DEMO — fictional range. Local brief only, NOT SENT. No personal data is collected or transmitted.
MATERIAL
Six materials, and what each one survives.
Garden products stand outdoors and are handled wet. The material is chosen for that, then for how it looks on a shelf.
Illustrative material record
- Pressed zinc
- Cans and outdoor fittings · weathers to a stable surface, does not rust through
- Brass
- Roses and fittings · machines well, tarnishes, the tarnish is harmless
- UV stabilised polymer
- Reels and caddies · the stabiliser is what survives the sun, not the polymer
- Unstabilised polymer
- Cheaper mouldings · strong when new, brittle after two summers
- Silicone
- Seals and gaskets · stays flexible, ages in sunlight
- Powder-coated steel
- Brackets and posts · strong and cheap, and a chip is a starting point
Illustrative examples for a fictional range. Material selection depends on the use, the climate and the price, and is confirmed against a specification rather than a web page.
Why the stabiliser is the specification.
Because a moulding that is strong but not stabilised becomes brittle in the sun. The failure is a crack at the point where the part is loaded, and it appears in the second or third summer rather than the first.
Why brass tarnish is not a fault.
Because the tarnish is a stable surface layer. A brass rose that has darkened still works, and polishing it removes material rather than restoring function.