One of the
wonderful things about
bronze sculptures is that
they need little care or
maintenance and will last
for hundreds of years.
Recently, I have seen some
bronze dealers offering
special cleaning solutions,
polishing oils and other
equipment to care for bronze
sculptures. Well, to
put it bluntly, that is
hogwash, bunk, malarkey,
baloney, and just plain not
true. In fact, those
things are more likely to do
harm to your fine bronze
sculpture than help it.
Even common sense should
tell you that if you put oil
on a sculpture it is just
going to collect dust and
dirt. When I was in
the Navy we used polishing
oil to get brass to a high
shine, but if you use that
same oil on a bronze
sculpture you are just going
to remove the patina and
destroy your sculpture. Before
opening our art gallery I
was a bronze collector for
more than 20 years and read
much on the care and
cleaning of bronze
sculptures. In
additon, our company has
been involved in several
restoration projects of
outdoor bronze statues that
actually did need some work,
but I can tell you that none
of the materials included
funky cleaning solutions or
exotic oils. However,
before writing this piece I
read several books on the
topic including "The Care of
Bronze Sculpture" by Patrick
Kipper, which is available
on
www.Amazon.com.
Then, I spoke with several
bronze artists to get their
recommendations.
Finally, I spoke with two
bronze foundry managers to
get their feedback.
What I discovered is that
there is a lot of
misinformation out there and
yes some dishonest dealers
that would like to sell you
additional cleaning products
at outrageous markups.
So, I'm going to set the
record straight and give you
the straight scoop on the
care and cleaning of bronze
sculptures.
First, it
is important to point out
that bronze is a copper
alloy (a metal created by
the combination of other
metals). In the United
States the minimum copper
content for bronze is 90%.
In far-eastern countries
such as Thailand and China,
bronze has a copper content
of between 60-70% and that
is recycled copper from
radiators, pipes, etc.
So, what I am going to
describe here only applies
to quality bronze sculptures
and statues.
The very
last step in creating a
bronze sculpture is to apply
a coat of wax. This is
usually done when the metal
is still warm and allows for
the wax to enter the pores
of the bronze. The wax
acts as a barrier to the air
and humidity that can cause
the bronze to oxidize and
turn green. While that
green look may appeal to
some, others prefer to keep
their sculptures looking new
for as long as possible.
Unless the
sculpture has been cleaned
aggressively, the initial
wax coating should last at
least three months outdoors
and probably much longer.
However, differences
in weather conditions can
vary greatly, so a good rule
of thumb is that if the
water no longer beads up on
the sculpture it is time to
give it a cleaning and
waxing.
The best
cleaner for bronze
sculptures (now get ready)
is plain soap and water.
I read and was told several
times that the best cleaner
is just a little mild soap,
like Ivory liquid
dishwashing soap and water.
Just avoid any soaps with
scents like lemon scent or
other additives that might
have unknown consequences.
Also, I was told that if you
have water "issues" in your
area you might like to use
distilled bottled water.
But in most situation a hose
or bucket of regular tap
water is fine. Just
add enough soap to make
bubbles in the water because
all you really need to do is
loosen the dirt from the
surface.
If you are
cleaning an outdoor
sculpture just add just
enough soap to a bucket of
water that it has some
bubbles floating on top.
Too much soap could leave a
soap residue that will
require more rinsing later.
Then dampen a clean rag in
the soapy water and wipe
down the sculpture. If
the piece has a lot of nooks
and crannies or bird
droppings, a soft toothbrush
might be useful. I
keep an old tooth brush in
my cleaning supplies just
for this purpose.
I've seen
some hack bronze sculpture
dealers selling non-ionic
cleaning solutions that are
supposedly Ph balanced.
My experience in over 25
years of collecting bronze
sculpture says that is
completely unnecessary.
Think about it. If you
need to control the Ph of
the water you clean the
sculpture with what is the
rain going to do to it.
Do you think the clouds test
the Ph before raining on
your sculpture? If you
need to Ph balance the
cleaning solution for a
bronze sculpture you might
want to consider buying a
higher quality sculpture.
