Modeling clay

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Plasticine modeling clay

As plasticine (colloquially: clay , plasticine ), modeling clay or plasticine is an easily deformable ton - or waxy called mass for easy modeling and games is used.

The modeling clay used for playing is harmless to the skin , but not suitable for consumption. Usually, modeling clay is reusable. A special feature is the modeling clay made of wax, which becomes more malleable with increasing heating and which gives off a pleasant smell. Masses are also offered that can be hardened by drying or firing in the oven.

Components

In the past, either clay or salt dough were used, but they dried out within hours or days and had to be laboriously processed for reuse. Salt dough is usually made from water, oil, salt, and flour (or some other starch ). Salt dough and special light clay can be colored with pigments .

To delay hardening, some manufacturers use potato starch , kaolin and various waxes . Chalk is often added as a filler.

As a rule, kneading waxes do not harden, but are difficult to shape at room temperature without further additives. They are therefore often removed and used to create artistic (cast) models and in the design sector.

species

Power modeling clay

Products from various manufacturers that are suitable for repairs to walls (cracks, crevices) and as filling material are also available under the name Power-Putty . These kneading masses are kneaded from two components (mostly epoxy resins) (avoid skin contact). The resulting mass adheres well and is easy to work with after hardening. This type of modeling clay is not suitable for children because of the toxic substances it contains.

plasticine

A figure modeled from plasticine

Plasticine is a putty-like mass for modeling . Nowadays it is preferably used in stop-motion animations, such as in Chicken Run - Hen Run or Wallace and Gromit . Also Pingu , the Plonsters or celebrity death matches have been animated with this material. Cartoons with plasticine characters are also called claymation films . In the seventies, grotesque politician portraits made of plasticine (for example Helmut Schmidt as a captain with sail-ears) were often shown on the covers of the magazine Pardon . Examples of the use of plasticine in computer games are Dark Oberon , The Neverhood , Platypus or Bert the Barbarian , whose graphics and textures are based on photographs of models made of modeling clay.

The plasticine was invented in 1880 by the Munich pharmacist Franz Kolb , at that time still under the name "Kunst-Modellierthon". In the English-speaking world, the material is known under the name "Plasticine" . Due to the inconsistent patent rights, the Englishman William Harbutt , who invented it in 1897, is considered the inventor .

Plasticine is also used in model making . Here one often works with the harder clay (industrial plasticine) .

Thermally curable putty

  • Clay that requires very high firing temperatures and hardens to form ceramic
  • Salt dough that can become very hard even without heating
  • Plastisol made from PVC particles and plasticizers , which u. a. is marketed as Fimo

More types

In the United States , in addition to traditional play dough , which is sold under the brand name Play-Doh , but is mostly made in-house in American kindergartens , a number of other play materials, some of which have similar properties:

  • Silly Putty or Bouncing Putty (German: " Hüpfender Kitt ", "Hüpfknete") or "Intelligente Knete" or "Thinking Putty" (German: "Thinking Putty") is an industrially produced silicone plastic. Due to its dilatant properties, it has a high viscosity under high loads and a low one under low loads. This causes the material to bounce when thrown on the ground and may break brittle if hit hard . On the other hand, with slow stress it dissolves and behaves more like a liquid. In contrast to other dilatant materials, Silly Putty has a Deborah number on the order of 1.
  • Model Magic Fusion , a product from the crayon manufacturer Crayola , is an extremely light, air-drying and hardening kneading material that is used for handicrafts.
  • Foam Putty , which is widely used in the US and a. Marketed under the brand name Floam , consists of tiny pearls stuck together.
  • Putty is a kneading mass made from a baking mix that is suitable for consumption.
  • Adhesive and cleaning pastes . These are putty-like substances and preparations, mostly made of silicone plastic, with a specially adjusted adhesion for cleaning work, e.g. B. be used in clocks and other very small and sensitive mechanisms. Pastes of this kind can, in addition to tiny mechanical parts (during assembly / disassembly / repair), also contain very small dirt particles such as B. pick up dust particles. These pastes can replace tweezers . Even fingerprints and oil stains can be removed. Other adhesive pastes are used in photography to position small parts for the construction of a "set" and to fix them securely in place without causing damage to the object. They can often be colored to match the picture. The manufacturers of these pastes usually do not emerge, the pastes are offered through photo accessories distributors.

Educational and therapeutic value of kneading

The use of plasticine in the game is of particular educational value. Shaping stimulates creativity . It is important for children from the age of two to train sensory skills by touching, reshaping and dividing. Kneading also promotes motor skills . Older children tend to promote perception, imagination and creativity. The color space of the clay is tailored to children: There are strong colors represented.

Plasticine is successfully used in therapy for children who suffer from speech disorders or motor disorders. In addition, modeling clay is also used for adult therapy, e.g. B. after hand or wrist operations or rheumatic complaints.

Applications

Vegetable patch made from plasticine elements by James May for the Chelsea Flower Show

Individual evidence

  1. oekotest.de ( Memento of the original from October 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oekotest.de
  2. Silly Putty: Model Magic Fusion ( Memento of the original from June 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; Floam @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.crayola.com
  3. ^ Anne Gatti: RHS Chelsea Flower Show Then ... and Now. The English Garden, Spring 2013, 20

Web links

Commons : Plasticine  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files
Wiktionary: modeling clay  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations