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Our wide variety of products come in various sizes and shapes and are made from a variety of materials. The following information is provided to help in the understanding of many of these materials. Also included is information regarding specific care of some of them to help you enjoy your purchases for years to come. |
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Composites
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| Alabastrite |
Alabastrite is an easily molded material that can be painted. It is stone based and named for its cold-paste Polyresin makeup. It cannot be washed with cold water and should only be cleaned by dusting the surface. |
| Ceramics |
Non-metallic materials created by applying heat to different types of clay. Before heating, the clay can be formed into various pottery objects, bricks, tiles and the like, along with cements and glass. The final heating creates a hard paintable object much used throughout the world. |
| Fiberglass |
Fiberglass is a material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. It is used as a reinforcing agent for many polymer products. |
| FIMO |
FIMO is a name for a brand of polymer clay. |
| Polyester |
Polyester is a category of polymers. Normally, polyester refers to cloth woven from polyester fiber. Polyester clothing is generally considered to have a "less natural" feeling to it compared to natural fibers. Polyester fibers are often spun together with fibers of cotton, producing a cloth with some of the better properties of each. |
| Polyresin |
Polyresin is a stone-based material which can be intricately molded producing great detail, and will allow paint to adhere easily. |
| Polystone |
Polystone is a compound made up largely of polyurethane resin mixed with powdered stone additives that give it added weight and the porcelain or "stone-like" feel that resulted in the materials name itself. Polystone is durable and highly effective at maintaining a sharp paint finish. Unlike porcelain, which is fired in an oven, Polystone is a cold-cast material in which no heat is used in the manufacturing process, resulting in much greater variations of paint finish. |
Polystone Care
You should take the time to dust your statues on a regular basis. We suggest a camera lens brush to whisk dust from the delicate areas, as well as from the nooks and details of a statue. A very soft, medium sized paint brush can also be used if you find yourself short one camera lens brush. Follow up the dusting with a blast of compressed air which can be purchased from office supply store. It is very important to hold the can upright and not shake it while spraying, as this will cause liquid to spray out which may possibly mar your collectible. You should never wash or submerge your collectible in water. If for some reason you find your pieces are excessively dusty, the tips above should work well. You can also use a damp, lint-free cloth on larger areas as well as the bases to loosen up the dust. Dampen the cloth with water but never use any harsh chemical cleaners as they have the potential to damage the paint finish and even the Polystone material.
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| Porcelain |
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating selected and refined materials to high temperatures. Raw materials for porcelain, when mixed with water, form a plastic paste that can be worked to a required shape before firing in a kiln at temperatures between about 1200 and 1400 degrees Celsius. The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arise mainly from the formation, at high temperatures, of glass and the minerals. Porcelain was named after its resemblance to the white, shiny Venus-shell, called in Old Italian porcella. Properties associated with porcelain include low permeability, high strength, hardness, glassiness, durability, whiteness, translucence, resonance, brittleness, high resistance to the passage of electricity, chemical attack, and thermal shock, and high elasticity. Porcelain is used to make table, kitchen, sanitary, and decorative wares, objects of fine art, and tile. |
| Spun Glass |
Blown glass that has slender threads of glass incorporated within it. |
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Earthen Minerals
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| Dolomite |
A magnesia-rich, sedimentary rock resembling limestone. Dolomite is either gray, pink or white in color. |
| Terra Cotta |
Terra cotta has been used throughout history for sculpture and pottery, as well as bricks and roof shingles. In ancient times, the first clay sculptures were dried (baked) in the sun after being formed. Later, they were placed in the ashes of open hearths to harden, and finally kilns were used, similar to those used for pottery today. However, only after firing to high temperature, would it be classed as a ceramic material. |
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Finishes
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| Burnished |
Burnished - made smooth and bright by or as if by rubbing - reflecting a sheen or glow. |
| Celadon |
Celadon glazes can be produced in a variety of colors, including whites, greys, blues and yellows, depending on the thickness of the applied glaze and the type of clay to which it is applied. The most famous celadons range in color from a very pale green crackle to deep intense greens, often meant to mimic the green shades of jade. Celadons are usually fired in a reducing atmosphere within a fuel driven kiln. As with most glazes, crazing (a glaze defect) can occur in the glaze and, if the characteristic is desirable, it is referred to as crackle glaze. |
| Lacquer |
A glossy synthetic coating. It is made up of resins or cellulose derivatives and a plasticizer in a volatile solvent. It is also often referred to as a type of varnish. |
| Verdigris |
A blue or green powder used as a paint pigment. |
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Metals
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| Brass |
Brass is an alloy made of copper and nickel and is quite stable. |
| Pewter |
Pewter is a prized alloy manufactured from tin, with a small amount of copper and antimony added to give it strength. Considered the world's fourth most precious metal after platinum, gold and silver, its ability to withstand time and its shiny brilliance gives it great value, particularly so when shaped into plates, goblets, figurines, etc. Unlike silver, pewter does not require polishing or any other special care. It does not rust, tarnish or deteriorate in any way over time. |
| Silver Plate |
Silver plate is a thin layer of real silver applied to a base-metal piece. |
| Wrought Iron |
Wrought iron is commercially pure iron, having a very small carbon content but usually contains some slag. It is tough, easily formed and can be easily welded. It is too soft to make cutting edges, which need to be made of steel with a higher carbon content. |
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Miscellaneous
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| IC Chip |
Another name for a chip, an integrated circuit (IC),it is a small electronic device made out of a semiconductor material. Integrated circuits are used for a variety of devices, including microprocessors, audio and video equipment, and automobiles. |
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Woods
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| Alder |
Alder is used in making baskets, toys, turning and in making inexpensive wooden items. The alder tree is found throughout Europe, Turkey, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Alder wood is relatively stable and can be treated with wood preservatives. It cuts and machines well and is easily glued. It can be steam bent and responds well to machine and hand tools. |
| Birch |
Birch is suitable for general fine and rough woodworking. It is commonly available in the Northern Hemisphere. It is tricky to dry and will decay rapidly outdoors. Birch turns well and also steam bends well. It tears easily when surfaced and is difficult to work. It is not particularly hard. |
| Mahogany |
Mahogany is a medium density hardwood. It varies from a pale brown, or pink, to dark reddish brown. It has a firm and straight-to-wavy grain. It has great workability with hand and machine tools and takes detail very well and is one of the premiere carving woods in use today. |
| Mango |
A beautiful Hawaiian hardwood. It comes from a medium to large tree that frequently grows to 50 to 65 feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The heart wood is a beautiful blond wood which frequently stains during drying to form unique and wonderful color variations. Mango is hard but works easily and polishes to a glossy finish. |
| Merbau |
Merbau is a heavy hardwood. It has good strength properties, comparable to that of European Beech and better than Oak and many other timbers. Its durability is well suited for applications where it is weather exposure is a concern. Merbau, when machined, gives a smooth surface. It takes finishes readily and is also easy to glue. It has very low shrinkage when drying and the seasoned timber is very stable in service. |
| Poplar |
Generally straight grained and "woolly" with a fine, even texture, poplar comes in creamy-white to pale brown heartwood and sapwood tones. It is used for furniture framing, toys, matches, crates, boxes, and more. |
| Rosewood |
Rosewood refers to a number of richly hued timbers, brownish with darker veining. All rosewoods are strong and heavy and take an excellent polish easily. They are suitable for flooring, and furniture. This wood has a strong sweet smell, which persists over the years, which might explain the name "rosewood". |
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