Why sculpture maintenance?

Why Sculpture Maintenance?

A sampling of possible conditions that may aect the beauty of outdoor sculptures

Why Sculpture Maintenance?

A sampling of possible conditions that may affect the beauty of outdoor sculptures.

The following booklet is about some of the obstacles outdoor sculptures have in the various environments they are placed.

The dust from nearby fields, the pollen from trees, the migration of birds, the changing temperatures from high heat to cold humidity, the high flow of visitors, the pollution in the air, the various types of minerals and chlorine in the water, fertilizer, overspray from nearby house painting, forest fires, etc, all will affect the beauty of the sculptures.

Sculpture maintenance is important to the collector’s outdoor sculpture collection.

Just as one manicures lawns, keeps windows washed, supervises the care for buildings, one must be an advocate for the protection of outdoor sculptures.

The following are examples of the obstacles outdoor sculptures may be subject to.

These are problems that could have been avoided if the collector had just routinely and properly maintained their collection. Many of the problems shown are mistakes made in maintenance choices: the wrong product was used, the sprinkler water was constantly spraying the sculpture, maintenance neglect, etc.

All of the following examples of neglected maintenance on outdoor sculptures where corrected by merely providing a professional maintenance program for the collector, none were re-patinaed.

Without a doubt, outdoor sculptures make an artistic and intrinsic impact to the area it is showcased and these sculpture are gifts to the future generations.

Thus, all outdoor sculpture collections should look like the day it was placed.

To quote one collector: “we fell in love with our collection all over again” Throughout the years we, David and Jo DeDecker of Sculpture Services of Colorado, have committed ourselves with the ultimate artisanship in sculpture maintenance. Sadly, we have discovered serious neglect to the care and maintenance of outdoor sculptures, hence we have involved ourselves with taking care of outdoor sculptures because: We care that your the Art lives Through the Ages.

Patina Left Unprotected Water Damage Besides the sun, water from irrigation sprinklers probably causes the most damage to outdoor sculpture.

Why? The water in irrigation systems is often unfiltered water, full of unknown minerals.

The mineral deposits from the water builds up layer after layer and adheres to the unprotected patina.

What is needed in cases where the sculpture is constantly sprayed with water is a coat of wax. The wax acts as a protective layer, protecting the patina from the harsh mineral deposits adhering to its surface. After the wax is applied, the water will now adhere to the wax, not the patina.

When the sculpture is annually maintained, mineral deposits on the wax layer are removed by cleaning and wax.

Patina Left Unprotected Bird Scat/Droppings The organic compounds in bird scat are amazing because it adheres to the surface of sculpture and is diďŹƒcult to remove. Certain types of bird scat can also leave a dark stain on the sculptures if the sculpture is left unprotected.

Bird Scat - Rubbing Away the Patina The photo above shows the patina rubbed off. Twice a year the clients had their crew clean and wax the sculptures. The problem was that birds constantly perched on the bronze horses’ mane and head, leaving droppings. As stated earlier, bird droppings are the worst, the compounds in bird scat is adhesive and difficult to get off. After many years of trying to keep up with removal, an untrained crew eventually rubbed through the patina.

Patina Left Unprotected This page shows two sculptures that were never cleaned or waxed.

The photo on the right shows the right half of the horse has very little wax or lacquer left. The patina is starting to show signs of stains from water channeling, stains from bird scat, and sun damage Note the base of the sculpture: here harsh mineral deposits from water sprinklers are building up. After a few wax conditioning sessions, these mineral deposits should release.

By simply cleaning and waxing the sculpture, we were able to restore 90% of the original patina.

The photos below show a patina never cleaned or waxed, the minerals in water had completely covered the original patina.

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Patina Left Unprotected These sculptures were not routinely cleaned or waxed.

This photo shows the build up of mineral deposits from the water sprinklers.

Patina Left Unprotected The sculpture in this photo shows the build up of mineral deposits from the water sprinklers and mold growing in certain areas.

Note in the photo the surrounding area: moss is growing on the trees, on the stone of the bench, the concrete base. The same atmospheric conditions, created by man or nature, will adhere themselves onto the sculpture.

Cleaning and wax conditioning did remove the mineral deposits and moss.

Mold and Mildew The following page illustrates two concrete sculptures that have not been maintained and are placed in a very wet area of the gardens.

As one can see, mold and mildew has begun to grow and stain the concrete.

Patina Left Unprotected- Mag Chloride and Urine The sculpture was never cleaned or wax conditioned, and is near a road where magnesium chloride is used on the road to melt ice.

Some of the mag chloride has splashed and dried on the sculpture and speckled it with turquoise green dots.

Cleaning and wax conditioning did remove the mag chloride.

Urine from animals or humans was also on the sculpture. Urine can permanently damage the patina and bronze.

The urine on sculpture needs to be neutralized, cleaned and waxed. Sometimes the use of colored wax will hide the urine stain.

Patina Left Unprotected The following sculptures were never cleaned or waxed.

Oxidations, mineral deposits and green cuprite are beginning to break down the patina.

The Wrong Type of Products The use of car wax on sculpture The photos on the right clearly show the sculpture was waxed with car wax, the whitish substance. Often people remember that someone told them to wax their sculpture, and innocently they think, well the sculpture is metal, hence like a car, they choose car wax.

Once car wax is applied, the layman finds it impossible to remove it from surface of the patina.

With the right products, car wax can be removed.

NO Car wax application

WITH car wax application

The use of WD-40 on sculpture The photos on the left depict the sculpture when it was first placed.

On the right, WD-40 was annually applied.

