How to Make a Disposable Rubber Spatula

I needed a rubber spatula in uses for mixing in a small narrow-necked bottle. Therefore, the head of the spatula needed to be flexible, and if it were to get lost inside, cheap and easy to reproduce. I thought making the product would be easy, but then I realized that I didn't have any Sugru on hand. I also tried making mikey77's "Oogoo", but the only silicone caulking I had was GE II, which cannot be used to make Oogoo. Without any way to make my own rubber, I had to turn to a common substance: hot glue!! Today I will be showing you how to make your own useful mini and disposable rubber spatula using hot glue and some other common household materials! It's great for use in labs, for artists, and many other ways!

Get Your Materials

For this project you will need:

Hotglue gun
A couple of hotglue sticks
Hard, plastic surface (I used a frisbee)
Liquid hand-soap or dish-soap
Credit card or hotel key card
Thin stick (I used a wooden skewer, but you can use a chopstick or even a pencil)
Scissors

Let's get to work!

Prep the Card

Plug in your hot glue gun and load in a hot glue stick. While you're waiting for the gun to heat up, put a little liquid soap on your plastic card and spread it around with your finger. This will prevent the hot glue from sticking to the card.

Make the First Layer

Now, squirt some hot glue onto your larger plastic surface (a frisbee in my case). Now, take your card and place the soapy side onto the hot glue to flatten it out to about a 2 mm thickness. Hold for about 3 seconds, and then lift the card. You should have a solid layer of hot glue on the plastic surface you're working on. Once you are sure the glue has completely dried, gently peel off the layer of glue from the surface. This will be our bottom layer in the spatula.

Embedding the Handle

Put a couple of dots of glue on the pointy portion of the skewer/stick, and then place this portion near the edge of the circle of glue we made. Apply a little more to make sure the skewer stays in place.

Making the Second Layer

Now, take the entire assembly you made in the previous step and place it on the plastic surface. Get you gun, and start applying a large glob of glue on top. Once you have applied enough, use the plastic card to smooth out this glob as well. However, make sure you press harder on one side to give the "bladed" side of the spatula.

Forming the Shape

Now, you should have a skewer embedded between two circles of glue, which resembles a clear lollipop! Use your scissors to cut out the shape of a spatula, similar to a bloated shark fin. Now, your spatula should be almost done. The final step is to use to edge of the hot glue gun's nozzle to sculpt the blade of the spatula. Use it on one edge of the spatula to melt it into the shape of the blade.

Once you have done this, your spatula is ready!

Using It

DON'T USE THIS FOR BAKING, OR FOR ANYTHING YOU INTEND TO EAT.

You can use this, however, to mix paints, substances, or other stuff. This is a great addition to a lab for a quick, effective, cheap, and disposable stirrer. You can also use this to get small amounts of make up or cream at the bottom of narrow necked bottles. This tool is extremely useful!

The only thing I advise is that you do not use this in extreme heat, as the material will melt

Conclusion

Why buy a Spatty when you can make one easily? This spatula has a wide range of uses, and a great opportunity for your mini scientific endeavors. Feel free to comment any suggestions or corrections you have. If you need any help making this, you are welcome to PM me! Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoyed!