How to Make Flarp

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Flarp, or Gak, is a children’s putty that can be used to mold shapes, lift prints off newspapers, or make farting noises! It has a wetter consistency than Play-Doh, and makes noises when air bubbles are trapped inside the dough. You can make Flarp with a variety of household ingredients, although the recipe is intended for kids that are over six years of age, who will not ingest the powder.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Flarp with Borax

1
Mix glue, water, and coloring together. In a large bowl, pour 8 ounces of glue. Add 1 cup of water. Then add enough food coloring to create the shade of color that you want your flarp to be. Stir the ingredients until they’re evenly mixed.
2
Mix warm water and borax separately. Either pour one cup of very warm water from a hot tap into a second bowl, or heat cold water until it’s simmering before you mix it with the borax. Then add 1.5 teaspoons of borax. Stir until the borax has totally dissolved.
- Use a second, clean spoon to mix the borax, or wash the first spoon to remove any glue.
- For thicker, sturdier flare, add more borax, a half-teaspoon at a time.
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3
Combine the two mixtures. Pour the borax solution into the bowl with the glue mixture. Stir constantly for two minutes or more, until the consistency is even. Continue to stir if the coloring or texture still seems uneven.
4
Knead the mixture. Line a surface area with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Once the mixture is cool enough to handle, remove it from the bowl. Massage and squeeze the flarp on the paper until its texture is consistently smooth and stretchy. Let it rest for ten minutes or so, and then start playing with it!

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Liquid Starch Instead of Borax

1
Mix glue and coloring. In a large bowl, pour 8 ounces of glue. Add food coloring. Stir well. If the mixture is paler than you like, add more food coloring and stir again.^{[1]
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2
Add liquid starch. Pour 8 ounces of liquid starch into the glue mixture. Stir well until the consistency is even. Then let it rest for 5 minutes so the starch can be absorbed.^{[2]
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Research source} If the texture seems to be uneven and lumpy, continue stirring.
3
Knead the mixture. Line a surface area with parchment paper. Remove the mixture from the bowl. Knead the flarp on the paper for five minutes or so, until its texture is consistently smooth and stretchy. Let it rest for ten minutes or so, and then it’s ready to play with!^{[3]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Flarp with Only Two Ingredients

1
Mix dish soap and corn starch. Pour 2 tablespoons of dish soap into a bowl. Then add 1.5 tablespoons of corn starch. Mix together until the starch dissolves evenly in the dish soap.^{[4]
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- Use colored dish soap to eliminate the need for food coloring.
2
Knead the mixture. Use your hands to work the flarp inside the bowl. Massage and squeeze it together. Continue to do this until the texture’s consistently smooth and stretchy.^{[5]
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3
Improve the texture. Knead the mixture in the bowl so you can add more ingredients if needed to create the flarp you want to play with. Add more dish soap if you want it to be more runny and slimy. If you want it be more sturdy and dense, add more starch. Continue to knead until the ingredients are evenly mixed, and then you're ready to go!^{[6]
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Community Q&A

Question

Do I need to refrigerate it?

Community Answer

You can refrigerate it to make it last longer, just make sure you don't leave it there for too long.
Question

How do I get the residue out of cloth material?

Joslyn Cortez

Community Answer

When I get slime or putty on my clothes, I run the item under really cold water. I then take a wire brush and brush out the spot where the slime was.
Question

What can I use as a replacement for cornstarch?

Community Answer

You can use flour, potato starch or mashed potato granules. Flour is the best replacement for cornstarch.