I've been hearing a few people talk recently about the Polytek rubber I use and the fact it contains Aryl mercury compound. Yes "Part B" contains (< 1%) Aryl mercury compound, it is used to speed up the process of curing. That way I can unmold a figure in 1hr instead of 16hrs. I have talked to Polytek a handful of times over the years for different reasons, and when I bring up the hazardness of holding a cured item in any of the Poly Pt Flex series' they always say the same thing: It's at its most harmful state when it's in its liquid state, but once it's cured the possibility of absorb any Mercury is almost nil. How many people walk around for days on end with a figure in their hands anyway~? If you suck on a figure for a good amount of time or maybe eat a figure, then maybe yes you will leech some of it into your system. But get this: it would still be less than if you ate shrimp, tuna, salmon, or catfish, etc... These all contain Mercury in them. Heck, people love Shark, Swordfish, and Mackerel, and those fish have high amounts of mercury in them.
I understand if you have a young child and don't want them near the figure as they may put them in their mouth, or if you have a mentally challenged uncle who might shove it up his ass. Either keep it out of their reach and on a shelf like most collectors do. My figures are intended as an adult collectible, I'm not intending these for children to play with.
I've been asked a few times, what if the figure didn't cure properly and there might be more of a risk to absorb the tiny amount you say~? Ive been using this rubber for a few years now, I've casted hundreds of figures in all ways, shapes, and sizes. I know how to mix and cast with it, and I know exactly what it feels like if the mix was off.
The MSDS write up with this information is written to follow many laws and cautions for mailing items and disposing of items, and in the end to cover their ass just in case ANYTHING happens. There maybe a small chance of leeching a tiny amount of Mercury, but its so small it doesn't matter.
Remember its made for movie props, prototyping and model making, that usually involves plenty of handling. The handling from the common collector will not result in any harmful effects from the mercury in the figure.
Eric, I finally got my first figures from UofV. They were delivered to my neighbor by mistake who waited 4 days to let us know.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, your work is awesome. The feel of the rubber is great and the detail it picks up is really defined.
Glad to hear you were concerned enough to look into the safety of the Polytek rubber. But there is an unwarranted hysteria about mercury poising in recent years.
As you said, this is a model rubber designed to be handled. No chance it is harmful at such a low concentration. Can't wait for the Hell Turtle it looks amazing!