gina mars on fri 11 apr 08

Hi All,=20
while at NCECA, I stopped by the Chinese Tool booth located on the end =
of an isle. I purchased a few textured basket weave design matts.My =
students love using these and I was happy to see a larger version =
available.When I got home I realized that they really stunk! The smell =
is actually nauseating.I threw them outside in my garden for now.
Does anyone have any idea how to get the rubber tire/mothball/ dump =
smell out? Are they toxic?A few students said they felt lightheaded =
after working with them.
Gina Mars
www.marspottery.net

pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on fri 11 apr 08

Hi Gina,



What ( as far as you could say, ) are they made out of..?



Phil
l v


----- Original Message -----
From: "gina mars"


Hi All,
while at NCECA, I stopped by the Chinese Tool booth located on the end of
an isle. I purchased a few textured basket weave design matts.My students
love using these and I was happy to see a larger version available.When I
got home I realized that they really stunk! The smell is actually
nauseating.I threw them outside in my garden for now.
Does anyone have any idea how to get the rubber tire/mothball/ dump smell
out? Are they toxic?A few students said they felt lightheaded after working
with them.
Gina Mars
www.marspottery.net

Tony Ferguson on fri 11 apr 08

The best thing to do is what you are doing, air them out. I had the same issue with lights which I am sure came from China.

Tony


gina mars wrote: Hi All,
while at NCECA, I stopped by the Chinese Tool booth located on the end of an isle. I purchased a few textured basket weave design matts.My students love using these and I was happy to see a larger version available.When I got home I realized that they really stunk! The smell is actually nauseating.I threw them outside in my garden for now.
Does anyone have any idea how to get the rubber tire/mothball/ dump smell out? Are they toxic?A few students said they felt lightheaded after working with them.
Gina Mars
www.marspottery.net

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jonathan byler on fri 11 apr 08

It depends on what they are made of. I had a pvc hose that came with
my air compressor and I had to throw it away, because after a year it
would not stop off-gassing. They put plasticizers in plastic to make
the flexible. depending on the type of plastic, this stuff can be
pretty toxic from what I understand. Because there is no quality
control and appears to be no regulations of the chinese goods that
are imported here, I go out of my way not to buy them. See tooth
paste and dog food for other examples. they also dump all the
plastic toys that they can't sell in europe on us. I imagine the
plastic stuff used in your ceramics tools would not be salable in
europe either...

jon


jon byler
3-D Building Coordinator
Art Department
Auburn University, AL 36849

On Apr 11, 2008, at 8:04 AM, gina mars wrote:

> Hi All,
> while at NCECA, I stopped by the Chinese Tool booth located on
> the end of an isle. I purchased a few textured basket weave design
> matts.My students love using these and I was happy to see a larger
> version available.When I got home I realized that they really
> stunk! The smell is actually nauseating.I threw them outside in my
> garden for now.
> Does anyone have any idea how to get the rubber tire/mothball/ dump
> smell out? Are they toxic?A few students said they felt lightheaded
> after working with them.
> Gina Mars
> www.marspottery.net
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
> subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here: http://
> www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com

Lee on fri 11 apr 08

In Japan where mildew and moister is a constant problem,
folks use the sunlight as a deoderizer.

Can these mats be made wet? As an ex-house cleaner and
janitor, I have use Nature's Miricle to get rid of smells.

--
Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/

"If you fear making anyone mad, then you ultimately probe for
the lowest common denominator of human achievement." -- Jimmy Carter

Dannon Rhudy on fri 11 apr 08

Well, remember that ALL smells are particulate.
You are actually inhaling something, when you
smell it. God knows what might be in the materials.
Might get better, might not. Meanwhile - it's not
worth misery. Use something else.

regards

Dannon Rhudy

Gina Mars on tue 15 apr 08

On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:07:59 -0700, pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:

>Hi Gina,
>
>
>
>What ( as far as you could say, ) are they made out of..?
>
>
>
>Phil
>l v
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "gina mars"
>
>
>Hi All,
> while at NCECA, I stopped by the Chinese Tool booth located on the end
of
>an isle. I purchased a few textured basket weave design matts.My students
>love using these and I was happy to see a larger version available.When I
>got home I realized that they really stunk! The smell is actually
>nauseating.I threw them outside in my garden for now.
>Does anyone have any idea how to get the rubber tire/mothball/ dump smell
>out? Are they toxic?A few students said they felt lightheaded after
working
>with them.
>Gina Mars
>www.marspottery.net
>
>__________________________________________________________________________
____
>Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
>subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here:
http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots2@visi.com

Hi All, The stinky chinese tool I am talking about is actually a rubber
textured matt.I have several made by the chinese clay tool company that
was at NCECA and online. The older ones I have are about 8 inches by 8 and
made out of colored rubber such as green,blue ect. The new 12 by12
textured rubber matt is black and smells like moth ball, rubber tires and
a dump.The smell is overwhelming and sickening. I threw them in my garden
until Dannon suggested they could contaminate my garden.Now they are on
the asphalt until i can get the stink out or the hasmat team comes. I
don't think it is that easy to create my own matt for those who suggested
it.At this point, i feel a little angry that lots of people buy these
things and there is no quality control.With the economy the way it is now,
I find myself looking to see if what I buy is made in America.
Gina Mars
www.marspottery.net

pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on wed 16 apr 08

Hi Gina,



Ahhh...

While I am not a Chemist ( in the American sense of the term, or the
English, ) and have not played one on Tee Vee ( though I could, if asked...)

I believe the Mats you describe are hopeless, as far as them ever becoming
pleasant or odor-free or wholesome or Chemically 'safe' to use or have
around.

