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Plasticised PVC (Plastisol)
Charlie

Created by

Charlie

22. September 2026DE
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Plasticised PVC (Plastisol)

PVC was known for decades as a hard, brittle powder nobody could use. In 1926 Waldo Semon at B.F. Goodrich found that certain liquids dissolve it only when hot, and that the hot solution sets on cooling into a soft, rubber-like gel - flexible PVC. **US 1,929,453**, "Synthetic rubber-like composition and method of making same", Semon, assigned to B.F. Goodrich, granted 10. October 1933, claims dissolving "an insoluble polymerized vinyl halide at an elevated temperature" in a liquid that dissolves it only well above room temperature, and gelling it by cooling. One example: 8 parts PVC, 8 parts tricresyl phosphate, 3 parts dibutyl phthalate. **Plastisol is that idea in a bottle**: PVC grains suspended, undissolved, in plasticiser. Heat makes the liquid dissolve the grains and fuse into solid flexible PVC. You bake test films at three temperatures and pull them apart to find where it truly fuses.
Beginner
2 hours

Instructions

1

Ventilate and set the oven

Use a toaster oven kept for crafts, never food, by an open window. Put the probe thermometer inside - dial settings are rarely accurate.

Tools needed:

Toaster OvenToaster Oven
Leave-In Probe ThermometerLeave-In Probe Thermometer
N95 Respirator MaskN95 Respirator Mask
2

Stir the plastisol

The PVC grains settle. Stir the plastisol from the bottom for 2 minutes until even. Read the label's fusion temperature.

Materials for this step:

PlastisolPlastisol150 ml

Tools needed:

Stirring RodStirring Rod
3

Spread three films

On the silicone mat, spread three 100 x 40 mm films about 1.5 mm thick with the palette knife.

Materials for this step:

PlastisolPlastisol50 ml

Tools needed:

Silicone Baking MatSilicone Baking Mat
Palette Knife SetPalette Knife Set
Steel RulerSteel Ruler
4

Bake at three temperatures

Bake one film 10 minutes each at 130 °C, 150 °C and the label's fusion temperature (commonly 160–180 °C). Never exceed the label maximum.

Tools needed:

Toaster OvenToaster Oven
Infrared ThermometerInfrared Thermometer
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
5

Cool and cut strips

Cool 10 minutes. Peel each film and cut a 10 mm strip from its centre. Mark its temperature.

Tools needed:

Utility KnifeUtility Knife
Steel RulerSteel Ruler
6

Stretch and pull

Clamp one end in the vise. Hook the spring scale to the other and pull slowly. Record the peak force and how it failed.

Tools needed:

Force Meter (Spring Scale)Force Meter (Spring Scale)
Bench ViseBench Vise
Clear Safety GlassesClear Safety Glasses
7

Recipe, cure curve, siblings

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
8

History & Context

**What the patent specifies:** gelling PVC in high-boiling liquids such as tricresyl phosphate and dibutyl phthalate. **Modern build (derived):** a commercial plastisol; many now use phthalate-free plasticisers. Flexible PVC became cable insulation, shower curtains, hoses and flooring. Its limits: the plasticiser slowly migrates out, so old soft PVC stiffens and turns sticky; and overheated PVC yellows and releases hydrogen chloride, which is why the label's maximum temperature matters.

Materials

1

Tools Required

13

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