What makes liquid latex preferable over other types of rubber?
Liquid latex is the stretchiest of rubbers, and can easily stretch anywhere from 400 to 1000% of its resting length. Liquid latex can also be remarkably stronger than most, even when quite thin. Easily colored, liquid latex is naturally translucent (except when colored black or white). This translucency has been a major factor in using liquid latex compounds as an art medium. Another important factor is that liquid latex shrinks 3-4% when it cures. It’s very important to note that shrinkage must be taken into account when sizing anything made from liquid latex. When it cures, the liquid latex molecules polymerize by forming bonds between sulfur molecules. These bonds continue to form over several months, progressively hardening the liquid latex.
