John Lucas, I need your help

[Bill Boehme]

John, several months ago you did some pieces using "oogoo" and did some experimenting around with it. I have the materials and have been wanting to incorporate it into some turnings including a piece that I am finishing for Beads of Courage to take to SWAT later this week. My question is what have you found to be the best ways to dispense it? I have some backpacking squeeze tubes (the kind used for peanut butter and jelly) that I have thought about, but wasn't sure if the stuff would be too thick to go through the tube. Also, what kind of open time does the stuff have once it is mixed?

 

[john lucas]

Bill I'm still new with it so take this with a grain of salt. First of all there are apparently different formulas for the clear caulking and it changes the characteristics a little. Haven't worked with it enough to tell you more than than because I didn't keep track of the brands of caulking I used. I use paper icing tubes from Hobby lobby as dispensors but also simply spread some with a butter knife. The problem is it starts to cure somewhat quickly so once you've done one cupcake the next one is hard and then the next one is harder etc. Mix only what you need for a small project. If I remember correctly there was possibly a way to thin it out in the original article which was in American Woodturner. I needed it fairly thick so I never did try that. It may be simply not using as much baking soda (or whatever powder it was I'm having a brain fart right now). The stuff I mixed up was too thick to squeeze through something like a ketchup bottle and needed the pressure from your hands like on a toothpaste tube which is why I was using the icing tubes or applicators or whatever you call them. Wish I could be more help but it's been over a year since i did any of that. Definitely mix up a test before your real project. It seems to dry overnight.
The article was about making your own vacuum gaskets so it may not help doing a search for Ooogoo but try it anyway.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Bill I'm still new with it so take this with a grain of salt. First of all there are apparently different formulas for the clear caulking and it changes the characteristics a little. Haven't worked with it enough to tell you more than than because I didn't keep track of the brands of caulking I used. I use paper icing tubes from Hobby lobby as dispensors but also simply spread some with a butter knife. The problem is it starts to cure somewhat quickly so once you've done one cupcake the next one is hard and then the next one is harder etc. Mix only what you need for a small project. If I remember correctly there was possibly a way to thin it out in the original article which was in American Woodturner. I needed it fairly thick so I never did try that. It may be simply not using as much baking soda (or whatever powder it was I'm having a brain fart right now). The stuff I mixed up was too thick to squeeze through something like a ketchup bottle and needed the pressure from your hands like on a toothpaste tube which is why I was using the icing tubes or applicators or whatever you call them. Wish I could be more help but it's been over a year since i did any of that. Definitely mix up a test before your real project. It seems to dry overnight.
The article was about making your own vacuum gaskets so it may not help doing a search for Ooogoo but try it anyway.

Thanks for your reply, John. I looked up the original Instructables article on the web. It looks like the article has been rewritten from what I remember originally, but here are a few things that I found in the article:

• Use the kind of silicone caulk that smells like vinegar ... in other words, the cheap stuff is what you need. Apparently the expensive brand name stuff that doesn't stink like GE Silicone II caulk isn't any good for making oogoo.
• Use oil based paint to color it. I don't think that the original article said that it ought to be oil based.
• It can be thinned with mineral spirits, but thinning it doesn't slow the curing very much. Too much thinning makes it weak.
• The amount of corn starch that you add is the biggest factor in determining how fast it cures. According to the Instructables article, you can use a mixing ratio anywhere from a 5 parts silicone caulk to 1 part corn starch for slow curing to 1 part silicone caulk to 2 parts corn starch for really fast curing.
• The Instructables article also said that temperature makes a big difference, so working with it outdoors in the summer here would mean that I would need to work extremely fast.

The only suggestion for working with the oogoo mixture in the Instructables article was to use your fingers and an ice cream stick. I like your idea much better. I tried one of your oogoo cupcakes at SWAT and I think that it needed more sugar and it might have been overcooked ... it was as hard as wood.

 

[john lucas]

I'll have to reread the newer instructions. Sounds cool. I think I used trans Tint to color my oogoo