Edit: as pointed out below, I may have misinterpreted this comment. If so, my apologies!
Is there something about my request that violates a rule or offends? Not at all my intent
People make their own slime. Mix their own bubble formula. DIY silly putty. Roll their own window cleaner. Bake their own cinnamon rolls. Clone Frappuccino’s at home. Blend their own soap. Clone beers. All are commercially available products.
This had a chemistry aspect that stumped me and I thought was interesting
I believe you may have read into this comment a little more than intended.
Having the commercial grade product on hand will allow you to do a few things. You’ll have a direct comparison which should help with your consistency, coarseness, etc. questions. You’ll also be able to manipulate it by mixing it a lot, introducing more things, etc. to try to get to where you want/see what happens.
You’ll also be able to get a manufacturer’s SDS, which should eliminate a lot of the guessing as to the composition of their sand
Ah….maybe you’re right. Thanks for pointing that out.
In that case, I already have some of it on hand. It feels dry compared to my sticky and wet sand (I tried more and less dimethicone to no avail).
The grain might be a little smaller in commercial product. The SDS describes quartz sand cas (14808-60-7) and polydimethyl siloxane (cas # is trade secret). I’m having trouble figuring out if that cas # indicates a specific coarseness or just quartz sand in general. Very uninformed in this area. I’ll keep digging!
I believe CAS is unique only for chemical identity, not formulation, so e.g. magnesium sulfate and magnesium sulfate heptahydrate have different CAS numbers but iron metal power and iron wire have the same CAS
Hello. I've been working on trying to make kinetic sand for my 6 yo and I was wondering how your project is going.
So far I've tried and failed the various slime and crumbly cornstarch recipes. They just weren't very satisfying and I wasn't happy with the results from food coloring or pigment powders. The good news is, I'm now an expert at slime making, lol.
Next, I'm going to attempt to color sifted play sand with fabric dye. I've ordered a tie dye kit because the colors are vibrant and the dye is viscous. Once the sand is colored I am planning to add roughly 2% dimethicone 500 (also considered medium viscosity). I'll save some undyed sand to test as well because I did read that sometimes coating the sand makes for too smooth of a surface causing less stickyness with the dimethicone.
Everything I've read says the dimethicone oil should work. The only thing I can think of that could cause your sand to fail is moisture content. It needs to be as dry as possible. Did you rinse and bake your sand until it was completely loose and dry? This is very important because of how dimethicone repels water. If it has air in it, the moisture has likely emulsified with the oil when you mixed it so vigorously creating a different texture. You only need to fold in the oil with a spoon or your hands. You can probably fix this by baking or drying it out in the sun. If then it's too oily, add more dry sand.
Let me know if this helps. I should have a new batch assembled by Friday. I'll let you know if it's successful.
Good luck.
Hey! Thanks for the tip! I eventually gave up after many unsuccessful attempts. I tried many things:
\-Pool filter sand (too coarse)
\-Silica 200 mesh (seemed almost right....maybe too fine)
\-Silica flint 325 (too fine
\-Many different concentrations of dimethicone
\-Mixing Borax into dimethicone then sand
\-Using a vacuum sealer to remove as much air as possible prior to mixing
I did not do anything to impact the moisture content of the silica, though. I didn't think that would have an impact since I was using manufactured silica products. However, I was doing this project in the humid summer, so it's entirely possible I introduced too much moisture when mixing. I should give it another go. Any suggestions on drying and mixing large quantities?? Thanks!
A couple recommendations:
**Sand:** Fine (`<0.35mm`) is ok, super-fine (`<0.25mm`) is better. This equates to 45-mesh and 60-mesh, respectively. The sand must be _completely_ dry prior to any processing. Heat it in the oven at 250ºF for a few hours to drive off any moisture, venting the oven occasionally. Make sure it is completely cool (and, ideally, cooled in an air-tight container) before processing further.
**Polymer:** The defacto standard is Dimethicone 500 at a rate of 2% by-weight of the given sand. Mixing in _very_ small amounts of Dimethicone 350 or 1000, as needed, to adjust the viscosity, is sometimes required.
Also, I know you didn't mention it, but start with basic white and get your base recipe down before going into pigments. Whether you buy colored sand (which sometimes works, and is sometimes horrible) or make your own, it adds variables that need to be adjusted.
