Moldy PMC3 Clay

Has anybody else opened up a package of PMC3 clay and found it had
mold on it? I got one and cut off the moldy part and put it in
distilled water under cover of glass and in no time at all the whole
mass y looked like I was raising penicillin. I haven’t tried (yet)
to see if it cooks off when sintering. I wonder if it will leave a
pattern. In my desgns I don’t know that this would be a good thing.

Justine

Has anybody else opened up a package of PMC3 clay and found it had
mold on it? 

I can’t say I’ve had this experience with PMC, but it is common with
ceramic clay-- mold and algae can grow on the organic material in it.
It doesn’t hurt anything at all, has no effect on the end product–
and I’d bet the same is true for PMC.

Noel

happened with a polyethelene jar of slip. with a plastic lid, lined
with what i discovered later to be a plasticised paper insert. with
nitrile gloves and a wooden stir stick i removed the mold from the
slip ( it was just on the surface of the side of the container) and
tossed it. then took a clean spoon and transferred the thick slip to
a polystyrene jar with a polystyrene lid (1.00 at a retailer). mixed
in 1 drop of rosemary essential oil and one drop of vegetal glycerine
and no more problems…its been a year now…the polyethelene (
flexible plastic - like shampoo bottles for instance) breathees to
some degree, polystyrene - harder and glossier like disposable eating
utinsels that break off easily and cleanly doesn’t…but if your
package was unopened and sealed, call the seller and get a
replacement, a box cutter could have made an invisible nick beyond
your control…or some other mildly annoying thing could have
happened…the mold will burn off though. wear a respirator - or as i
think it was Rick that said yesterday- don’t call for the
waaambulance if you forget to take proper precautions as far as
breathing in who knows what the mold is…it follows: Don’t sinter it
off near birds, or pets, Fish on the other hand in an aquarium will
probably be unaffected due to their covered with H2O environs…

R.E.R.

Although I haven’t had this particular event happen to me, I have had
mold on reconstituted clay in the past. If it really bothers you, cut
it away like you did. Otherwise, just work it in and make your item.
It burns off in the kiln and has no effect on your finished product.

Sandi Graves, Beadin’ Up A Storm
Stormcloud Trading Co (Beadstorm)
http://www.beadstorm.com
Saint Paul, Minnesota USA
651-645-0343

I think the polymer is PDLLA so the mould will be similar to the one
you get on cheese and generally harmless. It will burn off but the
volume will have changes and I suspect the shrinkage will be uneven
so it may leave some porosity in your patterns.

Nick

Hello,

I’ve not had ‘furry’ PMC, in any of its forms, but occasionally
there are dark streaks on it, that I believe indicate the beginnings
of a mold. The simplest thing, in that case, is to expose it to air
for a little while (really just a little while, not enough to dry out
the clay) and the mold goes away. You can also wear vinyl or latex
(if you can) gloves to work with the clay. I have never had a
dermatological consequence from using the clay that exhibited those
streaks. I am not, however, a doctor, and so I can only speak for
what has worked for me.

That being said, if I received a package of PMC that was excessively
moldy (or if I were concerned with even the dark streaks), I would
certainly return it to the supplier asap and ask for a replacement
or credit or refund. Some molds are not healthy to mess around with
and it sounds like your PMC3 had a ‘tenant’ that you needed to evict!

Linda Kaye-Moses