How to make white glue with natural recipes
Check out recipes to make an efficient and oil-free glue at home
Who has never needed glue to fix something broken or fix things? White glue, or school glue, is the most famous and very common in the routine of many people. But do you know what the glue is made of? Know that it's possible to make white glue with just three basic ingredients that almost everyone has at home?
Glues are divided into three categories: water based glues, solvent based glues and "chemical" glues (which react when exposed to air).
Water-based glues are characterized by being dispersed in water. Once applied, the effect is fixed immediately after the evaporation of water. As they are soluble in water, they are considered to be washable.
White glue, the one used in schools and at home to glue paper and even to fix wood, is water-based. It can be made from synthetic polymers (such as polyvinyl acetate, PVA) or natural polymers (such as gum arabic). White glues are usually composed of PVA, which is a polymer produced from vinyl acetate, obtained mainly from ethylene, a derivative of petroleum or coal.
In order to avoid the pollution that oil extraction causes to the environment, we can use alternative means that help to minimize the use of products that depend on its extraction. Glue is one of those products. Check out a simple, basic recipe so anyone can learn how to make glue at home.
how to make glue
milk glue
Materials
- 200 ml of milk (preferably skimmed);
- 100 ml of vinegar;
- Three teaspoons of baking soda;
- 1 coffee filter (paper and support).
Method of preparation
- Fill 2/3 of a 250 ml glass with milk. With vinegar, fill the remaining contents of the cup until it reaches the rim. Shake lightly, being careful not to spill the contents. You will notice that the milk will "curl" and split into two phases. The part that precipitates is casein, a protein that is very present in milk. Let this mixture sit for about three minutes;
- Place the coffee filter paper inside the holder;
- Filter the milk and vinegar mixture into the coffee filter. This process can take about 15 minutes;
- Once all the contents are filtered, a white mass will form on the filter paper, separate it in a container. The filtered liquid can normally be disposed of in the sink, as it is a slightly acidic vinegar and milk solution.
- In the container where the white dough was placed, add two or three teaspoons of baking soda and mix well. The dough will start to froth and become more liquid, that is, the baking soda reacts with the remaining vinegar left in the dough and releases carbon dioxide, salt and water, thus momentarily forming a foam and making the dough more liquid . Mix until you notice that foaming has stopped.
- Ready! Your homemade glue is done!
understand the science
Casein is a protein present in high concentration in milk. When vinegar is added, the pH of the mixture is lowered, causing the casein to precipitate and separate from the whey. When sodium bicarbonate is added, it reacts with the vinegar that is left in the mixture, forming carbon dioxide, salt and water, thus having the water base for our glue.
Water-based glues have a better performance for porous surfaces (such as paper, fabric, wood), because, when in an aqueous medium (water), polymers (or in the case of casein, proteins) have few interactions with each other and, when applied to a porous surface, the compounds penetrate easily. As the water evaporates, the compounds begin to interact more with each other and with the surface in contact, thus uniting the parts.
flour glue
If you don't want to buy milk specifically for making glue or are vegan, you can also make glue at home using flour and vinegar.Ingredients
- 2 cups of water tea
- 2 tablespoons of wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
Method of preparation
- Bring 1 cup and a half of water to a boil
- Dissolve the flour in the remaining 1/2 cup of cold water
- Lower the heat and, at once, pour it into the water, boiling the water with the flour already dissolved.
- Stir continuously, for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches the texture of a mush and starts to come off the pan.
- Turn off the heat and add white vinegar
- Stir well and let it cool
