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Polymer-clay is not good !



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 3rd 04, 03:23 AM
Brian Raab
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Default Polymer-clay is not good !

I prefer to craft with lead.
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  #2  
Old October 3rd 04, 02:01 PM
Diana Curtis
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You have been licking your fingers afterwards, havent you.
Diana

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Vote this November (U.S.A.)

"Brian Raab" wrote in message
om...
I prefer to craft with lead.



  #3  
Old October 5th 04, 02:11 PM
Dawn Stubitsch
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Good one!

--
Dawn Stubitsch
Thumbprint Kids Custom Cake Toppers and Figurines
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"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
You have been licking your fingers afterwards, havent you.
Diana

--
Vote this November (U.S.A.)

"Brian Raab" wrote in message
om...
I prefer to craft with lead.





  #4  
Old October 11th 04, 05:22 PM
Ray Jones
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Um, if I may be forgiven for stepping in with a few comments,

Materials are not "good" or "bad" - different people are drawn to different
media by individual taste, experience, availability of media and tools,
viewpoints as to the aesthetic appeal and practicality of the results, and
many other factors.

Lead has some negative effects such as toxicity, softness of the finished
products, and the possible dangers of working with hot metal (granted lead
melts at much lower temperatures than other metals, but you can still burn
yourself). Polymer clay is much less toxic, with a little common sense in
design can be quite durable, and with minimal care about sticking your hand
into a hot oven, temperature-safe.

I am not going to advocate one material over another - I actually do quite
mixed-media work combining wood, wire, glass, etc. But I can do lots of
things with polymer clay that I cannot get with other media (short of
setting up a complete machine shop - it is relatively cheap, easy to use,
and adapts well to combination with other media.

I wish you good luck with your leadwork and hope it is quite successful, but
perhaps you are a bit early in declaring that you are not going to work with
other media - no need to be closing creative doors already! B-)-

---Ray Jones---
"Brian Raab" wrote in message
om...
I prefer to craft with lead.



  #5  
Old October 12th 04, 02:39 PM
Sjpolyclay
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Hi there Ray!

There'a a tide-like thing that goes on in the polymer clay groups....sooner or
later, somebody brings out the "Its DANGEROUS" box and stands up and hollers.
Occassionally its someone who is genuinely ignorant of the facts---like that
working with polymer clay under normal use conditions is just as dangerous as
wearing polyester tennis shoes or sitting for many hours on a couch covered in
fabrics that are also made out of plastics! In all three cases, catching on
fire and inhaling as you sit there burning will be bad for your health.

I think that melted lead fumes--and many kinds of marker pens---are far higher
in levels of toxicity as are most household cleaning products commonly in use,
but then, I read the Material Data Safety sheets and find out facts, being the
curious type that I am.
Sarajane

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




  #6  
Old October 20th 04, 02:16 AM
LJCefali
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like that working with polymer clay under normal use conditions is just as
dangerous as
wearing polyester tennis shoes or sitting for many hours on a couch covered in
fabrics that are also made out of plastics!

Then why (finally!) does it say on the package that you should not inhale the
fumes while the polymer bakes? If it were not bad for you, it wouldn't give a
warning like this. Tennis shoes carry no such warning, so I am not sure that
the clay is as safe as the shoes.

I also wonder why it has taken the company so long to put any warning on the
label...years ago there were none. The only way people knew to use a dedicated
oven was through word of mouth - this should have been on the clay package.

  #7  
Old October 20th 04, 03:18 AM
~Candace~
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Oh My God. You mean gasp I can no longer stick my head in my oven and
take deep, not-so-cleansing breaths while my polymer clay bakes?!?!?!?!?!?!

sobbing hysterically Why didn't someone warn me???!!! I mean,
sure--anyone can sit back and let the clay bake ...you know....with the
door closed and all....and maybe even (lightbulb moment!) give the oven a
quick wipe down afterwards if they think it needs it. But I thought I was
special! I literally had my eye on every inch of my creative process!


Cripes. I'm just gonna have to use that...oh...man...what's it called?
COMMON SENSE?

--
~Candace~

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"LJCefali" wrote in message
...
like that working with polymer clay under normal use conditions is
just as
dangerous as
wearing polyester tennis shoes or sitting for many hours on a couch
covered in
fabrics that are also made out of plastics!

Then why (finally!) does it say on the package that you should not inhale
the
fumes while the polymer bakes? If it were not bad for you, it wouldn't
give a
warning like this. Tennis shoes carry no such warning, so I am not sure
that
the clay is as safe as the shoes.

I also wonder why it has taken the company so long to put any warning on
the
label...years ago there were none. The only way people knew to use a
dedicated
oven was through word of mouth - this should have been on the clay
package.



  #8  
Old October 20th 04, 06:49 AM
Jalynne
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It's a simple case of CYA as far as labeling is concerned. The others are
right...it's only when you BURN it that it causes problems. Otherwise, don't worry
about it. If you can smell it, you've cooked it too long.
--
Jalynne - Keeper of the Quilt for ME club list
Queen Gypsy (snail mail available upon request)
see what i've been up to at www.100megsfree4.com/jalynne

"LJCefali" wrote in message
...
like that working with polymer clay under normal use conditions is just as
dangerous as
wearing polyester tennis shoes or sitting for many hours on a couch covered in
fabrics that are also made out of plastics!

Then why (finally!) does it say on the package that you should not inhale the
fumes while the polymer bakes? If it were not bad for you, it wouldn't give a
warning like this. Tennis shoes carry no such warning, so I am not sure that
the clay is as safe as the shoes.

I also wonder why it has taken the company so long to put any warning on the
label...years ago there were none. The only way people knew to use a dedicated
oven was through word of mouth - this should have been on the clay package.



  #9  
Old October 20th 04, 02:53 PM
LJCefali
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Cripes. I'm just gonna have to use that...oh...man...what's it called?
COMMON SENSE

This was a serious inquiry... common sense does not tell you to hold your
breath when things are baking.
The package tells you NOT to breath the fumes.
Recently I was at an art conference and they had several ovens going - nothing
was burning and you could still smell the polymer - just with the baking
process.

I have yet had common sense tell me to not breath, yet the packaging tells me
not to. It does say it is toxic if it burns, but also said that you shouldn't
breath it when it bakes.

Sorry if my question offended you, but I do care about health and safety in my
art work.
The more people that understand product safety the better - I was only trying
to be an "informed consumer."
If understanding the warning label were common sense, it would have made more
sense.

  #10  
Old October 20th 04, 02:57 PM
LJCefali
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it's only when you BURN it that it causes problems. Otherwise, don't worry
about it. If you can smell it, you've cooked it too long.

That is what I have understood in the past. But the package says not to breath
the fumes while it is baking (and adds that it is toxic if it burns). But it
does say not to breath the fumes at all.
Easy to do when it is summer andyou can bake the stuff outside.
But my concern came up because of a recent conference where there were lots of
ovens going. Nothing was burning, but there was a definite plastic smell in the
hallways. How safe is that to breath?

The only safety issues I have ever heard about polymer has been "word of
mouth". Is there a place that you can find out more from the company?

Sometime common sense, as someone else suggested, isn't the best way to go when
you are dealing with future health issues - ask some early coal workers, who
didn't know until it was too late.

 




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