How to Make Glue

Your child's project is still to be done and you have run out of glue! Its already late and you won't have any store open at this time in the night. This leaves you in a sticky situation. Be it your kid's art activities or sticking wallpaper, it is required by one and all in the family. It can be made very easily from ingredients that are generally available in one's kitchen itself. Here are some simple instructions to make glue using milk, flour, vinegar, etc.

Recipes for Making Glue

Recipe 1

Ingredients

• Whole wheat flour
• Water

Procedure
Take flour in a bowl and add water as per the amount of flour used. Beat the ingredients to form a smooth mixture that is free of any lumps. Heat it until it comes to a boil. Keep stirring the mixture constantly while it is on the oven. Allow it to cool till it reaches room temperature. That's it, your homemade glue is ready to use! Store it in an air-tight container for future use. Add warm water to it in case it hardens. However, this homemade recipe is best for instant use.

Recipe 2

Ingredients

• White flour - 1½ cups
• Boiling Water - 2 Cups
• Cold Water - 1 cup
• Sugar - ½ cup
• Alum - 1 tablespoon

Procedure
Mix flour and sugar in a bowl. Add cold water slowly to the mixture and beat it till it is clear of any lumps. Heat the mixture over medium flame and add boiling water to it. Stir the mixture well so that a smooth paste forms. Boil the mixture till it becomes a little stiff. Remove it from heat and add alum. Let it cool it to room temperature. Use your glue to put up a poster on the wall or store it in an air-tight container for future use. In case it hardens, bring it back into paste form by adding some hot water to it.

From Milk and Baking Soda

Ingredients

• Powdered milk - 2 tablespoons
• Hot tap water - ¼ cup
• Vinegar - 1 tablespoons
• Baking Soda - ½ teaspoon

Procedure
Mix powdered milk and some of the hot tap water (depending on the quantity of powdered milk used) and stir it well. Add vinegar to milk. Milk will separate into solid yogurt and liquid whey. Stir till all the milk has separated completely. Strain away the whey. Secure a paper towel with rubber band over the mouth of a large cup. Put the yogurt in it. Place another piece of paper towel on the yogurt and press it firmly so that, almost all of whey drains out from the yogurt. Put the yogurt in a separate cup and break it into smaller lumps. Add 1 teaspoon of hot water and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda. Some foaming may occur because the reaction of baking soda and vinegar releases carbon dioxide. Stir the glue till it has an even consistency. Add water if it is too thick. If it is too lumpy add more baking soda. So, now you know how to make glue out of milk! Refrigerate it when not in use. Discard it when it starts smelling like spoiled milk.

From Sap

Ingredients

• Sap
• Charcoal
• Fire safe cooking pot
• Knife
• Long handled metal stirrer

Procedure
Using a knife, scrape some sap that gets collected on the bark of trunks of pine trees. Sap oozes out of wounds on the tree. They dry on the bark as shiny brown lumps. Collect the thick light brown sap. Grind some charcoal into fine powder. Heat the sap in a fire safe cooking pot for 5 to 10 minutes so that the sap melts. Be careful that the flames of fire are not too high as the sap may catch fire. Add powdered charcoal to the molten sap. The ratio of sap:charcoal should be 1:1. Stir the charcoal-sap mixture with a long handled metal stirrer till the two mix thoroughly together. Let the glue cool. Once it cools it will attain a putty like consistency. Reheat it in case you want it to be thinner.

So now you know that you need not worry about checking on that bottle time and again. Even if you run out of glue unexpectedly, use your knowledge about how to make it at home and complete your project that you have in hand.