the Clean Sweep

You know how one little change can require an entire roomfull be adjusted? I
traded beads for some bookshelves, to be able to get all the boxes of books OFF
the floor of my studio. This however required making wall space...which
required going through 8 years of accumulated STUFF that was on the floor, on
the tables, on the chairs, in the boxes....

Got rid of all old unneeded paper piles, organized shipping, show, and sales
stuff into easily usable immediately reachable areas. Went through old art,
old art supplies....even went through my boxes of canes. Heres a couple
interesting things to note----canes, wrapped completely with Saran Wrap and
stored in a cardboard box still outgass enough of something over a period of
2-3 yrs or more to saturate the inside of the cardboard box with what looks to
be something oily. I am guessing the plasticiser.Similarly wrapped canes
outgass enough that those stored in blue plastic containers (that mushrooms
came in from grocery store) when I sort by color caused the bottoms of the
containers to become so brittle they cracked into hundreds of pieces and fell
through when lifted up from the shelf on which theyd been sitting for the last
five years or so. Premo and FIMO canes are still quite usable after 2-5 years.
(wrapped and stored in a box out of light, or wrapped and stored in covered
containers)

I also went through ALL my canes and my clays, turned some old canes into
schmutz--mud clay, and am ready to get working in my cleaned up space. With six
bags and boxes of removed trash and stuff, theres more room to walk around, and
improved tool accessability. Bryan is even going to set up my buffer in the
garage--which is also where we have set up the ovens. The ventilation is even
better out there than it was by the basement window with fans on and the back
door open...and I wont be smelling it at all, so I have a new $2.00 timer from
the grocery to help me remember theres a batch of clay in the oven.

I even have space in the studio now for taking pictures as I go, so I hope to
have a very productive Spring and Summer, and to show you what I am doing soon!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

see my current auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auctionindex.htm

It must be spring cleaning time. My husband just helped me get my room
cleared out so I can organize. I have piles of stuff all over the living
room. Today is putting it back in. I just wish I had bookshelves for my
books. lol

--
Debbie (New Mexico)
Life is too short
"Sjpolyclay" wrote in message
...
You know how one little change can require an entire roomfull be adjusted?
I
traded beads for some bookshelves, to be able to get all the boxes of
books OFF
the floor of my studio. This however required making wall space...which
required going through 8 years of accumulated STUFF that was on the floor,
on
the tables, on the chairs, in the boxes....

Got rid of all old unneeded paper piles, organized shipping, show, and
sales
stuff into easily usable immediately reachable areas. Went through old
art,
old art supplies....even went through my boxes of canes. Heres a couple
interesting things to note----canes, wrapped completely with Saran Wrap
and
stored in a cardboard box still outgass enough of something over a period
of
2-3 yrs or more to saturate the inside of the cardboard box with what
looks to
be something oily. I am guessing the plasticiser.Similarly wrapped canes
outgass enough that those stored in blue plastic containers (that
mushrooms
came in from grocery store) when I sort by color caused the bottoms of the
containers to become so brittle they cracked into hundreds of pieces and
fell
through when lifted up from the shelf on which theyd been sitting for the
last
five years or so. Premo and FIMO canes are still quite usable after 2-5
years.
(wrapped and stored in a box out of light, or wrapped and stored in
covered
containers)

I also went through ALL my canes and my clays, turned some old canes into
schmutz--mud clay, and am ready to get working in my cleaned up space.
With six
bags and boxes of removed trash and stuff, theres more room to walk
around, and
improved tool accessability. Bryan is even going to set up my buffer in
the
garage--which is also where we have set up the ovens. The ventilation is
even
better out there than it was by the basement window with fans on and the
back
door open...and I wont be smelling it at all, so I have a new $2.00 timer
from
the grocery to help me remember theres a batch of clay in the oven.