The sculpture is part of a city’s sculpture collection. Every sculpture, over 40 life-size sculptures, were oiled twice a year with WD-40, and as you see, WD-40 turned them black.

These sculptures will need to be re-patinaed.

We have also seen sculpture conditioned with Wesson Oil, Penetrol, Armor All, the wrong type of lacquer, etc. All of these products will damage the patina.

NO WD-40

WITH WD-40

The Wrong Type of Products Penetrol

We are seeing more and more sculptures conditioned with Penetrol.

Penetrol goes on wet and dries. With time it begins to get a gummy, green whitish look, and later flakes away from the surface of the bronze

This is our second year of cleaning and wax conditioning. trying to remove the Penetrol.

Finally, we have broken through the Penetrol. The arrow shows a clean area, where all Penetrol is finally gone and the patina restored.

The Wrong Type of Wax This particular sculpture was waxed with car wax, the whitish substance.

Often people remember that someone told them to wax their sculpture, and innocently they think, well the sculpture is metal, hence like a car, they choose car wax. Once car wax is applied the layman finds it impossible to remove; hence, the sculpture is left with this whitish film. With the right products, car wax can be removed. photo shows before and after Car Wax

Cleaned and Properly Waxed

Too MuchWax and Mineral Deposits This particular sculpture was waxed with too much of wax designed for outdoor sculptures, and then to compound the problem, mineral deposits from irrigation water built up on the surface.

Patina Left Unprotected Water Channeling If a sculpture is not maintained, cleaned and waxed, water channeling occurs.

Water channeling is defined as water running o the surface in a repeated pattern.

Within time, water will etch the channel into the surface.

Patina Left Unprotected Water Channeling If a sculpture is not maintained, cleaned and wax, water channeling occurs.

Water channeling is defined water running o the surface in a repeated pattern.

Within time, water will etch the channel into the surface.

This particular sculpture was waxed with car wax, the whitish substance.

Patina Left Unprotected Water trapped Often sculpture do not have the proper drain holes or the drain holes are plugged. When water is trapped, it will eventually damage the patina. Note the halos in the patina where water has damaged the patina.

We check for trapped water and make the necessary decisions whether or not to drill a hole for the water to drain

Water trapped Often sculpture do not have the proper drain holes or the drain holes are plugged. When water is trapped inside the sculpture, it can damage the patina, and in areas of the country where temperatures fall below freezing, the ice will crack, split or bulge the bronze.

How does water get inside?

Bronze is an absorbent metal, so rain, snow, irrigation, condensation (a condition where the sculpture sweats), works its way into the sculpture and through time, as the water begins to build up, problems happen.

water crack

Patina Left Unprotected Trees Trees, too, are hard on outdoor sculptures.

Their sap, their pollens, leaves, broken branches, can greatly aect the patinas of a sculpture. If a sculpture is not cleaned and waxed, the tree’s pollutants can adhere to the sculpture.

The sculpture to the right shows sap from evergreen trees. Sap is one of the worst tree substances to remove, for it really adheres to the bronze.

When piles of leaves are left on the sculpture, within time mold will start adhering to the surface of the sculpture.

We have seen many broken branches that has fallen from the trees and onto the sculpture scratching the patina and a few cases where the larger broken branches have damaged the sculpture.

Before

Painted and Powered Coated Metals All outdoor paints within time fade, oxidize and suer the same problems as other sculptures (water, bird droppings, ect) and need to be cleaned and waxed.

After

Patina Left Unprotected The Kansas clients never cleaned or waxed their collection.

Elements of the sun, water have started to break down this patina.

We are not sure if this chloride is from urine, an over spray of fertilizer or window cleaner. We were able to remove it.

This area of the patina is breaking down with sun, possibly rubbed back by admirers.

The sun breaks down sculptures/patinas that are high polished.

At this point, the patina is scarred. Maintenance will protect the sculpture, but the scar will still be there.

Dust and dirt. This is problematic because if rubbed or poorly maintained, the dirt can act as sandpaper, and scratch the patina.

This area of the patina is breaking down with sun and water. The sun breaks down bronze that is high polished.

At this point, the patina is scarred. Maintenance will protect the sculpture, but the scar will still be there.

Patina Left Unprotected The Human Touch The patina is a very thin layer of raw pigments, or colorants on the surface of a bronze.

It can easily be rubbed o by the human touch by either climbing on the sculpture or touching a certain area that greatly moves the viewer.

When sculptures are accessible to the public, often viewers climb the sculptures or touch them to feel them.

Outdoor Sculptures Just Get Dirty With out a doubt, outdoor sculptures get dirty. Even if a sculpture collection is always maintained, it will still get dirty. Animals, man, pollutants in the air, mother nature, all play a part aecting beauty of outdoor sculpture.

The critical aspect of someone who maintains a sculpture collection, is to know not to work any type of dirt into the new wax application. One of the purposes of wax is to attract pollutants in order to keep them away from the patina. Because the old wax has accumulated pollutants it should always be removed. The pile of rages below show the dierent types of pollutants in old wax: dust, carbon monoxide, tree pollen, the minerals in water, mold, animal and human residue, etc.

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Outdoor Sculptures Just Get Dirty The expert who maintains a sculpture collection knows not to work any type of dirt into the new wax application. The old wax should always be removed for it has accumulated pollutants. And yes, the old wax has done it job, by attracting the pollutants and keeping it from the patina and the bronze

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Work completed by Sculpture Services of Colorado 8424 Firethorn Drive Loveland, CO 970-214-5060 www.WeCleanSculptures.com sculptureservices@gmail.com