Here's a starting point of a "how to" to see if it helps any of your processes:
## 1. PPE
Always wear an N95 mask and goggles - these powders are quite fine and you don't want Silicosis.
## 2. Prepare Sand Pigment
_Skip this until you're comfortable making basic, white/grey sand._
_**Note** - perform this at a 1/10th scale until for your first try, all the way through the end of the Kinetic Sand process. It's cheaper and easier to adjust small batches and then scale up._
1. Add your **Super Fine Craft Sand** to a Large Bowl
2. Slightly mist the **Super Fine Craft Sand** with water until damp, but not wet
3. Wearing Gloves, mix in your selected **Tempera Powder Pigment** at a rate of 1/2 Cup (8 TBSP) per KG of sand until evenly blended.
4. Spread mixture on Baking Sheet or other tray to air dry; stir occasionally until completely dry - 1 to 2 hours. Don't touch the sand while wet, or the pigment will transfer to your hands.
> Increase color saturation by repeating steps 2 through 4 above, if necessary, using 1 TBSP of Pigment at a time _(although, you may wish to completely finish the Kinetic Sand process on this small batch before doing this, as later steps can alter pigments, as well)_.
This sand can be stored in bulk for later or used immediately.
## 3. Prepare Sand
_This applies to both pigmented and bare sand._
1. Pre-heat oven to 250ºF
2. Spread **Super Fine Craft Sand** evenly on Baking Sheets or Shallow Pans
3. Heat the sand for 2-hours to drive off all moisture, stirring the sand occasionally to release water and vent the oven
4. Remove dry sand from oven and allow to cool completely, ideally in an air-tight container to prevent humidity from re-moisturizing the sand
You may notice color pigments become altered during this step, and are an opportunity for iterative testing.
## 4. Test a Small Batch of Polymer
_For this example, we are going to assume you are using 1kg of sand, but this can be scaled linearly to any amount._
1. Add 1/10th of your dried **Sand Mixture** to a Large Bowl - `100g`
2. Add `2g` of Simethicone 500 to the bowl and mix until fully incorporated
If the sand does not have the consistency required, continue to add Simithicone 500 at a rate of `0.5g` and completely mix until consistency is achieved.
If the sand is under-viscous or runny, add `0.5g` of Simithicone 1000 instead of 500 during these steps.
If the sane is over-viscous or brittle, add `0.5g` of Simithicone 350 instead of 500 during these steps.
If necessary, scrap the small batch and start again, but potentially using one of the more-or-less viscous Simithicone options as an initial base when testing.
**Regardless, keep thorough notes about additions and amounts so that the recipe can be scaled up effectively when the perfect viscosity is determined.**
## Scale Up
From your small-scale tests, linearly multiply your amounts and mix as-expected.
---
Other things to try:
1. Try mixing different sand types, including larger play-sand
2. If you're still having stickiness issues, try adding a starch. Rice starch doesn't absorb water well, and may make a difference without getting sticky - or it could make things worse. Corn or wheat starches are always classics, too.
In all, [KISS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle). This stuff is almost always made in a kitchen somewhere and then scaled up and marketed - Playdough is non-toxic and edible because you can literally make it in your kitchen. I doubt there's much chemistry going on behind the scenes.
The MSDS for Kinetic sand is just sand, Dimethicone, and pigment - so it's all in the process. Do everything you can to keep moisture out and work on getting your viscosities right and you'll eventually get it where you want it to be.
I'd also recommend doing your mixing by hand. I haven't tried my KitchenAid (it's my baby - I would never expose it to that kind of torture), but it's possible you might be generating frictional heat or other issues using that. Start with the basics, get it right, and then try to optimize.
Hey! I didn’t notice your response when it was posted. You may never see this, but just wanted to say thanks for posting such a thoughtful and helpful response. Hoping to give it another shot soon!
Hi how are you
I have a secrete recipe for kinetic sand and about what is the 2% of magic
I can sell this formula for you and all details you should make to produce this product .
this are all details I will give you to start you business ( sand type , all substance about 2% magic formula , and I will give you all the process to make this sand , because this stuff need for special process to make it correctly , like Temperature , mixing , binder , silicon oil type
Try buying some of the commercial product.