I even have space in the studio now for taking pictures as I go, so I hope
to
have a very productive Spring and Summer, and to show you what I am doing
soon!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

see my current auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auctionindex.htm




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It must be spring cleaning time.

maybe its a result of the irritation of the pollen...or just a desire to find
out whats IN the piles on top of the boxes under the tables..on the tables...
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

see my current auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auctionindex.htm

Congratulations on the studio renewal!
plastics becoming brittle--I had some body lotion from Garden Botanika
in their milky plastic pump bottle sitting on my office desk for a couple of
years, and one day I noticed it was leaking at the bottom. Turned out, the
plastic had become brittle, and broken from the weight of 6 oz of lotion.
Before I realized this, I picked up the container and it shattered into
hundreds of pieces from the negligible pressure of my gentle grip. Who knew?

Those $2 timers are great. I realized I could put it in my pocket and do
things outside the studio when I have things in the oven--I don't like
having my oven too far from my workspace.

Georgia
http://www.bead-designs.com/html/PolymerClay.htm

I'm pretty sure I know what you mean when you say "outgass" but I've never
heard of the word. IF the plasticizer is leaching out what was the condition
of the canes at that point?.
Dawn Stubitsch
(Home Page) http://www.thumbprintkids.com
(Questions?) http://www.thumbprintkids.com/pages/questions.htm
(Prices & Forms) http://www.thumbprintkids.com/pages/caketoppers.html
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"Sjpolyclay" wrote in message
...
You know how one little change can require an entire roomfull be adjusted?
I
traded beads for some bookshelves, to be able to get all the boxes of
books OFF
the floor of my studio. This however required making wall space...which
required going through 8 years of accumulated STUFF that was on the floor,
on
the tables, on the chairs, in the boxes....

Got rid of all old unneeded paper piles, organized shipping, show, and
sales
stuff into easily usable immediately reachable areas. Went through old
art,
old art supplies....even went through my boxes of canes. Heres a couple
interesting things to note----canes, wrapped completely with Saran Wrap
and
stored in a cardboard box still outgass enough of something over a period
of
2-3 yrs or more to saturate the inside of the cardboard box with what
looks to
be something oily. I am guessing the plasticiser.Similarly wrapped canes
outgass enough that those stored in blue plastic containers (that
mushrooms
came in from grocery store) when I sort by color caused the bottoms of the
containers to become so brittle they cracked into hundreds of pieces and
fell
through when lifted up from the shelf on which theyd been sitting for the
last
five years or so. Premo and FIMO canes are still quite usable after 2-5
years.
(wrapped and stored in a box out of light, or wrapped and stored in
covered
containers)

I also went through ALL my canes and my clays, turned some old canes into
schmutz--mud clay, and am ready to get working in my cleaned up space.
With six
bags and boxes of removed trash and stuff, theres more room to walk
around, and
improved tool accessability. Bryan is even going to set up my buffer in
the
garage--which is also where we have set up the ovens. The ventilation is
even
better out there than it was by the basement window with fans on and the
back
door open...and I wont be smelling it at all, so I have a new $2.00 timer
from
the grocery to help me remember theres a batch of clay in the oven.

I even have space in the studio now for taking pictures as I go, so I hope
to
have a very productive Spring and Summer, and to show you what I am doing
soon!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

see my current auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auctionindex.htm

I'm pretty sure I know what you mean when you say "outgass" but I've never
heard of the word. IF the plasticizer is leaching out what was the condition
of the canes at that point?.

Hi Dawn!
Outgas is just like it sounds--airborn stuff coming out. Furniture, flooring,
all kinds of stuff does it. The canes, though wrapped, are slightly harder then
when made, as all canes get with age. I knew the plasticiser leached out into
the paper on which clay sits, or onto wax paper wrappings, but this is the
first box residue coming from wrapped canes I've noticed. Of course, we've had
several extremely warm summers since I made the canes as well. I've noticed
that clay that sits out unprotected does get dry and hard eventually, and its
not just the collected dust reinforcing it either!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com