annie's place Special Features Breast Form Project Filler (original)

I experimented with three types of "filler".

1. Ordinary tap water.

2. Rubbermaid blue ice compound. "Blue Goo"

3. Homemade elastomer compound, like a slimy "Silly Putty".

Water has the advantage of being extremely cheap and readily available. It also approximates the specific gravity of human breast tissue. However, it is not viscous enough for a natural feel, and should a leak develop, the casing will evacuate immediately with the possibility of severe embarrasment. It's good for testing new casings and wearing in a pinch, however.

Blue goo (Rubbermaid blue ice) has a consistency at room temperature that (IMAO) more correctly approximates human breast tissue. It's also readily available and reasonably priced (bags of this can be obtained at any large supermarket for a few bucks). This compound flows rapidly out of a leak, and can be more embarrassing than H2O, since it's bright blue in color. It does, however, appear to rinse out of most any fabric. On a recent trip, I wore a set of the plain latex casings with blue goo filler while driving about 350 miles, plus several hours outdoors and in air-conditioned buildings. When the goo reached the combined body/ambient temperature, the viscosity appeared to be just about the same as plain old H2O.

I was looking for something that was more viscous than H2O, readily available, and would not explosively evacuate should a leak develop.

For some crazy reason, some childhood memories arose ....

In every neighborhood, there was at least one "Junior Mad Scientist" who would amaze friends by making slimy things, noisy things, fizzy things, gooey things (sometimes destructive things) out of ordinary household items. Well, my evil twin brother was sometimes described in those terms in earlier years. :)

When I was a kid, Silly Putty sold for a buck, and all you got was a small wad. Most any Junior Mad Scientist knew that a reasonable facsimile of Silly Putty could be made by mixing white glue, borax solution, and food coloring. If prepared properly, the result would bounce, tear, run, pick up newspaper print, etc., just like the original. It would, however, stiffen and dry out, unlike the commercial stuff. (Commercial Silly Putty is actually a silicone-borax elastomer.)

My flashback was to the failed attempts to make this stuff, which resulted in a white slime that would not bounce and was impossible to get out of carpets. The compound I used in this project was a recreation of the failed attempts, intentionally using the "wrong" measurements for Faux Silly Putty.

This compound has unusual cohesive and adhesive properties. It will refuse to flow out of a small hole, plus it comes off of most items readily, including most fabrics. It requires some "kitchen chemistry" to make, but if your culinary abilities have advanced past microwaving Stouffer's Yuppie Chow, you should be able to make this with no problem. The amount of goo you will need will depend on your cup size, so some experimentation will be necessary.

You will need:

1. Ordinary white glue. I strongly recommend the "Elmer's" brand, since the formulation of cheaper brands will vary.

2. Borax. You can (still) get this in the laundry aisle of any large supermarket. Yeah, this is the stuff that Ronnie Raygun used to hawk on Death Valley Days. :)

3. Ordinary tap water. I keep thinking that distilled water would give more consistent results, but I have not used it for this project.

4. Measuring cups, spoons, plastic bags, etc.

Procedure:

The mixtures you will be creating are as follows, in three steps:

Solution 1 (borax) = Borax powder + H2O

Solution 2 (glue/water) = Elmer's Glue + H2O

Final compound = Solution 1 + Solution 2

Be sure to make the two solutions first and then combine them for the final compound. Do NOT simply mix borax, glue, and H2O, as this will not give the desired results.

1. Make a saturated borax solution. One cup or so should suffice for a few batches of goo. Start by dissolving a tablespoon or so of borax in a cup of warm water. Stir like a mother. Add borax until no more will dissolve. Pour off the solution into a jar and discard the sediment.

2. Make a 50/50 mixture of white glue and ordinary tap water. 1/4 cup glue and 1/4 cup H2O would be good for your first batch.

3. Add borax solution to the glue/water solution and stir. Use about 1/4 cup of borax solution for the quantity outlined above in step 2.

The glue solution will congeal into a cohesive blob of "slime" that should stick to the spoon, surrounded by a milky liquid.

Remove the "slime" and place into a clean cup or jar. Discard the remaining liquid. Continue to stir the slime until it's smooth and free of lumps.

At this time, it should pour very slowly. If it does not pour visibly at all, it is too thick, and SMALL amounts of H2O should be added with stirring (or kneading) until it will very slowly pour. If it is too liquid, let it stand in the air for an hour or so, stir, and repeat until it pours very slowly.

Place the compound into a clean airtight plastic bag for storage. It can then be kneeded if necessary to smooth out any lumps or inconsistencies. Sometimes this appears to stiffen a bit after it has been stored in the bag for a few hours. If it appears too stiff, add a small amount of H2O and knead until smooth.

If you wish, you may add a few drops of food coloring at this time to approximate a flesh tone. A few drops of red and green will produce a caucasian flesh color. Knead to start the color mixing, but it will diffuse quite nicely over time.