Homemade ballistic gel

Edible treat

 These are my gelsicles. 1 part gelatin, 1 part pectin and 3 parts boiling water.

For my first attempt at ballistic gel I used 1/4 cup each of gelatin and pectin, and 3/4 of a cup of boiling water.  I premixed the pectin and gelatin together in a separate bowl.  I measured out 3/4 cup of boiling water into a preheated pot and slowly poured the gel/pectin mix into it, stirring all the while.  After it began bubbling I stirred like mad for a couple minutes then took it off the heat.  I sprayed the popsicle molds with pam and poured the mix in.

I covered the top of the mold with cellophane and popped the sticks through and set the whole mess aside to cool.

They pulled out quite easily the next day.  They had an interesting texture and were holding together strongly.  But they felt wobbly and too much like Jello and not like what I think Ballistic Gel should feel like. Mind I've only handled it once.

Not a puddin' pop

The hivemind recommended pretty much what the internet had already told me. I pulled out the sticks and threw the gelsicles back in the pot on a low heat.  They melted quickly and I brought it to slow boil and stirred for a couple minutes.  Re-pammed the molds, poured and put in the fridge this time. I got about a third less out of the pot after reboiling it.

A couple hours later I pulled them out.  These were better, much more resilient.  I wasn't sure how it would hold up in a large mass; if it would collapse on itself or break under its own weight. I want them to be more rubbery.

The right tool for the job

Purple dye from art stick

Knowing I wasn't there yet, I wanted to know how far from "there" I was. So I got out a large kitchen knife and took a swing at it.  I laid the gelsicle flat on my lovely butchers block and dropped a light snap of the blade into it in a purely percussive manner.  Barely felt the gel.  Worse, the gel kind of disintegrated and bits fell off.  Conclusion: it's shite.

I don't think it will retain it's ultimate shape - that is to say - torsos, arms, heads, etc, in it's current state. It's... chunky. Needs to be more... viscous. Here's a picture of my 8 year old boy taking a swing at it. He wanted to take another shot at it to get the "bone"

That'll teach it for sucking

Ultimately I think the test for this stuff needs to be the finger poke test. What I mean by that is it needs to resist the pincer action of forefinger and thumb in a resilient manner rather than simple separate into chunks.

Chunky