Preserving breast milk for jewelry

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the preservation of breast milk for use in jewelry making, specifically focusing on the appropriate chemical preservatives and methods to ensure the milk remains stable and visually appealing over time. Participants explore various techniques and materials, including heating, drying, and mixing with resins.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks advice on using optiphen and sodium benzoate as preservatives for breast milk intended for jewelry, expressing uncertainty about their effectiveness.
  • Another participant highlights the composition of milk, noting that lipid droplets contribute to its optical properties, which may be lost during the drying process.
  • A participant mentions that pasteurization does not completely sterilize milk, suggesting that additional measures may be needed to eliminate bacteria.
  • Discussion includes the potential use of plaster of Paris to chemically fix the water fraction in the milk, which may help prevent bacterial growth when mixed with resin.
  • There are suggestions to experiment with the amounts of plaster and optiphen to determine the best combination for preservation.
  • One participant shares their experience with embedding biological specimens in resin, noting the importance of the fixation and dehydration processes.
  • Another participant mentions that sodium benzoate works best at an acidic pH, which may not be applicable in this case since the final product will be dry.
  • There is a suggestion to use cow's milk for experimentation before applying the method to breast milk.
  • Some participants inquire about the outcomes of mixing plaster of Paris with breast milk and whether it affects the color of the final product.
  • A participant references the historical use of milk in tempera paints and its relevance to jewelry decoration.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying opinions on the best methods and materials for preserving breast milk, with no clear consensus on the most effective approach. Some participants agree on the potential of using plaster of Paris, while others raise concerns about the implications of removing lipids and the optical properties of the milk.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes uncertainties regarding the chemical interactions between milk components and resin, as well as the effectiveness of proposed preservatives under specific conditions. There are also unresolved questions about the optimal ratios of materials to use in the preservation process.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in DIY jewelry making, particularly those exploring unconventional materials, as well as those curious about the preservation of organic substances in resin applications.

  • #61
Agnesdavid said:
Hi are you found it
Hi, can you share any results? :)
 
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  • #62
Canislupus1 said:
did mixing the plaster of Paris and raw breast milk work? Did the plaster alter the natural color at all?
Hi I have also been looking for an additive to add to breastmilk, I bought a 'breastmilk preservative powder' on line expensive for just 4g. I made my jewellery with it and it was pleasing with a lovely milky colour (very much looks like Granite) my customer was over the moon. The secret powder looked and felt like plaster of paris so purchased a bag. Had some left over milk and with my customers permission I tried it with pop it reacted the same and dried, I ground it into a powder exactly as I did before but when I added it to the resin even though the now powder looked very white the colour after mixed looked a little grey after adding a little white Mica powder it looked better but I felt it lost its natural beauty after seeing the first batch. So I don't think this secret preserving powder that's on the market currently is plaster of paris. However I'm still searching and experimenting before I'm happy to sell my breastmilk jewellery.
 
  • #63
How about trying Talc, maybe with the Mica?
 
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  • #64
Tom.G said:
How about trying Talc, maybe with the Mica?
Thank you Tom I will try that. Its just trial and Error till I find the perfect compound to add. This weekend I will be trialling Jypsom and your Idea of Talc 😀, although the POP with Mica turned out well in the end but not as white as I'd like it.
 
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  • #65
Chalk (calcium carbonate, and/or calcium sulfate) may also be worth trying.

"Chalk" is one of those catch-all terms in that several different materials are given the name. Try a Google search for 'chalk' to find a few.
 
  • #66
Naomidom said:
Hi, I'm very curious if you have found any way to successfully use breast milk into resin jewelry, without discoloration.
I would really like to try this myself, but there is no greater secret on the internet, than the method for preserving breastmilk for resin. Nobody will help me.
So maybe you can tell me your experiences?
It's a year later but i just starting this experiment. I'm 3 mo ths in and have used sodium benzoyl and corn startch, dehydrate kin my air fryer) for 26 ish hours in a glass container. After a few days, scratch it out, grind it down and put in resin. I'm goi g to try plaster of Paris on wax paper. That sounds fairly easy, at least easier then what I'm doing now.

[Moderator's note: Personal data removed. Please do not post email addresses on PF.]
 
  • #67
Resin Artist said:
Hi I have also been looking for an additive to add to breastmilk, I bought a 'breastmilk preservative powder' on line expensive for just 4g. I made my jewellery with it and it was pleasing with a lovely milky colour (very much looks like Granite) my customer was over the moon. The secret powder looked and felt like plaster of paris so purchased a bag. Had some left over milk and with my customers permission I tried it with pop it reacted the same and dried, I ground it into a powder exactly as I did before but when I added it to the resin even though the now powder looked very white the colour after mixed looked a little grey after adding a little white Mica powder it looked better but I felt it lost its natural beauty after seeing the first batch. So I don't think this secret preserving powder that's on the market currently is plaster of paris. However I'm still searching and experimenting before I'm happy to sell my breastmilk jewellery.
Sounds very interesting. Please do share any experiences you encounter with your experiments. Looks like you're really getting somewhere :)
 
  • #68
You have my hopes, i just want to create my own breastmilk jewelry that will last that's all. I hope you successfully have "the secret method"
 
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  • #69
There are a great many methods in industry for preserving milk: powdered milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, boiled milk, gamma irradiation, dulce de leche, baked milk, yoghurt, cheese... it makes you think about all the sweet options the babies are missing out on, but fresh antibodies are the only way to go I have to admit. Here's a home science project for homemade casein "plastic" ( https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/casein-plastic-project/ ); I don't know if the "plastic" is stable long term but maybe the project will be usable when Junior is older. There's actually some history to it, might be usable ( https://www.realmilkpaint.com/blog/tips/history-of-casein-plastic/ ). Sweetened condensed milk seems like another option - gives a liquid appearance and it seems to last a long time in a can on the kitchen shelf. Heat sterilization, sugar, vinegar, lyophilization, formaldehyde, gamma rays ... there are doubtless a huge number of ways to do what you want, but you might not want to play with all of them. ;)
 
  • #70
Tinoy said:
You have my hopes, i just want to create my own breastmilk jewelry that will last that's all. I hope you successfully have "the secret method"
I really just hope someone shares their experiences, bad and good. So we can all learn from it :)
 
  • #71
Purchased the Etsy recipe almost a year ago and bought all the ingredients it requires from Amazon. The many samples we made with with my wife’s milk came out very well and 8 months later are still in great condition. You could follow the link for the Etsy store recipe and try buying it to give it a whirl.
 