Now, were they made of say Bamboo, Rattan or slender "Reeds' or other
Botanical longitudinal
rinds or slender stems or something, probably they could be set into some
Bleach Water for a while, or a stout solution of 'Listerine', or Carbolic
Acid, Chlorine dioxide, or any number of happy dis-infectants or biocides,
and come out nice as can be, and behave
themselves just fine thereafter.



As you know, as far as 'Rubber' or 'Plastic' items are concerned, depending
on how the formula of their composition had respected
known and proved proportions and ingredients for a stable and desirable
result, and or had intended or not
intended 'safe' and
durable stability for the item, and how their makers had respected known and
proved methods of manufacture or process, when they are made 'wrongly', they
can be doomed to be perpetual 'stinkers', to be chemically unstable or in
fact decomposing continually, and or, to become 'sticky', or 'gooey' as they
are progressively
decomposing chemically, or as
may be.

Plastic or Rubber items even when made rightly, can be de-stabilized by
exposure to what for them are any number of inimical Solvents, Oils or
Gasses, and thus become deteriorating also, but these do not tend to become
'stinkers' so...


Possibly the makers of your 'Mats' elected to use up a lot of old 'PCB's or
'Dioxin' or who knows what, in the
formula, since doing so would in fact perfectly suit the 'business ethic'
and pragmatics of
their country's wider practices, and also the sense of humor which governs
both items for their own domestic use, and, possibly, even more so, much
more so even, items for 'export'.

So, yes, far as I understand these things from simple observation and naive
experience, any 'rubber' or 'plastic' item, behaving as your Mats are,
should be disposed of...and should be regarded as seriously 'toxic' or
'dangerous' to one's Health, and all and every form of contact with it
should be avoided.




Ideally, or, in an ideal World, one could burn such imported items in a
simple, open-top 55 Gallon Drum, directly beneath the gathered round for the
occasion snouts of our country's 'leadership' and 'advisors' present and
passed, in a closed room even, with doors 'closed' for the best results (
you know, a 'closed door meeting' ) , and
allow them the real pleasure and first hand experience, of what 'life' as
they have insisted to make it, can be all about.


Oh well...



Too, you could mail them back TO the Company you bought them from.

This may be done nicely by using their address as recipient, and, for the
return address also...which then requires no postage from you.

Merely put into any Mail Box...but, do seal the contents well of course, so
the odor does not alarm Postal Workers, or, even, do not bother sealing it
well, so the odor will in fact be noticed...either way...just make their
Address large and clear...


Best wishes..!


Love,


Phil
l v



----- Original Message -----
From: "Gina Mars"

> On Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:07:59 -0700, pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:
>
>>Hi Gina,
>>
>>
>>
>>What ( as far as you could say, ) are they made out of..?
>>
>>
>>
>>Phil
>>l v
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "gina mars"
>>
>>
>>Hi All,
>> while at NCECA, I stopped by the Chinese Tool booth located on the end
> of
>>an isle. I purchased a few textured basket weave design matts.My students
>>love using these and I was happy to see a larger version available.When I
>>got home I realized that they really stunk! The smell is actually
>>nauseating.I threw them outside in my garden for now.
>>Does anyone have any idea how to get the rubber tire/mothball/ dump smell
>>out? Are they toxic?A few students said they felt lightheaded after
> working
>>with them.
>>Gina Mars
>>www.marspottery.net

Guangzhen Zhou on mon 21 apr 08

Dear Gina Mars,

My name is Po Zhou and I am the person responsible for the product. We
have two kinds of textural mats, one is made out of plastic and another
made out of rubber.

The textural mat with smell of ~{!0~}stunk~{!1~} is rubber mats with items of PA 02
in black color. The factory used rubber materials similar as the auto
tires. So, when you got close the new products you may get the strong
smell of the rubber.

What you may do is: place the products out door (under the sun will be
better) for a few days, the smell will be gone.

Please let me know if you have further questions, or we may refund the
money to you.

I am sorry I was out of town and didn~{!/~}t able to access internet for a
while.


Best wishes!

Guangzhen "Po" Zhou
Chinese Clay Art Corp. / ClayGround
Clay Art Supplies and Studio
1155 S. De Anza Blvd. San Jose, CA 95129

Mailling address:
PO Box 1733, Cupertino, CA 95015

Tel. 408-343-3919, Fax. 408-343-0117
www.ChineseClayArt.com, ChineseClayArt@hotmail.com
Art Tools are Part of Art Works.

Guangzhen Zhou on mon 28 apr 08

Follow up about the =A1=B0Stink=A1=B1 of the rubber Textural Mats

Since I got the complaint about the smell of the rubber textural mats, I
decided to took the products out from the plastic bags and leave them in
the open area for few weeks before mail them out. If anyone placed an
order of the products, you will receive them with no plastic packing bags
and have no strong rubber smells.

The Textural Mats which transfer the relief patterns on the clay surfaces
are the number one sold products within all of our clay art supplies. I
have invented the textural mats in 2001 and I have granted the patent in
China. The first bunches of the textural mats were made out of plastic at
8=A1=B1 x 12=A1=B1 (series of PA 01 in 6 designs). Later on, we have cut the=
m in
half size (series of PA 01C) and it sold very well too.

In 2003, due some requests, we made the textural mats of larger size 12=A1=B1=
x
16=A1=B1 (series of PA 02 in 4 designs) out of black rubbers. In 2005 to 200=
7,
I have 4 of new designs in size of 10=A1=B1 x 15=A1=B1 (series of PA 212-PA =
219) out
of plastic. So, up to now, we have 10 designs of textural mats in 5
different sizes in our stocks.

I plan to have a few more designs to launch out in later of this year. For
details, please visit www.ChineseClayArt.com