How to Clean and Wax Bronze Sculptures Tips, Art Piece Cleaning Advice, Waxing Products Help
How to Clean and Wax Bronze Sculptures Guide
18 Dec 2020
How to Clean and Wax Bronze Sculptures Advice
Bronze sculptures are some of the best investments you could make. Long-lasting and low maintenance, these beautiful art pieces add enduring glamour to your home with little effort needed to maintain them. However, whatever little effort is needed is essential; your bronze sculpture should be cleaned and waxed once in a while to keep it bright and appealing. In this article, the process, products and best practices are outlined to ensure that you get it right the first time.
Avoid Additional Cleaning Products
There is a myriad of bronze cleaning products from oils, to special soaps and pastes. Most of these are profit-based and are not necessary for the longevity of your bronze sculptures. Besides, sculptures from art-bronze-sculptures.com are hardy and are not really affected by Ph levels.
If they did, it would not be the best metal for making outdoor sculptures with all the rain that is likely to fall on it. However, it is still good practice to use distilled water when cleaning bronze as some areas may have mineral-rich water that may destructively interact with the cleaning agents. Oils should also be left for brass and not bronze sculptures. This is because the oil is likely to destroy the patina on the copper-rich alloys. So, what products should be used on bronze sculptures?
Use Soap and Water
As simple as it may sound, these are the best products for cleaning your bronze sculptures. You just need to ensure you avoid soaps with scents like lemon and other additives that may damage the patina. Use a soft cloth, but if the sculpture has many nooks and cronies or is an indoor sculpture that is relatively small, a soft toothbrush will do. As you clean, ensure that water does not run down to the base where there is felt glue. This glue will loosen when it gets in contact with water.
Use the Right Waxing Products
Once the sculpture is completely dry, you can start the waxing process. Always use plain paste-wax with a soft rug or an unused paintbrush to apply. It is always a good idea to wrap the metallic base of the brush with masking tape to avoid accidental scratches. Most waxes take 20 minutes to dry, so you need to leave it on for that amount of time before you begin buffing. A soft rug will be the best candidate for this as well. It is important to avoid automotive waxes that will leave white marks on your sculpture when dry, leaving you will an unsightly piece of art.
photo by Joshua Ness on Unsplash
Do Not Be Too Aggressive
Even though bronze is a durable metal giving it many applications, you must avoid being too aggressive when cleaning it. This is because most bronze sculptors will add a wax layer as the sculpture dries so that it settles into the pores and preserves it for a year or so. Being too rough will get rid of this layer before enough manual waxing is done to replenish it, leaving your sculpture vulnerable to damage. You don’t want a tarnished-looking sculpture outside your beautiful home.
With a little care and effort, your durable bronze piece will last even longer and look even better. There is not much to it at all.
Comments on this How to Clean and Wax Bronze Sculptures guide article are welcome.
Edinburgh Architecture
St James Quarter Edinburgh
image of the development
St James Quarter
National Centre for Music at Royal High School, Edinburgh
New National Centre For Music Edinburgh
Comments / photos for the How to Clean and Wax Bronze Sculptures help page welcome
