Bronze Seminar Course

Lecture 3. Common conditions, repair and cleaning

	The care of public art is a public concern and can only succeed with public support.
I.	Common conditions : weathered structures and finishes
	For outdoor bronzes, the most common aesthetic problem is that a weathered patina prevents us from clearly seeing details of modelled shapes and textures. A. Minor repair B. Examples of conditions commonly observed   1. Human and animal effects 2. Failure of coatings 3. Corrosion effects 4. Recrystallized investment 5. Mineral deposits
II.	Minor repairs to stablize intact sculpture
III.	Cleaning
	Often the first step in treatment is cleaning. A. