Australia's Science Forum

Hello Labbies,
Does anybody have any experience or knowledge about whether it is possible to rehabilitate plasticine? We have a stack of plasticine that is about 100 years old and as hard as rock. The teachers occasionally microwave it to soften it, but that seems to make it even harder for the next person. Have any of you clever labbies ever managed to soften old plasticine so that it stays soft? Would adding some sort of oil work? What sort of oil would be best?

Thanks in advance

Ian

I would just bin in...and make some more, i am sure with all the stuff we have in our prep rooms, you would have the ingredients. Flour, salt, cream or tartar all in an old saucepan over a hot plate?

I don't like throwing resource out - (i just scraped all the left over flour / sugar / bicarb) back into their jars...but you have to draw the line somewhere?

Or try gently heating it over a hot plate with some vegetable oil and keep mixing...

Frankly I would bin it Ian. It tends to smell if it is old and adding oil would make it worse I think. You can buy modelling clay (placticene) in bright colours and quite cheaply in biggish packs.

Yes, I would buy it in bulk. We get ours from Q Stores. I store separate colours in little plastic take away containers and this seems to keep it soft enough. Sometimes it just needs some manual kneeding to soften it.

Try this in the microwave!
2 cups x plain flour
1/2cup x salt
2 tsp x cream of tartar
1 Tbsp x oil
2 cups x water
Combine all dry in a microwave safe bowl, I use the large ice cream containers.
then add water & colouring, mix as best you can
microwave for 3min, remove mix then another 3mins. allow to cool then knead well, wrap in plastic to store.
Really easy

There is a difference between playdough and plasticine (says the mohter of 3 under 8 lol). Playdoug you can just add a small amout of warm water, pop a lid on a container and check it every day or so. Plasticine aka modeling clay I have no idea. However, it doesnt get as dry as playdough as I suspect it is more oil based.

Either way, in this day and age you can get both very cheaply and in bulk. I say bin it!

I gave up on using plasticine as it would be hit and miss as to weather it was a rock or not. Now I use playdough that I make myself-same recipe as above but I use a bit under 2 cups of boiling water so I don't need to cook the dough. For storing I put the colours in ziploc bags and the bags in an icecream container. It stores well as long as you check that the students/teachers have closed the bags when they have finished. I just make sure I always have the makings in the Prep Room for those last minute requests. Like the one I got 10 minutes ago and am about to go make.

I find adding a few drops of oil of cloves helps it last longer, i.e it's not the smell that makes you throw it away.

I use modelling clay (it has never gone hard) and put it in an ice cream container with the lid on.
It comes in lots of colours I got mine from Q Stores so maybe smartbuy is the same thing

If you really want to go to the trouble! the oil in plasticine is paraffin

Ocker, you know you want to.... and with all that time on your hands.....

I just buy modelling clay (plasticine) from the stationery supplier. I bought new stuff early last year after the old batch had gone rock hard and was smelling pretty bad. it's still good so I'm guessing I should get a couple of years out of it. A trick for cold weather - put it into the incubator for a couple of hours, just set on about 25 deg.

merilyn wrote:A trick for cold weather - put it into the incubator for a couple of hours, just set on about 25 deg.

Great idea!! Will have to try that next time

You'll get yours! Ocean Breeze

Sorry guys, I resisted for as long as I could....we never suffer from plasticine becoming unworkable because of the cold. It has occasionally oozed off a windowsill like a Salvador Dali painting, but there you go.

I'll get mine? Plasctacine?
yes please.
beats preparing pracs

smiley wrote:Sorry guys, I resisted for as long as I could....we never suffer from plasticine becoming unworkable because of the cold. It has occasionally oozed off a windowsill like a Salvador Dali painting, but there you go.

Yes! Now to that I can relate.

There's the solution, we all move to Cains and stay with Smiley!

YAY!!

You can all have 20 minute showers, roll around in green grass, eat food that really does come directly from the farmers, and go to the tourist strip and buy a genuine Bob Katter hat. As long as you're just a little bit crazy, aren't addicted to wearing black man-made fabrics, and never EVER say "down South we do it like this...", you'll fit in just fine.

Sounds good to me! Maybe those of us who are planning to work with Amanda (discussed some time back) in Melbourne can commute from Cairns and take our plasticine with us on the days required. Saves me having to get my pilot licence to pick you up on the way!