Dictionary.
Glossary.
LOST WAX METHOD.
Lost wax method or casting is an ancient process dating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. It is still the best method for capturing exquisite detail in metal objects, which could not otherwise be produced given the complexity of their design. This process allows anything modeled in wax to be recreated fully and faithfully into various metals. The lost wax method is still employed today in the areas of sculpture, fine jewelry, restorative work in dentistry and in the industrial setting. It is a demanding and expensive process, but rewards the artisan with an object of great detail and individuality.
RESIN
Synthetic resins are materials with similar properties to natural resinsviscous liquids capable of hardening. They are typically manufactured by esterification or soaping of organic compounds. The classic variety is epoxy resin, manufactured through polymerization - polyaddition or polycondensation reactions, used as a thermoset polymer for adhesives and composites. Epoxy resin is two times stronger than concrete, seamless and waterproof. Accordingly, it has been mainly in use for industrial flooring purposes since the 1960s.
Since 2000, however, epoxy and polyurethane resins are used in interiors as well, mainly in Western Europe.
One more category, which constitutes 75% of resins used, is unsaturated polyester resin. Ion exchange resin is another important class with application in water purification and catalysis of organic reactions. See also AT-10 resin, melamine resin. Another synthetic polymer is also sometimes called by the same suffix, acetal resin. By contrast with the other synthetics, however, it has a simple chain structure with the repeat unit of form -[CH2O]-.
USE.
The hard transparent resins, such as the copals, dammars, mastic and sandarac, are principally used for varnishes and cement, while the softer odoriferous oleo-resins (frankincense, elemi, turpentine, copaiba) and gum resins containing essential oils (ammoniacum, asafoetida, gamboge, myrrh, and scammony) are more largely used for therapeutic purposes and incense.
Resin in the form of rosin is used for the upkeep of bows for stringed instruments (i.e. violin, viola, cello, double bass), because of its quality for adding friction to the hair. Ballet dancers may apply crushed rosin to their shoes to increase grip on a slippery floor.
Resin has also been used as a medium for sculpture by artists such as Auguste Rodin Reproductions and in other types of artwork.
Also, resin is used in some skateboard decks. It makes the skateboard more durable, making it less likely to get pressure-related cracks, chipping, or breaking in half.
Conservators use resins to consolidate fragile items such as bone found on archaeological sites. The resin acts to bind the fragile material inside its molecular structure. In Pompeii, resin is now used instead of plaster to recreate the bodies of Mount Vesuvius' victims, because it is more durable.
