Editing Silly Putty

{{Short description|Toy putty (slime)}}
{{redirect|Silly Puddy|the song by Zion I|Mind over Matter (Zion I album)}}
{{redirect|Nutty putty|the cave in Utah|Nutty Putty Cave}}
[[File:Big dsc05433.jpg|thumb|right|Silver-colored Silly Putty]]

'''Silly Putty''' is a [[toy]] containing [[silicone]] [[polymer]]s that have unusual physical properties. It can flow like a liquid, bounce and can be stretched or broken depending on the amount of physical stress to which it is subjected. It contains [[viscoelasticity|viscoelastic]] liquid silicones, a type of [[non-Newtonian fluid]], which makes it act as a viscous liquid over a long period of time but as an elastic solid over a short time period. It was originally created during research into a potential [[natural rubber|rubber]] substitute for use by the United States in [[World War II]].<ref name="Roberts">{{cite journal|last1=Roberts|first1=Jacob|title=A Successful Failure|journal=Distillations Magazine|date=2015|volume=1|issue=2|pages=8–9|url=https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/a-successful-failure|access-date=21 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="OH">{{cite web|author=Center for Oral History| title= Earl L. Warrick |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/oral-histories/warrick-earl-l|website= [[Science History Institute]] }}</ref><ref name="transcript">{{cite book|first=  James J. |last=Bohning |title=Earl L. Warrick, Transcript of an Interview Conducted by James J. Bohning in Midland, Michigan  |date=16 January 1986 |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/sites/default/files/warrick_el_0045_suppl.pdf|place=Philadelphia, PA|publisher=[[Science History Institute|Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry]] }}</ref>

The name ''Silly Putty'' is a [[trademark]] of [[Crayola]] LLC.<ref name=Trademark>{{cite web|title=Silly Putty – Trademark Details|url=https://trademarks.justia.com/715/94/silly-putty-71594970.html|website=Justia Trademarks|access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> Other names are used to market similar substances from other manufacturers.

==Description==
[[File:Sillyputty.ogv|thumb|right|250px|Video showing Silly Putty bouncing]]

As a bouncing [[putty]], Silly Putty is noted for its unusual characteristics. It bounces when dropped from a height, but breaks when struck or stretched sharply; it can also float in a liquid and will form a [[puddle]] given enough time. Silly Putty and most other retail putty products have [[viscoelasticity|viscoelastic]] agents added to reduce the flow and enable the putty to hold its shape.<ref name=Thayer>{{cite journal|last1=Thayer|first1=Ann|title=What's That Stuff? Silly Putty|journal=Chemical & Engineering News|date=November 27, 2000|volume=78|issue=48|url=http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7848scit3.html|access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref>

The original coral-colored Silly Putty is composed of 65% [[Siloxane|dimethylsiloxane]] ([[hydroxyl|hydroxy]]-terminated polymers with [[boric acid]]), 17% [[silicon dioxide|silica]] (crystalline quartz), 9% Thixatrol ST ([[castor oil]] derivative), 4% [[polydimethylsiloxane]], 1% decamethyl [[cyclopentasiloxane]], 1% [[glycerol|glycerine]], and 1% [[titanium dioxide]].<ref name=Bouncing>{{cite web|title=The Synthesis of Bouncing Putty|url=http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/ch462/BouncingPutty.htm|publisher=[[Western Oregon University]]|access-date=27 February 2015|quote=See patent pages}}</ref>

[[File:Silly putty dripping.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Silly Putty flowing through a hole]]

Silly Putty's unusual flow characteristics are due to the ingredient [[polydimethylsiloxane]] (PDMS), a [[viscoelasticity|viscoelastic]] substance. Viscoelasticity is a type of [[Non-Newtonian fluid|non-Newtonian flow]], characterizing a material that acts as a [[viscosity|viscous]] [[liquid]] over a long time period but as an [[elasticity (physics)|elastic]] [[solid]] over a short time period.<ref name=Clegg>{{cite journal|last1=Clegg|first1=Brian|title=Polydimethylsiloxane|journal=Chemistry World|date=22 July 2015 |url=http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/07/polydimethylsiloxane-pdms-silly-putty-podcast|access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> Because its apparent viscosity increases directly with respect to the amount of force applied, Silly Putty can be characterized as a [[dilatant]] fluid.<ref name=Thayer/>

