From: =?Windows-1252?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:07:47 -0400
Subject: [Puptcrit] Unusual supplies and Methods


Hi all.
I am suddenly wondering what sort of unusual supplies or methods people use to solve artistic or technical problems.
I'm interested in anything you migth want to share, you never know when it might come in handy.
We don't always think in the same way, and your obvious solutions might not be so obvious to us. So let's share the wealth!


For instance:

-White Vinegar is a great cleaner, deodorizer, etcetera. Check the Internet to find hundreds of uses.

-White Vinegar is also a great substitute for water when conditioning waterbased clays. A ceramist told me the clay won't crack as it dries on the surface, contrary to what happens when using water. 

-Instead of buying aluminum wire sold for making armatures, get the same thing for much less by dealing directly with electrical supply places. I,m told they sell it as a  "ground wire". I get mine for free in a container behind a cable provider. The kind I get there requires a little work, I have to separate that finer wire from the main cable (too soft, mostly plastic with some copper inside).


-I just have to share this one, although it's not directly artistic (saves my sanity, so it does help):
Listerine Cool mint (a mouthwash with alcohol and menthol) is a great reliever of itchiness when applied and rubbed on a mosquito bite. The bite starts receding within minutes (compared to days if left alone), and the itch is almost gone within 5 minutes. Nothing else i tried (even the commercial relievers) comes even close. I found out about it one night when I had nothing left in the medecine cabinet that could possibly relieve a huge bite that was driving me nuts.  I figured, if this mouthwash is strong enough to dull my mouth sensation for minutes, it might do the same for a skin lesion...

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