#resins

[horsefigureoftheday]

Horse figure of the day: "Tabanidae Moon Moth" by Kelly Sealey

[stone-cold-groove]

Illustration detail from a Glidden Company advertisement for soaps, oils and resins. That They Shall Appear More Beautiful - Charleson painting circa 1937.

[thatpollguy]

Have you ever preserved something in resin (e.g. insects, flowers, plants)?

Yes

No

Voting ended onDec 27, 2025

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Recycling the unrecyclable: New method reclaims materials from epoxy resins and composites

Epoxy resins are coatings and adhesives used in a broad range of familiar applications, such as construction, engineering and manufacturing. However, they often present a challenge to recycle or dispose of responsibly. For the first time, a team of researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, developed a method to efficiently reclaim materials from a range of epoxy products for reuse by using a novel solid catalyst. The work has been published in Nature Communications. There's a high chance you are surrounded by epoxy compounds as you read this. They are used in electronic devices due to their insulating properties; clothing such as shoes due to their binding properties and physical robustness; building construction for the same reason; and even in aircraft bodies and wind turbine blades for their ability to contain strong materials such as carbon fibers or glass fibers.

Read more.

[messiah10chi]

Well, ain’t this a cute little fire hazard?! Welcome my fully dressed protection and cleansing candle! I definitely had to sit by this one to make sure it didn’t set itself ablaze and it actually did a decent job. I had one scare, but hey, that’s what you keep sand nearby for!

For all witches, always practice fire safety! I do not suggest leaving a candle like this alone.

[bastianweber1]

Isn’t she lovely😍💨

[delightingintragedy]

Hierarchy of Smoke Allies

Flowers smell nice, but they don't hold up under the weight of the heavy lifters to come. Burning mullein flowers has been used for clearing space as well as clearing chest congestion.

Leaves are stronger magic than their floral compatriots because they contain more volatile oils and have more energy to give to the working. Mugwort, for example, is a boundary plant, meaning that it can be used as a smoke to cross the boundary around your property to enforce personal limits for unwanted visitors.

Roots and seeds are stronger than the leaves because they form the foundation of the plant and are the basis of the network for the plant's ability to care for itself - the plant's "brain." Gingerroot has the fire necessary to burn away the ties that bind something to our homes that needs removing.

Wood allies are even farther up the food chain. These contain the life of decades' worth of the tree's knowledge because in almost all cases the entire tree must be harvested to procure these beautifully scented woods. Now that we're in the age of responsible stewardship, we are aware of endangered trees like sandalwood (Santalum album) being poached, so Australia has stepped up its game and increased its standards. The largest sandalwood farm from Australia's Santalum spicatum is now three times the size of France. For every tree that is harvested for essential oil, three more are planted.

Resins are the king of all smoke rituals, and the first to come to mind is usually frankincense. If and energy wasn't affected be the lower rungs of the plant kingdom, it stands a good chance that a resin will do the trick.

-Sacred Smoke by Amy Blackthorn, pgs 51-52