and 15 lbs. to make into a giant silly putty ball that we then proceeded to bounce in the lab. BAD IDEA. It's hard to roll a good sphere that size, so the thing bounced chaoticly about the lab almost taking out a computer monitor. Still, it is impressive to see that much silly putty at once.

    --
    "Uh... yeah, Brain, but where are we going to find rubber pants our size?" --Pinky
  83. heh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm just waiting for someone to find this printed out on the floor of an Iraqi building titled "how to make a chemical weapon"

  84. And with 50 lbs of Silly Putty, you can do this! by NeuroManson · · Score: 1

    Your tuition dollars at work: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/stu/putty/index.cf m

    --
    Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
  85. This is NOT Silly Putty by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 2, Informative

    The stuff described on the U Minn site is NOT the real Silly Putty. The real stuff is a silicon polymer as far as I know. The Elmer's Glue/borate mix has only a limited shelflife. It has some viscoelasticity, but it does not behave fully like the real Putty.

  86. full ingredient list by rkww · · Score: 1
    The full ingredient list is apparently
    65% - Dimethyl Siloxane, hydroxy-terminated polymers with boric acid
    17% - Silica, quartz crystalline
    9% - Thixotrol ST
    4% - Polydimethylsiloxane
    1% - Decamethyl cyclopentasiloxane
    1% - Glycerine
    1% - Titanium Dioxide
  87. Why chemists don't write cookbooks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Chocolate Chip Cookies

    1.) 532.35 cm3 gluten
    2.) 4.9 cm3 NaHCO3
    3.) 4.9 cm3 refined halite
    4.) 236 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride
    5.) 177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11
    6.) 177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11
    7.) 4.9 cm3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde
    8.) Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein ovoids
    9.) 473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao
    10.) 236 cm3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10)

    To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr, add ingredients one, two and three with constant agitation.

    In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm, add ingredients four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogenous.

    To reactor #2, add ingredient eight, followed by three equal volumes of the homogenous mixture in reactor #1.

    Additionally, add ingredient nine and ten slowly, with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction.

    Using a screw extruder attached to a #4 nodulizer, place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm).

    Heat in a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank &Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown.

    Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25C heat-transfer table, allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

  88. Make sure to read the MSDS by danshapiro · · Score: 1

    (Material Safety Data Sheet) Safety first! You gotta check on the LD50 before you can play with, let alone eat, the Silly Putty.
    (note: as previously observed, 3179 DILATANT COMPOUND is indeed the stuff)

    --
    This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
  89. Silly putty as DMCA circumvention tool by kaltkalt · · Score: 1

    Hasn't anyone ever used silly putty to copy a page from a comic book? Silly putty, like p2p networks, is used to copy intellectual property of others. Thus anyone who makes silly putty is liable for vicarious infringement heh. I'm quite sure that's what the OP was talking about, because anything else doesn't make sense.

    --

    Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
  90. "News for Nerds, Stuff That Matters" by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 1

    Yeah, right.

    And then it turns into a IP debate.

    --
    Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
  91. This is new? by nova20 · · Score: 1
    10 years ago, I did a science experiment on polymers and taught my 7th grade class to make this stuff. Didn't everyone?

    /tim

  92. heh by AntiTuX · · Score: 1

    I remember making this when I was a kid with my grandmother. That was always fun (my grandfather's a chemist, learned cool shit from him)

  93. Re: www.puttyworld.com by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Neat site. They have a "magnetic" putty that crawls towards a magnet AKA the Blob!

  94. Play-D'oh! by pipingguy · · Score: 1


    35 years ago, my mom had the recipe for a home-grown recipe for Play-Dough gleaned from some womens' magazine.

    We had tons of fun making and playing with it and i don't think that the ingredienghds did anyt long-terrm damaggee

  95. You can alter the ratios by Lord+Kano · · Score: 1

    You can add more elmer's glue, or more Borate to the mixture to thicken and harden the resultant mixture. It becomes rather rubber-like and it bounces more than you would imagine. You can add more water to the mixture and end up with a slimier putty. I had loads of fun with this stuff before I got too old to get high and play around with equipment from the chemistry lab.

    LK

    --
    "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
  96. Silly Putty Can Teach Us About Black Holes! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I tried to make Black Holes easy for students to understand, with Silly Putty and Marshmallows. See it if you like, by clicking this link

  97. In any case by BrokenHalo · · Score: 2, Informative

    ... the structure of silly putty is well enough known to be publicised in several introductory-level organic chemistry texts I have seen, and it is not too hard to reproduce.

  98. Binney & Smith by chicky · · Score: 1

    Silly Putty (R) is a registered trademark of Binney & Smith / Crayola. See www.sillyputty.com.

