<p>Among the usual paperclips and pencils cluttering the desk of textile-plant engineer Jeff Kivert is a new necessity: 50 pounds of Silly Putty.</p>
<p>The allure of such a wad is difficult for Mr. Kivert, of Whitehall, Pa., to explain. "To hold a pound of it in your hand, it's unbelievable," he says. A pound is about the size of a softball. Ten pounds is bigger than your head.</p>