How Do You Make Sodium Silicate? All You Need to Know

How do you make sodium silicate? Well, some people think that sodium silicate can only be found in the lab or at the hardware store, but in reality it's easy to make at home with ingredients you already have on hand. Here's how to make sodium silicate in 5 simple steps.

1. Gather Materials

First, you'll need to gather all of your materials. These include some water, which you can get by heating up a few cups of tap water; some Epsom salt, which you'll get by taking about two cups worth and putting it in a container with a lid; a rubber band; and finally, some aluminum foil. You can also find sodium silicate at your local chemical store in either powder or tablet form.

If using tablets or powder from the store, ensure that they are sodium silicate and not another chemical like sodium hydroxide because mixing these will cause your mixture to foam up violently and possibly burn you! Store-bought tablets are usually clearly labeled as sodium silicate but if you're unsure, contact your local chemical supplier for more information.

Before beginning, put on gloves to protect yourself from any chemicals you might be working with and clear out any pets or children who may be around since mixing chemicals can sometimes lead to unexpected reactions (although there's nothing inherently dangerous about making sodium silicate).

2. How Do You Make Sodium Silicate?: Boil Water

Gather a saucepan, 3.5 cups of water and your pot of dry sand. Boil 2 cups of water in your saucepan. When it's boiled, add 1/4 cup to your mixing bowl while stirring continuously to prevent any clumps from forming. Once you have a uniform consistency again, pour in 1/2 cup of water and stir until all lumps are gone.

Take off heat and allow cooling for 10 minutes before adding more water (1/4 cup at a time) until you reach 3.5 cups total. At that point, mix thoroughly for about two minutes until everything is dissolved again, then allow it to sit for 20-30 minutes or until lukewarm.

3. Slowly Add Baking Soda

How do you make sodium silicate? Well, take some baking soda and slowly add it to your silicon dioxide. If you add too much, don't worry; just add more sand to balance it out. Once you have added all of your sodium silicate solution, stir for about 10 minutes until everything is well combined.

You should now have a thick mixture with a powdery feel. Let sit until dry - at least 4 hours - or overnight. Alternatively, instead of stirring, simply shake your jar while holding it upside down to ensure that everything blends evenly together . Pour when it's ready into an airtight container and store in a cool, dark storage. The shelf life of sodium silicate is one year if stored properly.

4. Get Your Container Ready

Once you have your sodium hydroxide and your water mixture, it's time to move them over to a container where you can make sodium silicate. Pour some water into a large bucket or tub and then slowly add your lye solution while stirring with a long stick or something similar. If you're using slaked lime, add that now as well and stir until everything is mixed.

Once you have everything in there, check your pH level again and make sure it is around 11; if not, add more water/lye/lime mix until it is within range. If everything checks out, slowly pour your base chemical into the fluid.

5. How Do You Make Sodium Silicate?: Add the Mixing Agent

Once you've added enough sodium hydroxide to bring your mix to about 50% concentration, it's time to add a mixing agent. The most common mixing agents for sodium silicate are dextrose and water; adding dextrose is necessary because it helps reduce crystallization in your mix.

The mixing process should be relatively easy-just give your solution a thorough stir with a large plastic or metal spoon or rod and make sure all of your ingredients have mixed thoroughly before putting them away. Once you're done, you can store your sodium silicate solution just like any other liquid chemical: in plastic containers, metal containers, or glass bottles.

Final Thoughts

If you need more sodium silicate for future applications, you can make a larger batch of sodium silicate. The procedure for making additional batches of sodium silicate is exactly like making a single batch, except that you will use twice as much water and sodium hydroxide. If you need to make larger quantities of borax than are commercially available, follow these simple procedures at home. You'll have your own supply of borax in no time.