Flops and Superflops

FLOPS 
Not to be confused with a Mold Flaw, a "flop" is a toy that is flawed in some way, but still safe to be used. Flopped toys will be discounted: either a considerable amount for toys with larger or more numerous flaws, or by just a few dollars for toys with smaller, harder to notice flaws.


Flops can be flaws such as:

• Small and/or shallow nicks in the toy that may take some extra care to clean.
• Pigment freckles - lumps of pigment that did not properly dissolve or mix into the silicone. Some can be embedded deeper into the silicone and pose no issue, while others can be closer to the surface and felt below it. Larger pigment freckles in particular that are closer to the surface can be at risk of bursting if pulled, stretched, scratched, handled roughly, or just through general use.
  All of our pigment is 100% non-toxic and body safe, so if a pigment freckle bursts during use it may cause some mild irritation at worst. If you notice that a pigment freckle on your toy has burst, clean out the cavity that the freckle left behind thoroughly with soap and water. It may also be necessary to trim the edges of the cavity if the opening is very small and hard to access - this is to ensure that you can continue to properly clean your toy after every use.
  If a pigment freckle bursts and the cavity left behind is particularly deep, it may no longer be safe for use. If you believe this may have happened to your toy, or you are unsure, please contact us at saturnsunstudio@gmail.com.
• Open surface air bubbles that failed to escape the mold while being poured that may take some extra care to clean.
• Encapsulated air bubbles - fully encapsulated air bubbles in the silicone. If they are close enough to the surface they may rupture and "pop" if pulled, stretched, or scratched, handled roughly, or just through general use. Generally, surface air bubbles are trimmed before being sold as to avoid them "popping" during use. Squishies however may have encapsulated surface bubbles kept as to keep them looking aesthetically pleasing.
• inclusions - pieces of foreign silicone, dust, lint, or other debris that make their way into a toy while being poured. If embedded in the silicone enough they are purely a visual flaw, but when close enough to the surface there is a risk of the embed working its way out. Toys with inclusions that are at risk of coming out are generally not sold, instead having the embed cut out, turning it into a nick instead.
• Fingernail marks - small divots left behind when a toy is improperly handled, usually while demolding a toy. They are purely a visual flaw.
• Wide/messy trims - when a toy is poured it almost always needs to be trimmed at the base to remove unsightly spills and overfills. Sometimes a base trim can be botched and cut off a little more of the base than was intended. This is purely a visual flaw, unless it is particularly messy and needs extra care when cleaning.
• Overpoured bases - if a mold is accidentally overfilled, it can result in the toy having a bit of a "lip" at the bottom. This is purely a visual flaw.
• Silpoxy is a silicone adhesive that can be used to fix some major flaws to make them more aesthetically pleasing and/or safer to use. Silpoxy is firmer than the other silicone used at Saturn Sun Studio, so it will leave a slightly firmer surface imperfection. It is also very hard to apply Silpoxy neatly, so it will usually result in a more uneven surface texture where it has been applied.

SUPERFLOPS
A superflop is a flaw in a toy that makes the toy unsafe for use. Superflops can be impossible to clean, or otherwise dangerous to use. A superflopped toy should never be used, under any circumstances. If a superflop toy is discovered to have been used or resold without disclosing to secondhand buyers that the toy is not safe for use, the buyer will be blacklisted and banned from buying from us again in future. This is non-negotiable. Because they are unsafe for use, they are sold for a significant discount to be used only as display pieces, stress balls, fidget toys, or for other non-sexual and non-internal uses.

Superflops can be flaws such as:

• Delamination - a part of the toy that did not bond properly with the rest of the silicone. This means that these un-bonded parts will peel away, shed, or completely tear a toy in half. This can lead to having bits of silicone stuck inside of you, or god forbid an entire toy with no base getting lost inside you (especially dangerous if using the toy anally). Peeling or messily peeled pieces can also be hard or impossible to properly clean.
• Pigment rub-out - this is an issue almost exclusively in glow in the dark toys. Mild pigment rubout is safe and even expected in these toys, but excessive pigment rub-out can cause irritation during use. Toys poured earlier in production were a little heavy on glow pigment, so it should be an issue encountered a lot less in future. More info on acceptable vs excessive levels of glow pigment rub-out (with pictures) can be found over on the OnlyGoblins Wiki.
• Deep inclusions such as hairs can risk working their way out of the silicone and leaving behind deep, uncleanable cavities that can grow bacteria and even mold.
• Deep nicks/tears that can be hard or even impossible to clean that can grow bacteria and even mold.
• Un-degassed toys are toys poured with silicone that did not ever get degassed in a vacuum chamber. None of our toys should ever be un-degassed, unless there was a serious mistake during the pouring process. Degassing silicone is necessary to remove microbubbles that cannot be seen by the naked eye but are impossible to clean, weaken the toy, and can harbor bacteria and even mold. Darque Path has a wonderful video series over on X that demonstrates beautifully exactly why degassing toys is 100% necessary in this profession!

Potential issues with a toy that are not considered flops may include:

• Mold flaws as described in this blog post.
• Slight colour variation caused by factors such as screen settings, lighting, and camera settings. This is not a tangible issue with the product, but simply a part of the difficulty with capturing and displaying a 3D object in a 2D medium. Some slight colour variation is expected, but please contact us at saturnsunstudio@gmail.com if you believe that the product photos of your order were overly misleading, and we can review them together.
• Small amounts of dust or lint on the inside of the product packaging. Toys are washed and lint-rolled before being packaged, but silicone is a literal dust-magnet. Dust and lint are attracted to it, so any amount of dust or lint in the air or on the hands while packaging can make their way onto the surface of the silicone. This is why it is important to give your toys a good wash before you use them!
  That being said, if your product arrives completely covered in dust and dirt and debris, that is not normal. Please photograph the toy sealed in its original packaging, do not remove it from its original packaging until instructed, and contact us at saturnsunstudio@gmail.com, as you may be eligible for a partial refund for the state of your toy when it arrived to you.