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  • #72
JediJ2308 said:
I found an Etsy page and bought the download! Here are the ingredients:

  1. baking powder
  2. baking soda
  3. arrowroot powder
  4. pickling lime (calcium hydroxide)
  5. calcium chloride pulverized
  6. borax
  7. EDTA (calcium disodium)
  8. lye (pulverized)
The download has a ton of info like amounts and directions. Worth it in my opinion for those of us who want to do this full time, otherwise just buy a small amount of the powder for your own personal use. https://www.etsy.com/listing/103142...der&ref=sr_gallery-1-6&organic_search_click=1
Hi I clicked on the link but the product is no longer available.. Would anyone who purchased this be willing to share the formula with me.
I just want to create some jewellery for myself as a first time mum and have been researching for months now and this is the first time I have any hope at all of finding the magic powder formula!
 
  • #73
I really wonder how a PDF file can be "Out Of Stock."

Perhaps, if there is no copyright notice, @dreadless could just send the recipe.

A Google search of Can a Recipe Be Copyrighted returns many results indicating that the list of ingredients can NOT be copyrighted. Many also state that the instruction, directions, etc CAN be copyrighted, and suggest that those be reworded (at least somewhat creatively) if you are passing-on the recipe.

https://www.google.com/search?&q=can+a+recipe+be+copyrighted

Good Luck!
 
  • #74
Almost everything you create is copyright - images, documents, books, a web template or entire site, whatever. There is no need to have a copyright sign and a date. Unless it specifically says "this is placed in the public domain and free to use", it is copyright. People assume, very wrongly, that putting something on a website means it is now in the public domain. It is not. It is public knowledge, but copyright.

People add a Copyright sign to avoid court cases and arguments, but it is not necessary. They add it in books and magazines because some publications that pay for the content to be written take over the copyright, so authors who don't sign over copyright want to state implicitly that it is still their property, not the publishers.

The creator of the original PDF document owns the copyright of the document.

PS I suspect that by recipe it is really referring to the recipe for a cake or similar. The mixture would be considered as a formulation, and different formulations are usually copyright.
 
  • #75
Lesha said:
breast milk + preservative (Optiphen) + citric acid (mix those three)
boil in double boiler (not sure if best boil then mix or mix then boil)
leave to dry on wax paper for minimum 2 days then put in mold then apply resin (anyone can suggest UV filter resin?!)
Have you had any luck/good results?
 
  • #76
There is formula on etsy. I don't have it so can't say if it works.

edit by mod: this link was posted countless times, please, do read thread before answering
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #77
I was following this thread, i tried with talcum and it turned good. Not sure how long it will hold its colour.
 

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  • #78
Okay, so it's been a couple of months. Anyone experiences to share?
 
  • #79
chemisttree said:
Water will react with most resins so the water fraction of the fluid must be “fixed” in a chemical manner. This can be easily done by adding plaster of paris (the hemihydrate of calcium sulfate) and allowing it to harden. The result of this reaction is the dihydrate of calcium sulfate. This is simply gypsum powder like you would find in “desert rose.” It helps that the plaster is a brilliant white just like milk.
The instructions call for grinding the hardened (they refer to it as dry) plaster into a powder and suspending that into the resin. Drying something like this will prevent bacterial growth if kept sealed from atmospheric moisture... like maybe suspending it into some epoxy. The white of gypsum will stay that way for the ages! The resin will darken long before the remaining proteins and fats will cause any problem.
So should I mix plaster of paris into my breastmilk or gypsum powder?
 
  • #80
Plaster of Paris and gypsum powder are the same thing (chemically calcium sulfate hemihydrate).
 
  • #81
Ty2828 said:
TL;DR Summary: I’m looking for help to find the right preservatives for preserving breast milk in order to make jewelry with resin.

Hi everyone! My wife and I want to make breast milk jewelry but I’m having issues finding the right preservatives and amounts to use. We will be heating approx 5ml of milk and need a chemical preservative to mix in order to keep the milk from turning bad after months/years in the resin. The idea is to heat the milk with the chemicals until it’s a paste then spread it on wax paper. After it completely dries/(100% free of moisture )the product will be crushed into powder and mixed with the resin to make jewelry. I have optiphen and sodium benzoate. Would these be helpful? I’m no chemistry pro so just looking for opinions! Thanks
Hello
How much preservative powder should be added with 5ml of milk?
 
  • #82
MamaBear01 said:
Hi I clicked on the link but the product is no longer available.. Would anyone who purchased this be willing to share the formula with me.
I just want to create some jewellery for myself as a first time mum and have been researching for months now and this is the first time I have any hope at all of finding the magic powder formula!
Did you use on it
 
  • #83
Hi everyone,.... anyone had any luck with this since Jan!?
 
  • #84
JulesB-S said:
Hi everyone,.... anyone had any luck with this since Jan!?
This subject has already more answers than it deserves.

Thread closed.
 
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