# Agar Ag18 (Solid, without Plasticizer)

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FB1w9Tq3IbsAjAQMyUnWW%2FIMG_2211.jpeg?alt=media\&token=517700be-f957-4ae6-996d-1b32fa7b71aa)

^ The bioplastic is the little round thing in the straw

Ingredients: 

* Water (50 mL)
* Agar agar powder (3.5 g)

Procedure:

* Mix all the ingredients into a pan or pot
* Heat up all the ingredients to 85-90 C on the stove
* Mix thoroughly
* Lower heat if bubbles are forming on the bottom of the pan
* Take off heat after about 4 minutes of stirring or until the agar is fully dissolved (the solution is at least 85 C and thicker than when started, almost syrupy)
* Cast into a straw
* After about 15 minutes or when the bioplastic is set, carefully take out the bioplastic from the straw
* Chop into pellets or keep as a rod
* Let dry for a few days
* Optional: after it dries and has shrunk, put it into a waffle maker to remelt it, and then (once it has cooled down a bit) mold it with your hands into the desired shape. This shape should not shrink again, as you already let it dry earlier, so there is no more moisture to escape.
* Done!

Properties:

* Before drying: thick liquid
* During drying: thick jello
* After drying: pretty hard

Notes:

* This stuff shrinks a lot! (7.5mm to 3mm in thickness, which is an 84 percent decrease in size)
* This is a pretty good recipe for making hard stuff

Images:

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FHH541UI9XKEln6qwtGnW%2FIMG_2212.jpeg?alt=media\&token=61e13f6f-58d2-4524-8233-f9e3466b77d6)

Rev2:

I cast the same recipe into The Tube this time. Unfortunately, since the tube has a larger diameter, the bioplastic also had a larger diameter, meaning that I couldn't push it through my modified extruder, so I couldn't make any filament. Next time, I'll find a smaller tube and use that. This did manage to shrink though, with a whopping 93% decrease in size.

Images:

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FxapLlOywCwaQMJNQPVAq%2FIMG_2275.jpeg?alt=media\&token=460081b4-c8f5-45ab-b142-9837223daab7)

![](https://829019481-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQKxP3dLVX23EmnpaB5PS%2Fuploads%2FGYRzvG26tWALRLO8Ca1t%2FIMG_2277.jpeg?alt=media\&token=a9aa82a6-d1de-4e16-a375-39ed779023b8)