Are You Caring For Your Bronze Sculptures?

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Are You Caring For Your Bronze Sculptures? - By: Sagiv Shats, Posted on: 2008-03-24

Periodic dusting of your bronze sculpture is important for keeping down dust build up, so cleaning will overall stay to a minimal amount. If your vacuum cleaner has a soft brush attachment, then this will do quite well. Abrasives or harsh chemicals of any kind are also never to be used in any fashion on bronze, because abrasives and chemicals will permanently damage your bronze sculpture.

After proper washing of your bronze sculpture, rinse thoroughly with distilled water soaked cotton pads and continue with new wet pad rinsing until you are sure that all the detergent is removed. If it is a large outdoor bronze sculpture, then a gentle spray from a hose is acceptable for rinsing.

Even with the durable stability that bronze has and may hold up through variations of weather and harsh conditions, there is always a slight change of damage that can concur. Even with the best of environmental conditions, there are sometimes cases that may make you feel the need to touch up the surface for some particular reason.

Some people who purchase bronze sculptures and even many collectors have an appreciation for the natural bronze aging process that is referred to as naturally-aged patina. But for those who prefer a shinier expressiveness of their bronze sculptures, there are easy and safe methods to abide by.

Periodic dusting of your bronze sculpture is important for keeping down dust build up, so cleaning will overall stay to a minimal amount. Dusting can be done easily with a soft cloth or brush, with gentle strokes. If your vacuum cleaner has a soft brush attachment, then this will do quite well. If there are any loose pieces though, refrain from using the vacuum method.

For those bronze pieces that have become dirty and have collected grime due to the outdoor environmental conditions or by being improperly stored, then it can be cleaned very carefully with a very mild and gentle dishwashing detergent solution. Never use soaps as soaps leave behind a filmy residue. Abrasives or harsh chemicals of any kind are also never to be used in any fashion on bronze, because abrasives and chemicals will permanently damage your bronze sculpture.

Before any type of cleaning, make sure to do a tiny test spot in the most inconspicuous place that you can find, to make sure that the cleaning solution is safe enough on the bronze and not remove the surface of patina. This can be done with a cotton swab for the testing, but bigger cotton pads can be used for the actual cleaning its self.

Make sure to have plenty of clean cotton pads, because as soon as each pad starts to become grimy, make sure to discard and start over with a new one. Redeposit of any grime while cleaning will eventually cause the dirt to be pushed into any crevices of the bronze, which is not good for your sculpture.

After proper washing of your bronze sculpture, rinse thoroughly with distilled water soaked cotton pads and continue with new wet pad rinsing until you are sure that all the detergent is removed. If it is a large outdoor bronze sculpture, then a gentle spray from a hose is acceptable for rinsing. Dry with a soft cloth, even in the crevices.

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Anita Satin Choudhary writes for Ivory and Art Gallery. Browse the gallery for unique collection of artifacts ranging from Bronze Sculptures to Silver Art and Jade Sculpture.