While considering plastics for use in storing or kilning or flue-curing tobacco, I've found promising items laying about the house.
For example, I needed to create a directional deflector for a fan to be used within a kiln, which may be used in the future for flue-curing. I identified a plastic container, which came with mushrooms in it from the grocery store. Can it withstand 130ºF during kilning? Can it withstand 170ºF during flue-curing? This particular plastic box had been manufactured with "HDPE" stamped into the bottom. So I could look up the working temp of HDPE (high density polyethylene) in a Google search. It works.
More often, only a recycling code may appear. Most of these codes map to specific, named plastics.
This Wikipedia page shows the recycling codes and their meaning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code
Here is a link to a one-page pdf chart, showing the Physical and Chemical properties of many specific plastics: http://www.dynalabcorp.com/files/Physical Properties.pdf
This page, from H[sub]2[/sub]NO includes some limited health hazard information for each category of recycled plastics: http://www.h2no.org/plastic_recycling_codes.asp
[If you care what the abbreviations mean, such as "PTFE," here is a huge list: http://www.professionalplastics.com/ACRONYMS]
Bob
For example, I needed to create a directional deflector for a fan to be used within a kiln, which may be used in the future for flue-curing. I identified a plastic container, which came with mushrooms in it from the grocery store. Can it withstand 130ºF during kilning? Can it withstand 170ºF during flue-curing? This particular plastic box had been manufactured with "HDPE" stamped into the bottom. So I could look up the working temp of HDPE (high density polyethylene) in a Google search. It works.
More often, only a recycling code may appear. Most of these codes map to specific, named plastics.
This Wikipedia page shows the recycling codes and their meaning: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin_identification_code
Here is a link to a one-page pdf chart, showing the Physical and Chemical properties of many specific plastics: http://www.dynalabcorp.com/files/Physical Properties.pdf
This page, from H[sub]2[/sub]NO includes some limited health hazard information for each category of recycled plastics: http://www.h2no.org/plastic_recycling_codes.asp
[If you care what the abbreviations mean, such as "PTFE," here is a huge list: http://www.professionalplastics.com/ACRONYMS]
Bob
