 Borax is replacing mercury as the preferred method for extracting gold in small-scale mining facilities.The method is called the borax method and is used in the Philippines.A rubbery polymer sometimes called Slime, Flubber, 'gluep' or 'glurch' (or erroneously called Silly Putty, which is based on silicone polymers), can be made by cross-linking polyvinyl alcohol with borax.