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Major Edits

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I’ve made major edits to this page. The article was long for the meager facts it communicated. It read more like an arts and crafts magazine article than encyclopedia entry. I have removed almost all of the sentences that are about the hobby of using polymer clay rather than the topic, the clay itself. I also expanded upon what the chemical composition and physical properties of the clay really are. And, I’ve added references to support those facts. It still needs work, but I think it is in much better shape than ever.Dan Bollinger (talk) 02:09, 21 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Understanding Vandalism and False Accusations

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Commercial sites & self promotion

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Changing the discussion page

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Nan Roche quote about Phthalates

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I'm deleting the quote from a polymer clay artist about the dangers of phthalate exposured. I doubt she is also an expert in the health effects of phthalates, particularly those found in plastic medical equipment. The quote is speculative and even grandstanding. I don't know anything about this topic myself but the flimsiness of her logic is immediately evident: she carelessly, but with a certain forecfulness and exaggeration, compares the exposure via two different substances containing differing levels of phthalates, involving different forms of contact with them (and likely, different time periods - she fails to distinguish between scenarios where artists would have constant exposure and most medical patients who would have one-off or occasional exposure). There's also the logical problem of saying there'd be "obvious toxicity", assuming the symptoms would be acute and that any research into harmful effects would be well-known, neither of which is a likely case.

Not only does the quote lack a citation, I don't think a non-expert quote - particularly with strong and misleadingly assured-sounding claims like "astonishingly high levels" - should be included without some citation of her source material.

I found this in the Phthalates entry references, and it contradicts her statement that phthalates are not harmful in medical equipment: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2F1097-0274%28200101%2939%3A1%3C100%3A%3AAID-AJIM10%3E3.0.CO%3B2-Q It suggests that people who have regular fluid transfers "may have long-term exposures to clinically important doses" of phthalates, and that research links phthalates to "to a range of adverse effects in the liver, reproductive tract, kidneys, lungs, and heart. Developing animals are particularly susceptible to effects on the reproductive system. Some adverse effects in animal studies occur at levels of exposure experienced by patients in certain clinical settings." Orangeblossomspecial (talk) 06:11, 3 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I clarified the section on phthalates. I own a business that uses plastisol and I am well-informed on the risks involved using them including the CPSCA requirements. For instance, the plasticizer we use is FDA approved for medical equipment. In fact, it is the same one used in blood-bags and IV-bags, so not all phthlates are unhealthy as some may think. I think the changes I made improve that section including removing the California law and replacing it with the Federal law. I also removed the irrelevant sentence concerning whether or not commercial products were or have been reformulated; that's an issue for a consumer safety website, not an encyclopedia. I think it is very important to mention that polymer clays contain plasticizers, some of which are hazardous, but to let the entries for phthlates and plasticers deal with the details.16:20, 13 December 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dan Bollinger (talkcontribs)

Health and Safety

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User 180.194.29.38 Added: "It should not contain more than 0.1% of any of the six phthalates restricted or banned by the safety regulatory boards. These six phthalates are: DEHP (Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate) DBP (Dibutyl phthalate) BBP (Benzyl butyl phthalate) DINP (Di-isononyl phthalate) DIDP (Di-isodecyl phthalate) DnOP (Di-n-octyl phthalate <http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/cyclopedia/pc_safety_th.html>"

That is true only if the product is sold as a children's toy. If the clay is used by adults the restrictions do not apply. The chemistry is important, but, to me, should be on the Poly-Vinyl Chloride page. Citations please. Dan Bollinger (talk) 16:19, 29 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

User 180.194.29.38 Added: "If the instructions on the package are followed - (low temperatures and brief baking times) - you will not burn the clay."

WP is not a how-to resource. Dan Bollinger (talk) 16:19, 29 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

User 180.194.29.38 Added: If the clay does burn because of a mistake or if the oven malfunctions, a small amount of hydrogen chloride gas could be released, which may cause odor and some eye or nose irritation. The amount of hydrogen chloride gas released from the clay would cause a health problem."

Citation, please. I think this general health risk is important to add, but this needs a lot of rewriting. For instance, the polymer doesn't burn, it decomposes. And, while hydrogen chloride is a HEALTH RISK, we have no idea if it WOULD CAUSE A HEALTH PROBLEM or not since this varies with the person and exposure. Dan Bollinger (talk) 16:19, 29 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

User 180.194.29.38 Added: "Due to the testing requirements and regulations, clay products that would be used to hold or serve food or beverages are not recommended or intended for these applications.

Citation, please. Dan Bollinger (talk) 16:19, 29 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

All polymer clay products are NOT labeled as “food safe”.""

Citation, please. Dan Bollinger (talk) 16:19, 29 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Nonsense

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""Bakelite, an early plastic, was popular with designers and was an early form of polymer clay, but the phenol base of uncured Bakelite was flammable and was eventually discontinued. Polymer clays were first formulated as a possible replacement for Bakelite.""

This is plain nonsense. 2A02:810C:403F:FFCC:BD2B:CD04:9502:7F65 (talk) 14:03, 9 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Professional

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Tai plastilinas 94.244.79.39 (talk) 08:53, 2 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Modeling clay

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Is a type of hardenable modeling clay 49.149.77.91 (talk) 04:57, 22 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki Education assignment: College Composition II

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 16 January 2024 and 11 May 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Kayprender (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Lindseybean28 (talk) 21:25, 9 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]