How to Care for Your Sculpture
Sculpture, whether bronze or one of the cold-cast products, is fragile, so take good care of it! Put it someplace sturdy and safe. One of the greatest benefits of bronze is that it can usually be repaired so you can't see where the damage was. If you purchase a bronze from me and it becomes damaged, contact me and we'll work out how to get it repaired.
Bronze
People will want to touch your bronze sculptures (so will you!). Let them! The tactile pleasure of sculpture is one of its charms. However, touching bronze will eventually remove the wax and patina. When you bought your bronze, it was protected with a coat of clear floor wax (like Johnson's Paste Wax). Protect the patina by following these steps:
1. Wash it gently with soap and water (put dishwashing detergent, like Ivory liquid, on a damp,well wrung-out cloth -- rinse with another damp cloth to avoid getting the base wet)
2. Dry it thoroughly with a soft cloth.
3. Apply a thin coat of clear wax (real paste wax, not liquid waxes) or clear paste shoe polish.
4. Buff it to the shine you want with a very soft, clean cloth or a piece of lambswool.
5. If you use furniture polish, apply it by spraying or applying the furniture polish directly onto your cloth, then rubbing it into the base. Never use spray cleaners directly on the base, as they will splash up onto the marble (if there's marble on the base) and the sculpture itself. The marble shouldn't need any care unless it gets spilled on. In that case, contact a local marble supplier to find out what to do to clean the stain.
You shouldn't need to wax your bronze more than once a year (if that often), unless your sculpture gets a lot of handling. Don't use cleaning chemicals or dusting sprays on your bronze. Just dust with a clean cloth or featherduster.
Cold-cast Porcelain, Cold-Cast Bronze, Resin
The best care for these products is to just dust them with an untreated cloth or featherduster, using no cleaning chemicals. A single feather or a small, soft artist's paintbrush is especially good for getting into little places like details in the mane, for instance. Don't spray dusting chemicals on wooden bases because they may splatter onto the sculpture itself. If cold-cast porcelain gets a dirty fingerprint on it, wipe it with a clean, WHITE damp cloth (damp with water, not chemicals). If the stain is persistent, use a tiny bit of Ivory Liquid on the damp white cloth, then wipe again with a clean damp white cloth, then wipe dry (yes, with a white cloth! :D). Don't use anything colored on it.
Some darkening of the color of cold-cast porcelain may occur over the years. This is natural for this product. To avoid it as much as possible, keep the sculpture away from sunlight. Never display your cold-cast porcelain in direct sunlight.
For wall art (papercastings, resin castings), you won't need to clean the sculpture itself if it's behind glass. Just spray your normal cleaner on your window-cleaning cloth instead of directly on the glass, and the piece should be fine for many years. Remember, as with any fine wall art, never hang it in direct sunlight! If it is free-hanging or mounted on a wooden plaque (as a perpetual trophy), simply dust as stated above.
Copyright (C) Lynda Sappington. All Rights Reserved.
Bronze
People will want to touch your bronze sculptures (so will you!). Let them! The tactile pleasure of sculpture is one of its charms. However, touching bronze will eventually remove the wax and patina. When you bought your bronze, it was protected with a coat of clear floor wax (like Johnson's Paste Wax). Protect the patina by following these steps:
1. Wash it gently with soap and water (put dishwashing detergent, like Ivory liquid, on a damp,well wrung-out cloth -- rinse with another damp cloth to avoid getting the base wet)
2. Dry it thoroughly with a soft cloth.
3. Apply a thin coat of clear wax (real paste wax, not liquid waxes) or clear paste shoe polish.
4. Buff it to the shine you want with a very soft, clean cloth or a piece of lambswool.
5. If you use furniture polish, apply it by spraying or applying the furniture polish directly onto your cloth, then rubbing it into the base. Never use spray cleaners directly on the base, as they will splash up onto the marble (if there's marble on the base) and the sculpture itself. The marble shouldn't need any care unless it gets spilled on. In that case, contact a local marble supplier to find out what to do to clean the stain.
You shouldn't need to wax your bronze more than once a year (if that often), unless your sculpture gets a lot of handling. Don't use cleaning chemicals or dusting sprays on your bronze. Just dust with a clean cloth or featherduster.
Cold-cast Porcelain, Cold-Cast Bronze, Resin
The best care for these products is to just dust them with an untreated cloth or featherduster, using no cleaning chemicals. A single feather or a small, soft artist's paintbrush is especially good for getting into little places like details in the mane, for instance. Don't spray dusting chemicals on wooden bases because they may splatter onto the sculpture itself. If cold-cast porcelain gets a dirty fingerprint on it, wipe it with a clean, WHITE damp cloth (damp with water, not chemicals). If the stain is persistent, use a tiny bit of Ivory Liquid on the damp white cloth, then wipe again with a clean damp white cloth, then wipe dry (yes, with a white cloth! :D). Don't use anything colored on it.
Some darkening of the color of cold-cast porcelain may occur over the years. This is natural for this product. To avoid it as much as possible, keep the sculpture away from sunlight. Never display your cold-cast porcelain in direct sunlight.
For wall art (papercastings, resin castings), you won't need to clean the sculpture itself if it's behind glass. Just spray your normal cleaner on your window-cleaning cloth instead of directly on the glass, and the piece should be fine for many years. Remember, as with any fine wall art, never hang it in direct sunlight! If it is free-hanging or mounted on a wooden plaque (as a perpetual trophy), simply dust as stated above.
Copyright (C) Lynda Sappington. All Rights Reserved.