Silly [[Putty]] is also a fairly good [[adhesive]]. When [[newspaper]] ink was petroleum based, Silly Putty could be used to transfer newspaper images to other surfaces, providing amusement by distorting the transferred image afterwards. Newer papers with soy-based inks are more resistant to this process.<ref name=Holmes>{{cite news|last1=Holmes|first1=Owen|title=Silly Putty Doesn't Work Anymore|url=http://www.altweeklies.com/aan/silly-putty-doesnt-work-anymore/Story?oid=168408|access-date=30 September 2015|work=Folio Weekly|date=August 1, 2006}}</ref>

Generally, Silly Putty is difficult to remove from textured items such as dirt and clothing. Hand sanitizers containing alcohol are often helpful. Silly Putty will dissolve when in contact with an alcohol; after the alcohol evaporates, the material will not exhibit its original properties.<ref name=HowStuffWorks>{{cite web|title=How to Get Silly Putty Out Of Clothes|url=http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-get-silly-putty-out-of-clothes.htm|access-date=30 September 2015|website=HowStuffWorks.com|date=2011-06-28}}</ref>

If Silly Putty is submerged in warm or hot water, it will become softer and thus "melt" much faster. It also becomes harder to remove small amounts of it from surfaces. After a long period of time, it will return to its original viscosity.<ref name=Bouncing/>

Silly Putty is sold as a {{Convert|13|g|oz|adj=on|abbr=on}} piece of clay inside an egg-shaped plastic container. The Silly Putty brand is owned by Crayola LLC (formerly the Binney & Smith company). {{As of|July 2009}}, twenty thousand eggs of Silly Putty are sold daily. Since 1950, more than 300 million eggs of Silly Putty (approximately {{Convert|4500|ST|t|disp=or}}) have been sold.<ref name=history>{{cite web|title=Silly Putty History|url=http://www2.crayola.com/mediacenter/index.cfm?display=press_release&news_id=164|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603053016/http://www.crayola.com/mediacenter/index.cfm?display=press_release&news_id=164|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 3, 2008|publisher=Crayola LLC|access-date=March 28, 2013}}</ref> It is available in various colors, including [[Phosphorescence|glow-in-the-dark]] and metallic. Other brands offer similar materials, sometimes in larger-sized containers, and in a similarly wide variety of colors or with different properties, such as magnetism and [[iridescence]].{{cn|date=October 2024}}

[[File:Sputty.jpg|thumb|right|237px|Silly Putty in the form of a solid cube]][[File:Магнитен Интелигентен пластилин.jpg|thumb|Magnetic thinking putty]]

==History==
During World War II, [[Japan]] invaded rubber-producing countries as it expanded its [[sphere of influence]] in the [[Pacific Rim]]. Rubber was vital for the production of [[raft]]s, [[tire]]s, [[Automobile|vehicle]] and [[aircraft]] parts, [[WWII gas mask|gas mask]]s, and [[boot]]s. In the US, all rubber products were rationed; citizens were encouraged to make their rubber products last until the end of the war and to donate spare tires, boots, and coats. Meanwhile, the government funded research into synthetic rubber compounds to attempt to solve this shortage.<ref name="official history">{{cite web| url=http://www.sillyputty.com/history_101/timeline/timeline.htm|title=Silly Putty Timeline|publisher=Binney & Smith |access-date= 2009-10-21 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090422021613/http://www.sillyputty.com/history_101/timeline/timeline.htm |archive-date=2009-04-22}}</ref>

Credit for the invention of Silly Putty is disputed<ref name=Glater>{{cite news|last1=Glater|first1=Jonathan D.|title=Earl L. Warrick, 91, a Dow Corning Creator of Silly Putty|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/22/business/earl-l-warrick-91-a-dow-corning-creator-of-silly-putty.html|access-date=30 September 2015|work=The New York Times|date=November 22, 2002}}</ref> and has been attributed variously to [[Earl L. Warrick|Earl Warrick]]<ref name="transcript"/> of the then newly formed [[Dow Corning]]; Harvey Chin; and [[James Wright (inventor)|James Wright]], a [[Scottish people|Scottish]]-born inventor working for [[General Electric]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Connecticut]].<ref>''The Big Book of Boy Stuff'', p. 88. {{ISBN|1-58685-333-3}}</ref> Throughout his life, Warrick insisted that he and his colleague, Rob Roy McGregor, received the patent for Silly Putty before Wright did;<ref name= else>{{cite web|last1=Coopee|first1=Todd|title=Nothing Else is Silly Putty!|url=https://toytales.ca/silly-putty-crayola/|website=ToyTales.ca|date=2017-02-27}}</ref> but Crayola's history of Silly Putty states that Wright first invented it in 1943.<ref name="official history" /><ref>{{US patent|2431878}} – ''Treating dimethyl silicon polymer with boric acid''</ref><ref>{{US patent|2541851}} – ''Process for making puttylike elastic plastic, siloxane derivative composition containing zinc hydroxide''</ref> Both researchers independently discovered that reacting [[boric acid]] with [[silicone oil]] would produce a gooey, bouncy material with several unique properties. The non-toxic putty would bounce when dropped, could stretch farther than regular rubber, would not go moldy, and had a very high melting temperature. However, the substance did not have all the properties needed to replace rubber.<ref name=Roberts/>

In 1949, toy store owner Ruth Fallgatter came across the putty. She contacted marketing consultant Peter C. L. Hodgson (1912–1976).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sillyputtyhistory.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-post.html|title=Silly Putty - Early History - This is What I Know: Peter C.L. Hodgson Obituary (New York Times)|first=Carol|last=Haynes|date=January 1, 2011}}</ref> The two decided to market the bouncing putty by selling it in a clear case. Although it sold well, Fallgatter did not pursue it further. However, Hodgson saw its potential.<ref name=Roberts/><ref name= Thayer />

Already US$12,000 in debt, Hodgson borrowed $147 to buy a batch of the putty to pack {{Convert|1|oz|g|adj=on|abbr=on}} portions into plastic eggs for $1, calling it Silly Putty. Initial sales were poor, but after a ''New Yorker'' article mentioned it, Hodgson sold over 250,000 eggs of silly putty in three days.<ref name=Thayer/> However, Hodgson was almost put out of business in 1951 by the [[Korean War]]. Silicone, the main ingredient in silly putty, was put on ration, harming his business. A year later, the restriction on silicone was lifted and the production of Silly Putty resumed.<ref name=history/><ref name=Nowak>{{cite book|last1=Nowak|first1=Peter|title=Sex, bombs, and burgers : how war, pornography, and fast food have shaped modern technology| date= 2011| publisher=Lyons Press|location=Guilford, Connecticut|isbn=978-0762772742|pages=115–16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9uRQzJRRcEC&pg=PA115|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603121954/https://books.google.com/books?id=h9uRQzJRRcEC&pg=PA115|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-06-03|access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> Initially, it was primarily targeted towards adults. However, by 1955, the majority of its customers were aged six to twelve. In 1957, Hodgson produced the first televised commercial for Silly Putty, which aired during the ''[[Howdy Doody|Howdy Doody Show]]''.<ref name=Sunshine>{{cite book|last1=Sunshine|first1=Linda|title=101 uses for Silly Putty|date=1990|publisher=Andrews and McMeel|location=Kansas City|isbn=978-0836218633|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/101usesforsillyp00lind}}</ref>

In 1961, Silly Putty went worldwide, becoming a hit in the [[Soviet Union]] and Europe. In 1968, it was taken into [[lunar orbit]] by the [[Apollo 8]] astronauts.<ref name=Nowak/>

Peter Hodgson died in 1976. A year later, Binney & Smith, the makers of Crayola products, acquired the rights to Silly Putty. {{As of|2005}}, annual Silly Putty sales exceeded six million eggs.<ref name=Sterngass>{{cite book |last1 =Sterngass| first1= Jon| last2= Kachur| first2= Matthew |title= Plastics|date=2005|publisher=World Almanac Library|location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin |isbn= 978-0836858785| pages= 33–34| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HYkfVfNXIGIC&pg=PA34}}</ref>

Silly Putty was inducted into the [[National Toy Hall of Fame]] on May 28, 2001.<ref name=Scott>{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1=Sharon M.|title=Toys and American culture : an encyclopedia|date=2010|publisher=Greenwood|location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn= 978-0313347986| page= 288| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mbTUorcuXkoC&pg=PA288}}</ref>