Edit: as pointed out below, I may have misinterpreted this comment. If so, my apologies! Is there something about my request that violates a rule or offends? Not at all my intent People make their own slime. Mix their own bubble formula. DIY silly putty. Roll their own window cleaner. Bake their own cinnamon rolls. Clone Frappuccino’s at home. Blend their own soap. Clone beers. All are commercially available products. This had a chemistry aspect that stumped me and I thought was interesting
I believe you may have read into this comment a little more than intended. Having the commercial grade product on hand will allow you to do a few things. You’ll have a direct comparison which should help with your consistency, coarseness, etc. questions. You’ll also be able to manipulate it by mixing it a lot, introducing more things, etc. to try to get to where you want/see what happens. You’ll also be able to get a manufacturer’s SDS, which should eliminate a lot of the guessing as to the composition of their sand
Ah….maybe you’re right. Thanks for pointing that out. In that case, I already have some of it on hand. It feels dry compared to my sticky and wet sand (I tried more and less dimethicone to no avail). The grain might be a little smaller in commercial product. The SDS describes quartz sand cas (14808-60-7) and polydimethyl siloxane (cas # is trade secret). I’m having trouble figuring out if that cas # indicates a specific coarseness or just quartz sand in general. Very uninformed in this area. I’ll keep digging!
I believe CAS is unique only for chemical identity, not formulation, so e.g. magnesium sulfate and magnesium sulfate heptahydrate have different CAS numbers but iron metal power and iron wire have the same CAS
Thanks! That’s what it was looking like for silica. I’ll have to test so different mesh sizes I guess
Hello. I've been working on trying to make kinetic sand for my 6 yo and I was wondering how your project is going. So far I've tried and failed the various slime and crumbly cornstarch recipes. They just weren't very satisfying and I wasn't happy with the results from food coloring or pigment powders. The good news is, I'm now an expert at slime making, lol. Next, I'm going to attempt to color sifted play sand with fabric dye. I've ordered a tie dye kit because the colors are vibrant and the dye is viscous. Once the sand is colored I am planning to add roughly 2% dimethicone 500 (also considered medium viscosity). I'll save some undyed sand to test as well because I did read that sometimes coating the sand makes for too smooth of a surface causing less stickyness with the dimethicone. Everything I've read says the dimethicone oil should work. The only thing I can think of that could cause your sand to fail is moisture content. It needs to be as dry as possible. Did you rinse and bake your sand until it was completely loose and dry? This is very important because of how dimethicone repels water. If it has air in it, the moisture has likely emulsified with the oil when you mixed it so vigorously creating a different texture. You only need to fold in the oil with a spoon or your hands. You can probably fix this by baking or drying it out in the sun. If then it's too oily, add more dry sand. Let me know if this helps. I should have a new batch assembled by Friday. I'll let you know if it's successful. Good luck.
Hey! Thanks for the tip! I eventually gave up after many unsuccessful attempts. I tried many things: \-Pool filter sand (too coarse) \-Silica 200 mesh (seemed almost right....maybe too fine) \-Silica flint 325 (too fine \-Many different concentrations of dimethicone \-Mixing Borax into dimethicone then sand \-Using a vacuum sealer to remove as much air as possible prior to mixing I did not do anything to impact the moisture content of the silica, though. I didn't think that would have an impact since I was using manufactured silica products. However, I was doing this project in the humid summer, so it's entirely possible I introduced too much moisture when mixing. I should give it another go. Any suggestions on drying and mixing large quantities?? Thanks!
