Trying to make gel like material

[Progressiverain]

Hey guys. New to this forum...first post.

I have looked endlessly to try and find out how to make this material but apparently no one knows how...or has no reason to try.

 

Ill keep it pretty simple. Im trying to accomplish what this guy did in this video.

Basically needs to be an opaque gel like material that when you run something across it or put something ontop of it it move away...and then it moves back.

http://inventorspot.com/articles/delightable_excites_and_delights_8050

 

I've experimented with some ridiculous househould chemicals with lackluster results. Either it's too thick and won't return back or it's too watery and looks like crap.

 

Any ideas?

[NightHawkIL]

Now that is spectacularly cool!

 

I would guess what is being used as the liquid is petroleum based. Perhaps a very heavy motor oil with very fine non transparent particles in it - something like black iron oxide. I hope you don't mind me attempting a replica of this myself. The tabletop itself is likely also of great importance. It must have been very difficult to develop a flexible top that would remain suspended at the exact same level over the liquid. Perhaps it is under mild pressure to maintain the even surface.

[Lifeson]

Maybe its not a gel. It might be just a viscous liquid. Gels will probably be too solid to move back in place like what happened in the video. That motion looks to me like liquid responding to pressure and moving out of the way, then gradually moving back into place.

 

I would try using heavy syrups to create this effect. Something with the viscosity of maple syrup or molasses might be a good start. This is of course my off-the-cuff opinion with no experimentation whatsoever.

 

Have fun with this, it looks really awesome

[hermanntrude]

from the website that apparently no-one read:

The table's inner workings consist of an opaque liquid that's housed between a layer of transparent plastic film and a light source.

[Progressiverain]

Haha...nah I could care less if you try to make it yourselves. Just be sure to let me know if you have success

Yeah..I think you guys are right on the thick liquid vs. a gel. I will tinker with this some more and hopefully I can get similar results.

[Caleb]

If you dissolve about 3mL of polyvinyl alcohol into 50mL of hot water then add about 1 mL of sodium tetraborate to it, you get a gel like substance that when in its early stages sort of act like what you are trying to descrbe. It is probably not exactly what you are looking for, but I tried my best.

Hope that helps some.