1 LBS Polymorph Moldable Plastic Beads Melting Pellets Pack_

This is a bag of 1+ lbs (they appear to give you 10% extra to account for loss to sticking to utensils/pots, etc) bag of small beads of white plastic. If you pour them into near boiling water they turn transparent and get sticky. They stick to themselves the most, but they also left plastic residue on the bottom of my pot and on the metal spoon I used to mix and pull them out of the very hot water.The instructions say to smush them together to force out water, and then dry them on a towel. NOTE: A paper towel won't work well, as it gets stuck and you get paper in your plastic, or plastic on the paper towel. I'd recommend a piece of woven cloth without any "threads" or "fuzz" sticking out, so more of a cloth than a towel. Even then, don't let it touch anything you are not willing to dedicate to crafting, as you may not be able to get all the plastic off.The directions say to NOT use plastic pots or utensils as the hot plastic sticks to plastic very well. [It stuck to metal OK.]Once I had the clear plastic free of the water and slightly cooled down, I could mold and shape it by hand, much like modeling clay. I was surprized by the amount of working time I had. Even after being out of the water for 5 minutes I could still shape/mold it, and it took a good 10-20 minutes before I was confident it would hold it's own shape under gravity.When fully cooled/cured, it is strong, but still slightly flexible. If you put enough force into it you can bend/deform it, but not easily. I used it to make a "thumbscrew" for a 5/16th nut, and it took a LOT of torque before I could get the nut to "slip" inside the hex shaped hole of the thumbscrew handle. More flexible than ABS, but much less flexible than silicone or cooled hot glue.One nice feature is that as long as you haven't gotten the plastic "stuck" to something, or contaminated with oil/dirt/paint, etc....you can throw it back into hot water and re-use any mistakes or parts you no longer need.It definitely needs parental supervision for the heating step (when it first comes out of the water there is a danger of it sticking to skin and burning) but once the plastic has cooled down for a minute, it would be safe to hand off to a kid and let them mold it by hand.It has less working time than air-dry clay, but sets up much faster, and makes a less brittle final product. Overall I'm impressed with this material. Your only real limitations are your artistic / clay forming abilities. The better you are at sculpting, the nicer your results will look. [My thumbscrew, while perfectly functional, looked like it was made by a 5 year old with play doh.]

These polymorph beads are so much fun! This was my first attempt at using them and this is what I learned: The white beads turn clear when melted and then turn back to white when cooled. I melted the beads in a cup of water in a glass measuring cup to ensure I didn’t mess up my good cookware. As a work surface I used a thin plastic cutting board. I found it’s best to use a long toothpick or popsicle stick to remove the melted beads from the water so you don’t burn yourself and because if it sticks a little to it you can just get a fresh one. The plastic cools fast so it’s good to keep the boiled water nearby for return dipping to keep it from solidifying. I liken the polymorph to working with polymer clay, it responds similarly except the fast solidification. I tried mixing a gold polyester glitter with the melted mixture and it mixed in very well and stayed sparkling. I incorporated enough that you really didn’t notice the white coloring of the polymorph anymore. I created some very simple earrings so far, but like the fact that you can always melt again having zero waste, if you are not happy with how your creation comes out. The product can be used in so many cool ways. Definitely worth the price, would recommend!

I’ve used several brands of this type of material before. It’s fairly easy to use you just heat water to nearly boiling dunk the plastic in and pull it out when it becomes soft and pliable. It might be fun for children, but they definitely need to be supervised with it because of the heat required. When it’s completely cooled it it’s very hard which makes it good for fixing things or prototyping, which is what I use it for. Obviously, it would also be handy for crafting. You do have to be careful when it’s not all the way cooled and you’re molding it because it gets very sticky. If you remember to keep your hands or whatever you’re using to mold it wet then it won’t stick and you should be able to fashion it into whatever you need.

I really like the concept of these moldable beads, but the “cons” are that it is VERY hot and sticky (even wearing disposable gloves), and it left some kind of weird film in my pan that I can’t get out. Grrrr. I used these for making a mold out of a metal stamp. It did work very well for that.

I've walked by these in the store and have seen them online for years. Well, I finally gave in to try it out! The directions are very simple. Add beads to a non-plastic container that will not shatter with heat. I used a small Pyrex bowl. Boil water, add it to the beads in the bowl, wait until they turn clear!I waited and then used a spoon to try to remove the clump. It wasn't as easy as I was anticipating. The plastic was very hot (because it was in boiling water, lol). This is why I don't think this would be good for younger children or those with sensitive hands. There was quite a bit of molding time out of the water. I haven't made anything of note, so I just put it back in the bag. I would imagine cold water would set the plastic up faster. Google is going to help me out with ideas and inspiration.Some of the plastic did stick to my metal spoon and in the bowl. I managed to pick most of it off, but there was a tiny bit that was difficult to remove. This was the only qualm I had beside the temperature of the material. As for the plastic, when it hardens, it is solid. However, I could see pieces shattering if dropped or hit with a hammer. This could leave sharp edges and pieces.I do like the fact this can be remoulded. If you are using it for something functional, make sure to do a stress test first. Preteens should proceed with caution and assistance. Teens and adults should just know (again) that the material can be extremely hot. The plastic is almost too fluid to mould right away (unless pouring it in a mould, which is neat), so you could try adding cold water a little bit at a time. I'm still learning as I go, too. I'm not sure what could be done about releasing the plastic from a mould. I may give it a try if I can find a small mould.