Care

Note: draft copy, written for Natasha to review and adjust before it goes live. The terms here should be hers, not mine.

Resin is a plastic. It is hard, it is clear, and it is not permanent in the way glass is. Treated sensibly a piece will outlive you. Treated badly it will yellow, cloud, or scratch, and none of that can be undone once it happens.

Keep it out of direct sun

This is the only rule that really matters. Ultraviolet light breaks down the polymer and the piece goes amber from the outside in. It is slow — years, not weeks — and it is even, so you tend not to notice until you set the piece next to one that has been in a drawer. Every casting I make is poured with a UV inhibitor, which buys time; it does not buy immunity.

A north-facing room, a shelf away from the window, or a spot that gets bounced light rather than a beam. Not a windowsill. Not a conservatory. Not above a radiator in front of glass.

Dusting

A dry, soft cloth. Microfibre, or the cloth that came with your glasses. Wipe in one direction rather than scrubbing in circles — circular polishing is how you put a haze into a surface that was clear.

If something has actually stuck to it, breathe on the spot and wipe. Warm water on the cloth, wrung out almost dry, is as wet as I would ever go.

Never solvents

No alcohol, no white spirit, no acetone, no glass cleaner, no anti-bacterial spray, no baby wipes. Most household cleaners contain something that will either etch the surface into a permanent fog or, worse, soften it enough to leave a fingerprint in it. There is no recovery from this. I have ruined pieces of my own finding out.

Temperature

Room temperature. Resin softens with heat long before it melts, and a piece left in a hot car or on a sunny sill can slump very slightly — enough to lose an edge. Cold is not a problem, but taking a cold piece into a warm room will condense water on it; let it come up to temperature before you handle it.

It will scratch

Resin is softer than glass. Rings, zips, keys, a gritty cloth, and the underside of another object will all mark it. The pieces with a polished face are the most vulnerable; the cast-textured ones hide wear well. Set them down on something soft, and do not stack them.

Fine scratches can sometimes be brought back with a plastic polish and a great deal of patience. Ask me before you try — for some finishes it makes things worse, and I would rather do it myself.

The web inside

The web is the fragile thing that is now not fragile. Once it is in the resin it is sealed and it will not decay, shift, or fade. Nothing you do on the outside affects it. Small bubbles, uneven density, and stray fragments are part of what was actually there in the cellar; they are not faults and I do not remove them.