To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
From: Christopher Hudert <heyhoot-AT-mindspring.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:29:27 -0400
Subject: [Puptcrit] ping pong balls - eyes


Just curious...

I've used ping pong balls as the base for eyes many times. I just 
pulled out a box that I store the supply of balls in and found that 
about two dozen were in various advanced stages of deterioration. Yep, 
you read that right. Most had turned brown and partially or completely 
crumbled. Now this is not a bad thing if you are using them for 
ping-pong and they get damaged. It's nice that they biodegrade. 
However, if you're using them on a puppet and hope to have them last 
for a long time, it's not such a good thing. They were Halex brand, 
still in the plastic they were purchased in (several years ago). I 
thought at first that perhaps it was the plastic of the packaging that 
caused the deterioration, but they were stored with others of a 
different brand that were in the same box and none of the others - 
including those in contact with the plastic of the Halex packaging, 
were even discolored.

Any one else with this experience, or should we just use this as a 
warning to stay away from Halex brand ping pong balls for puppet eyes?

BTW, all of these balls are stored in the same cardboard box, so all 
are equally out of the light and other exposure. Only the Halex brand 
has deteriorated. I thought it possible, but not likely, that these 
balls started out as yellow and maybe that had something to do with it, 
but in closer examination some of the balls are still mostly white but 
equally deteriorated and breaking down.

Christopher 
  

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