Once the
sculpture is clean, rinse
out the rag and wipe down
the sculpture with clear
water to remove the soap
residue. Again, use
the toothbrush with clear
water to clean hard to reach
areas. If you have
access to a hose near the
sculpture this will work
great to make sure the soap
is completely removed.
Next, allow the sculpture to
dry completely. This
is very important because
the next step is to re-wax
the sculpture and you don't
want to trap moisture under
the wax coating.
Usually a sculpture is dry
in a couple of hours.
Once the
sculpture is completely dry
you are ready to begin
waxing. It is best to
wax an outdoor sculpture in
the heat of the day as this
allows the wax to penetrate
the pours of the sculpture
resulting in a wax coating
that will last longer.
The best type of wax to use
is plain, clear, paste wax.
It usually comes in a can
and is very inexpensive.
Avoid automotive waxes as
they usually contain other
cleaners, etc. that could be
harmful to bronze. But
most importantly, car waxes
tend to dry white, so if you
leave any at all in little
cracks or crevasses it will
dry white and look terrible
and you'll have to start all
over again. Although
there are many good brands
of wax, I'm going to discuss
four.
Trewax
Clear Paste Wax:
Trewax is a very hard
carnauba wax, which is
extracted from Brazilian
Palm Trees. One can
should last you many years.
It comes highly recommended
for its durability and
versatility on light or dark
patinas. You can buy
it online from
Acme Hardware for $5.75
at the time of this writing.
Johnson's
Clear Paste Wax: Good
old Johnson's Clear Paste
Wax also comes highly
recommended. Until I
learned about Trewax,
Johnson's
was my wax of preference.
It is best used on darker
patinas as it has been known
to darken lighter colors.
It also produces a nice
shine when buffed. You
can purchase it in most
grocery stores for under
$10.00 for a 1-pound can.
I just saw it online for
$7.68 at
USA Hardware.
Mohawk
Blue Label Paste Wax: Blue
Label Paste wax was
recommended by several
sources. It is safe
for most patinas and buffs
out clean. It is very
difficult to find in a
retail store, but I was able
to find it online for $10.44
a can.
Click here for the web site.
Renaissance Wax:
Renaissance Wax is the
Cadillac of paste waxes.
It is a micro-crystalline
wax polish that is
manufactured in England and
is used by museum curators
around the word to protect
bronze as well as swords and
other metal artifacts.
It dries very hard and very
quickly. Most
importantly it is resistant
to fingerprints, which makes
it ideal for a sculpture
that is touched or handled.
A small can runs around
$15.00, but a little goes a
long way.
For darker
colored bronzes I would
recommend Johnson's paste wax or
Renaissance wax. For
lighter colors or
multi-colored patinas I
would recommend Trewax, Blue
Label or Renaissance wax.
To apply,
use a soft rag or an unused
paintbrush to get into nooks
and crannies (I wrap masking
tape near the end of the
brush to make it a firmer at
the end. This makes it
easer to get wax onto the
brush.). Apply a light
coat and allow to dry.
Most waxes are dry within 20
minutes. Then buff the
sculpture using a soft cloth
or clean shoe brush. A
second coat is recommended
for outdoor sculptures.
So there
you have it, care and
cleaning of bronze sculpture
demystified-soap and water
and plain ordinary paste
wax. Notice there was
no mention of magic cleaning
potions or exotic oils.
In fact, everyone I spoke
with strongly advised
staying away from any type
of oil whatsoever. No
fancy gadgets, just a clean
rag, an old toothbrush and
maybe a shoe brush for a
high shine.
I can add
one more thought to this for
cleaning in-between waxing.
Both foundries I contacted
use liquid silicone (brand
name Armor All) to clean
sculptures before they are
packaged for shipping.
It does not disturb the wax
coating, adds another
protective layer and leaves
a nice shine. I've
been using it for about 3
years and I love it.
Now it even comes in
convenient sponges and I can
clean a life-size horse with
one sponge.
I hope
this helps.
Richard
Rist, Owner
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