User:GelatinLab

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GelatinLab

Welcome to the GelatinLab Wiki page! On this page you will find all kinds of recipes on how you can use gelatin for creative purposes.

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Gelatin plastic recipes

Basic gelatin plastic recipe

The basic recipe of gelatin plastic is made with gelatin powder, which you can buy at Harold & Barrett.

What do you need:

  • 14 grams of gelatin
  • 6 tablespoons of water
  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • Silicone form (baking form) or another surface
  • Optional: pigments

How you make it:

  1. Mix the gelatin and water in the saucepan and let the gelatin soak in the water for 3 minutes.
  2. Put the saucepan over a low heat and stir regularly.
  3. Wait until the gelatin is completely absorbed in the water.
  4. Slightly tilt the saucepan so that the mixture goes to the side. Scoop the foam from the mixture with a hot spoon until you have a clear mixture.
  5. Now pour the mixture into your shape and rotate it until you have reached the right thickness.
  6. Place the mold in a dust-free place that is around 20 degrees.
  7. Let it dry for at least 12 hours and check whether the plastic is already hardening.
  8. When the plastic is completely hard, you can remove it from the mold. Do this carefully so that you do not break it.

Beet juice gelatin plastic recipe

What do you need:

  • 14 grams of gelatin
  • 6 tablespoons of pre-cooked beet juice
  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • Silicone form (baking form) or another surface

How you make it:

  1. Open the beet package and pour the juice into a small bowl (you can also make your own beet juice by putting the beets in a juicer)
  2. Mix the gelatin and the beet juice together in the saucepan and let the gelatin soak in the beet juice in 3 minutes.
  3. Put the saucepan on a low heat and stir regularly.
  4. Wait until the gelatin is completely absorbed in the beet juice.
  5. Slightly tilt the saucepan so that the mixture goes to the side. Scoop the foam from the mixture with a hot spoon until you have a clear mixture.
  6. Now pour the mixture into your shape and turn it until you have reached the right thickness.
  7. Place the mold in a dust-free place that is around 20 degrees.
  8. Let it dry for at least 12 hours and check whether the plastic is already hardening.
  9. When the plastic is completely hard, you can remove it from the mold. Do this carefully so that you do not break it.

Spirulina gelatin plastic recipe

What do you need:

  • 14 grams of gelatin
  • 6 tablespoons of water
  • 1 teaspoon of Spirulina
  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • Silicone form (baking form) or another surface


How you make it:

  1. Mix the gelatin, spirulina and water in the saucepan and let the gelatin soak in the water for 3 minutes.
  2. Put the saucepan over a low heat and stir regularly.
  3. Wait until the gelatin is completely absorbed in the water.
  4. Slightly tilt the saucepan so that the mixture goes to the side. Scoop the foam from the mixture with a hot spoon until you have a clear mixture.
  5. Now pour the mixture into your shape and rotate it until you have reached the right thickness.
  6. Place the mold in a dust-free place that is around 20 degrees.
  7. Let it dry for at least 12 hours and check whether the plastic is already hardening.
  8. When the plastic is completely hard, you can remove it from the mold. Do this carefully so that you do not break it.

Coffee gelatin plastic recipe

What do you need:

  • 14 grams of gelatin
  • 6 tablespoons of water
  • 2 tablespoons of instant coffee
  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • Silicone form (baking form) or another surface
  • Optional: pigments

How you make it:

  1. Mix the gelatin, coffee and water in the saucepan and let the gelatin soak in the water for 3 minutes.
  2. Put the saucepan over a low heat and stir regularly.
  3. Wait until the gelatin is completely absorbed in the water.
  4. Slightly tilt the saucepan so that the mixture goes to the side. Scoop the foam from the mixture with a hot spoon until you have a clear mixture.
  5. Now pour the mixture into your shape and rotate it until you have reached the right thickness.
  6. Place the mold in a dust-free place that is around 20 degrees.
  7. Let it dry for at least 12 hours and check whether the plastic is already hardening.
  8. When the plastic is completely hard, you can remove it from the mold. Do this carefully so that you do not break it.

How to use the gelatin plastic

You can use or process the gelatin plastic in various ways. This is a list of different options that we have made so far from gelatin plastic:

  • Plastic with logos or text with the laser cutter.

Settings: Red (cutting): Power 50%, Speed 50%, PPI 500, Z-Axis 2.00 mm. Blue (engraving): Power 5%, Speed 50%, PPI 250, Z-Axis 2.00 mm.

  • Packaging such as plastic bags.

For a flexible plastic you can add 2 grams of glycerin to the basic recipe to make it more flexible.


Natural pigments

We use natural dyes to color the gelatin plastic. You can easily find these dyes in the kitchen or you can easily buy them. This is a list of dyes that you can easily buy yourself:

  • Red / pink: Pre-cooked beetroot (the juice)
  • Yellow / orange: Turmeric (spices)
  • Green / blue: Spirulina (food supplement)
  • Black: Charcoal
  • White: Chalk
  • Red / brown: Paprika powder (spices)
  • Dark brown: Coffee (instant coffee)


You can also make pigment from dried flowers and there are many more options. Experiment and share it with us so we can make this list longer!

Gelatin paint

You can also use gelatin as a paint. This way you can make your design with an ecological paint that will not damage the environment!

What do you need:

  • 7 grams of gelatin (ground in a mortar)
  • 3 tablespoons of water
  • color of your choice (turmeric, spirulina, beets, etc. (look at the natural pigments above for more colors)
  • Saucepan
  • Spoon

How you make it:

  1. Mix the gelatin and pigments together and grind it together again in the mortar.
  2. If the mixture is a powder, you can add 3 tablespoons of water.
  3. Stir well and put in the saucepan.
  4. Heat it until it is a liquid mixture.
  5. This is the paint, you can now use it how you want it.
  6. Let it dry for at least 2/3 hours.

How to use the gelatin paint

This is a list of different ways you can use the gelatin paint:

  1. Screen printing
  2. Stamping
  3. To paint

Have you already used the paint in a different way? Then let us know so we can add it to the list.