==Other uses==
In addition to its success as a toy, other uses for the putty have been found. In the home, it can be used to remove substances such as dirt, lint, pet hair, or ink from various surfaces. The material's unique properties have found niche use in medical and scientific applications. [[Occupational therapy|Occupational therapists]] use it for rehabilitative therapy of hand injuries.<ref name=Escape>{{cite web|title=17 Surprisingly Practical Uses for Silly Putty |url= http://escapeadulthood.com/blog/2012-12-03/17-surprisingly-practical-uses-for-silly-putty.html|website=Escape Adulthood|access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> A number of other brands (such as ''Power Putty'' and ''TheraPutty'') alter the material's properties, offering different levels of resistance. The material is also used as a tool to help reduce stress, and exists in various viscosities based on the user's preference.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Because of its [[adhesive]] characteristics, it was used by Apollo [[astronaut]]s to secure their tools in zero gravity.<ref name=Walsh>{{cite book| last1= Walsh| first1= Tim| title= Timeless toys: classic toys and the playmakers who created them|date=2005|publisher=Andrews McMeel Pub.|location=Kansas City, Missouri |isbn= 978-0740755712|page=92}}</ref> Scale model building hobbyists use the putty as a masking medium when spray-painting model assemblies.<ref name=masking>{{cite web |title=Silly Putty masking |url=https://butterfingeredmodelbuilder.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/silly-putty-masking/ |website=The Butterfingered Modelbuilder's Adventures |access-date=30 September 2015|date=2015-06-24 }}</ref><ref>''[[Scale Auto Magazine]]'', various issues</ref> The [[Steward Observatory]] uses a Silly-Putty backed [[Lapping|lap]] to polish astronomical telescope mirrors.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=How do you build a mirror for one of the world's biggest telescopes? |first1=Buddy |last1=Martin |first2=Dae Wook |last2=Kim |date=January 15, 2016 |journal= [[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation US]] |url=https://theconversation.com/how-do-you-build-a-mirror-for-one-of-the-worlds-biggest-telescopes-49927}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Rigid conformal polishing tool using non-linear visco-elastic effect |first1=Dae Wook |last1=Kim |first2=James H. |last2=Burge |journal=Optics Express |date=1 February 2010 |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=2242–57 |doi=10.1364/OE.18.002242 |pmid=20174053 |bibcode = 2010OExpr..18.2242K |s2cid=43886693 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Researchers from [[Trinity College Dublin]] School of Physics (Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) and Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research (AMBER) Research Centers) have discovered nano composite mixtures of [[graphene]] and Silly Putty behave as sensitive pressure sensors, claiming the ability to measure the footsteps of a spider crawling on it.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Coleman |first=Jonathan N. |date=December 9, 2016 |title=Sensitive electromechanical sensors using viscoelastic graphene-polymer nanocomposites |url=http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/84703/1/__smbhome.uscs.susx.ac.uk_akj23_Documents_SRO%200%2007%2024.pdf |journal=Science |language=en |volume=354 |pages=1257–60 |bibcode=2016Sci...354.1257B |doi=10.1126/science.aag2879 |pmid=27940866 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226220324/http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/84703/1/__smbhome.uscs.susx.ac.uk_akj23_Documents_SRO%200%2007%2024.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2020 |number=6317 |hdl=2262/82344 |s2cid=23162303 |access-date=21 August 2019 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Blu Tack]]
* [[Flubber (material)]]
* [[Slime (toy)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Silly Putty}}
* {{cite web|title=Silly Putty|url=http://shop.crayola.com/brands/silly-putty/|website=Crayola|access-date=22 February 2018}}
* {{cite web|author=Center for Oral History| title= Earl L. Warrick |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/oral-histories/warrick-earl-l|website= [[Science History Institute]] }}
* {{cite book|first=  James J. |last=Bohning |title=Earl L. Warrick, Transcript of an Interview Conducted by James J. Bohning in Midland, Michigan on 16 January 1986 |date=16 January 1986 |url=https://oh.sciencehistory.org/sites/default/files/warrick_el_0045_suppl.pdf|place=Philadelphia, PA|publisher=[[Science History Institute|Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry]] }}

[[Category:Clay toys]]
[[Category:1940s toys]]
[[Category:1950s toys]]
[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Brand name materials]]
[[Category:Crayola]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1949]]
[[Category:Companies based in Northampton County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Dow Chemical Company]]
[[Category:Easton, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Non-Newtonian fluids]]
[[Category:Polymers]]
[[Category:Soft matter]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Sensory toys]]