The most basic type of homemade glue, which you may already be familiar with, is made of flour and water. It’s very similar to the glue for paper mache projects. It’s great for short term holiday decorations.
It tends to dry out over time and lose its adhesive strength, so don’t use it on projects you want to be permanent. If you do want to preserve a project done with this glue, you can use an art finishing spray to make it last. Or you can redo the project with a stronger homemade glue from our list of recipes on how to make glue.
This recipe involves a small amount of cooking, which makes the glue stronger. It also means the recipe requires some adult supervision. It’s a great way to get kids interested in some cooking basics, since it involves whisking and then stirring in a sauce pan.
It’s quick and easy to make. And it’s educational for kids and adults. There’s something satisfying about making glue yourself rather than using some bought from a store.
How to Make Flour Glue
The most basic of the homemade glues, which you may already be familiar with, is just made of flour and water. It tends to dry out over time and stop holding together whatever it was holding together, but it's fine for, say, making decorations you only intend to keep up for a few hours.
But it works very well for paper mache projects. The drying out part doesn't matter because once the whole project dries, it forms a shell that will last a while.
Materials
- 1 part wheat Flour (not gluten free - you need the gluten free for adhesion)
- 1 part water
Tools
- Whisk
- Sauce pan
Instructions
- Blend flour with water, stirring until it's near the consistency of pancake batter.
- Beat your mixture with a whisk until it's smooth.
- Pour it into a saucepan on medium heat.
- Constantly stir while bringing it slowly to a boil.
- Let it cool before using.
Notes
Store it in a sealed container and apply it with a brush. If it dries out, you can mix a little warm water into it.