Parafilm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008)

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (May 2008)

A carton box with parafilm.

Parafilm is a product of the Pechiney Plastic Packaging Company, consisting of a flexible film, available in several different lengths and widths. It is commonly used for sealing or protecting vessels (such as flasks or cuvettes). It is stretchable, moldable, waterproof, odorless, thermoplastic, semitransparent and self-adhering. It is also used to further seal a lidded container against moisture for long term storage.

Since it is a thermoplastic, Parafilm is not safe for use in an autoclave.

Parafilm also has gained a reputation among modelers as an ideal masking material for use during airbrushing, due to its lack of tackiness, which can destroy a finish.

Parafilm can be stretched and rolled to make a sort of rope which has elastic properties similar to those of the film itself, but with greater tensile strength.

Horticulturalists have discovered that Parafilm is well-suited for grafting applications. Several grafting styles call for wrapping a graft to hold it together, and sealing it to prevent drying; parafilm does both. In this context Parafilm is also known as grafting tape