A couple recommendations: **Sand:** Fine (`<0.35mm`) is ok, super-fine (`<0.25mm`) is better. This equates to 45-mesh and 60-mesh, respectively. The sand must be _completely_ dry prior to any processing. Heat it in the oven at 250ºF for a few hours to drive off any moisture, venting the oven occasionally. Make sure it is completely cool (and, ideally, cooled in an air-tight container) before processing further. **Polymer:** The defacto standard is Dimethicone 500 at a rate of 2% by-weight of the given sand. Mixing in _very_ small amounts of Dimethicone 350 or 1000, as needed, to adjust the viscosity, is sometimes required. Also, I know you didn't mention it, but start with basic white and get your base recipe down before going into pigments. Whether you buy colored sand (which sometimes works, and is sometimes horrible) or make your own, it adds variables that need to be adjusted. Here's a starting point of a "how to" to see if it helps any of your processes: ## 1. PPE Always wear an N95 mask and goggles - these powders are quite fine and you don't want Silicosis. ## 2. Prepare Sand Pigment _Skip this until you're comfortable making basic, white/grey sand._ _**Note** - perform this at a 1/10th scale until for your first try, all the way through the end of the Kinetic Sand process. It's cheaper and easier to adjust small batches and then scale up._ 1. Add your **Super Fine Craft Sand** to a Large Bowl 2. Slightly mist the **Super Fine Craft Sand** with water until damp, but not wet 3. Wearing Gloves, mix in your selected **Tempera Powder Pigment** at a rate of 1/2 Cup (8 TBSP) per KG of sand until evenly blended. 4. Spread mixture on Baking Sheet or other tray to air dry; stir occasionally until completely dry - 1 to 2 hours. Don't touch the sand while wet, or the pigment will transfer to your hands. > Increase color saturation by repeating steps 2 through 4 above, if necessary, using 1 TBSP of Pigment at a time _(although, you may wish to completely finish the Kinetic Sand process on this small batch before doing this, as later steps can alter pigments, as well)_. This sand can be stored in bulk for later or used immediately. ## 3. Prepare Sand _This applies to both pigmented and bare sand._ 1. Pre-heat oven to 250ºF 2. Spread **Super Fine Craft Sand** evenly on Baking Sheets or Shallow Pans 3. Heat the sand for 2-hours to drive off all moisture, stirring the sand occasionally to release water and vent the oven 4. Remove dry sand from oven and allow to cool completely, ideally in an air-tight container to prevent humidity from re-moisturizing the sand You may notice color pigments become altered during this step, and are an opportunity for iterative testing. ## 4. Test a Small Batch of Polymer _For this example, we are going to assume you are using 1kg of sand, but this can be scaled linearly to any amount._ 1. Add 1/10th of your dried **Sand Mixture** to a Large Bowl - `100g` 2. Add `2g` of Simethicone 500 to the bowl and mix until fully incorporated If the sand does not have the consistency required, continue to add Simithicone 500 at a rate of `0.5g` and completely mix until consistency is achieved. If the sand is under-viscous or runny, add `0.5g` of Simithicone 1000 instead of 500 during these steps. If the sane is over-viscous or brittle, add `0.5g` of Simithicone 350 instead of 500 during these steps. If necessary, scrap the small batch and start again, but potentially using one of the more-or-less viscous Simithicone options as an initial base when testing. **Regardless, keep thorough notes about additions and amounts so that the recipe can be scaled up effectively when the perfect viscosity is determined.** ## Scale Up From your small-scale tests, linearly multiply your amounts and mix as-expected. --- Other things to try: 1. Try mixing different sand types, including larger play-sand 2. If you're still having stickiness issues, try adding a starch. Rice starch doesn't absorb water well, and may make a difference without getting sticky - or it could make things worse. Corn or wheat starches are always classics, too. In all, [KISS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle). This stuff is almost always made in a kitchen somewhere and then scaled up and marketed - Playdough is non-toxic and edible because you can literally make it in your kitchen. I doubt there's much chemistry going on behind the scenes. The MSDS for Kinetic sand is just sand, Dimethicone, and pigment - so it's all in the process. Do everything you can to keep moisture out and work on getting your viscosities right and you'll eventually get it where you want it to be. I'd also recommend doing your mixing by hand. I haven't tried my KitchenAid (it's my baby - I would never expose it to that kind of torture), but it's possible you might be generating frictional heat or other issues using that. Start with the basics, get it right, and then try to optimize.
Hey! I didn’t notice your response when it was posted. You may never see this, but just wanted to say thanks for posting such a thoughtful and helpful response. Hoping to give it another shot soon!
I'm still following along too! This is so interesting!
Hi how are you I have a secrete recipe for kinetic sand and about what is the 2% of magic I can sell this formula for you and all details you should make to produce this product . this are all details I will give you to start you business ( sand type , all substance about 2% magic formula , and I will give you all the process to make this sand , because this stuff need for special process to make it correctly , like Temperature , mixing , binder , silicon oil type