    You can also buy tins of a similar stuff in really neat colors from www.puttyworld.com.

  99. Overpriced by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nice markup they got there. $12 for what this guy sells for $9. It's even in the same container, just has a sticker on it that says "Thinkgeek".

  100. Toxic potential by cpuenvy · · Score: 1
    The MSDS on Sodium Borate, located at http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/HTMLdocs/ SodiumBorate.htm, states that 15 to 20 grams of this stuff will kill you.

    I thought Silly Putty was non toxic :-D

    --
    DISCLAIMER:

    I don't believe what I write, and neither should you.

  101. conduct electricity? by mattr · · Score: 1
    I don't know about you but I just got a major urge to buy a few tins of thinkgeek's smartmass, and send some of them to members of my family.

    I tried to make some kind of silly putty when I had a pretty good chemistry set for a kid, like 25 years ago. (a store-bought totally un-understandable chemistry kit and a ton of antique chemistry glassware my parents found in shops!).

    Alas the putty (which was probably more the borax type I guess) was extremely hard to make and it seemed very sensitive to the ratio of ingredients.. I do remember that washing with I guess alcohol maybe, I ended up with a stringy white mass. After a couple tries I got something like putty but kinda nasty..

    Anyway my question to offset these sickening legal posts. Do you think the stuff would conduct electricity, or be susceptible to heat from wires? I would guess no on electricity but yes on heat.. anyway wouldn't this be kind of cool material for an embedded linux project (if it is not conducting)?

    You could wrap some circuit boards and leds together and bind the whole thing in a mass of putty (maybe thinkgeek's glowing green one, though the blue, white, and black ones are intriguing and the copper one looks good wrapped around buzz' leg..)

    presumably the green one would afford a persistence of vision kind of effect like tv phosphors that glow for a long time after being stimulated. I'm a little worried about whether heat or time would melt the stuff, or could it cause a fire.


    Could putty be our best friend? I mean you could drop the stuff and even if the putty shatters, that's energy that went into breaking putty bonds and not your hardware! I wouldn't mind buying a 2 1/2 inch hard drive encased in a globe of black smartmass putty, with a black USB wire coming out the back (or wireless!). Well we can dream anyway.

  102. Slimey sticky toys? by grolschie · · Score: 1

    How do they make those slimey figurines (called "Stickies") which feel cold and slimey. You can stretch them, and they return to shape in seconds.

    eg: This or these

  103. I think most /. ers... by ClamBoy · · Score: 1

    ...wouldn't mind a little head. (You knew SOMEBODY had to do this.)

  104. Recipe archived by randomErr · · Score: 1

    It's been archived here

    --
    You say things that offend me and I can deal with it. Can you?
  105. A great web site by esorense · · Score: 1

    For a lot of putty related info and putty of various interesting colors, check out www.puttyworld.com.

    --
    "I would rather have your time than your money" --Henry Rollins Jan 14 2003 on the topic on internet file trading
  106. Cheaper Bulk Putty by buck09 · · Score: 1

    The stuff from Crayola is a bit expensive. I ordered two pounds of Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty and absolutely love it.

    --


    Press any key to continue, any other key to quit.
  107. Blah blah blah by A55M0NKEY · · Score: 1

    Mod parent down because he didn't get the joke. Mod me down because this is probably redundant. Mod a random person down because you can. Mod idiots up. CHAOS!!!!!! Moo haa haa

    --

    Eat at Joe's.

  108. A bit more specific by hesiod · · Score: 1

    > Large flask of 55% Elmer's glue solution in water
    > Large flask of 16% sodium borate

    So, of course, 55% glue in water would mean 45% water, but when it says 16% sodium borate, does that mean the other 84% is water? They didn't really say that, but is it assumed it's in water? Otherwise, 16% of what?

  109. Drop a pound of Silly Putty seven stories by cpopin · · Score: 1

    I was once dared to drop a pound of Silly Putty seven stories inside a building, but could only imagine the trouble I'd get in. It was our office balcony. I bought a pound of Silly Putty directly from Dow Corning for $6.00. I've never gotten more comments on any desk toy than I have with my pound of Silly Putty. Here's an interesting thing to do with a pound of Silly Putty: hang half of it off the edge of your desk at the end of the day. It freaks out the custodial crew, causes them to look up at the ceiling to see where the leak is coming from.

    --
    -=- Many seek good nights and lose good days.
  110. Borax is not borate by cpopin · · Score: 1

    Borax is sodium borate, not the borate ion B0H4 the recipe calls for. You can buy borate here: http://www.nmclay.com/Clay&Raw%20Mat/glazemat.htm# gerstley

    --
    -=- Many seek good nights and lose good days.