![]() We are going to divide bronze into several categories for some better understanding of this subject. This opens an entirely new can of worms where just the methods and products are concerned to deal with this issue alone, and we have not even addressed cleaning or refinishing or mounting bronze and the other things that are part of this metal. Metals rust and tarnish causing streaking on the surfaces they come into contact with. Due to the plain nature that bronze being a metal puts it in the category of metal and historic metal care. Because bronze has been a part of many grave markers for many years, how to care for it has come up quite often. This is why we have placed this subject under our “Beyond the Basics” section. The subject of what to do concerning bronze is not always a straight forward one. We are not even comfortable with telling you to simply use extreme caution.īy CCUS members Brad McGowan, Shane Peik, Mark Morton, and Lloyd Collins Making this an inconclusive subject for now. At the moment the field of cemetery professionals is quite fractured and divided, and seems to be in an experimental stage. The problem is finding any real true consensus of thought or opinion on this problem. This is usually the point where we say, “seek the advice of a professional conservator”, and then possibly list a trusted conservator to contact. ![]() This will be a long journey to get close to anything we can call “do no harm” methodology for removing graffiti. As we examine all of these products and procedures, we will do our best to address it in an even manner that takes all factors into account. It is a long list that includes many invasive procedures that often include strong chemicals and methods that may do damage to the original stone. I was reviving something from a hundred years ago that somehow felt very contemporary.The CCUS is currently researching and vetting the many different techniques and products used for removing the many paint types from stone grave markers. More digging, more formulas, more chemistry and experimentation. One day I was bounding up some steps in a Chicago hotel and beneath a century of wear I saw the Perfect Silver on an old ventilator grate from the Art Deco period. Like aluminum, it was always going to be 'almost right'. I tried new metals like white bronze, an expensive alloy rich in nickel without the redness of bronze, but it had an overall greenish tinge that could never deliver the warmth and skin tone I needed. Wax would let sunlight through - the UV rays would tarnish and darken the piece over time. Lacquer darkened it and took away its glow. Even if we got it right, he could see no way to make it hold up to outdoor weather. The master patineur of the foundry, to his credit, engaged the challenge but didn't hold out much hope. Disappointment followed disaster, hopes would be raised and then dashed. They had an old bottle of Silver Nitrate lying around, but had never had any success with it. So when I started casting bronze again, I made it a centerpiece of my Foundry relationship that they would work with me to get this right. The Perfect Silver was going to solve everything - I realized I was kind of obsessed - my whole sculptural future seemed to depend on this. A look that glowed in low light, that didn't need spotlights to reveal its form, a contemporary, fresh look that was also timeless. Keep at it." I saw the Perfect Silver as an answer to Bronze, whose traditional brown patinas were so boring - with Silver I hoped to get the piece to give me highlights and darks in a way I only got from my light white/cream ceramic glazes. It is a difficult, dangerous chemical but it's the way. I talked with patineurs, studied recipes, scoured the literature and all I ever saw were pale disappointing grays. The results are good, but aluminum is a little colder and never quite glows the way my vision for the Perfect Silver would. Spraying on graphite, sealing with lacquers for outdoors. I started casting in aluminum, and went through a whole range of options there - putting on old motor oil and baking the piece in a kiln, then scrubbing off the highlights.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |