Create a moldable plastic-like material from milk and vinegar. This chemistry experiment from Household Hacker demonstrates how to turn milk into stone:
Instructions: Take 1 warm cup of milk and mix with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Basically, for every cup of milk you use, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and you can make a much larger batch. Mix it together and strain out the curds that form. Once you dry it you can mold it into any shape you desire, but let it dry for a couple days first!
Find more about the science from Scientific American: Turn Milk into Plastic! The article includes instructions, as well as a bit about the material’s history:
…you may be surprised to learn that from the early 1900s until about 1945, milk was commonly used to make many different plastic ornaments. This included buttons, decorative buckles, beads and other jewelry, fountain pens, the backings for hand-held mirrors, and fancy comb and brush sets. Milk plastic (usually called casein plastic) was even used to make jewelry for Queen Mary of England!
Related experiment: Make non-toxic glue from milk (and other household items).
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• MarinaTex, a bioplastic made from fish waste
• How to make play dough, a chemistry experiment
• An innovative edible spoon, a smart alternative to plastic waste
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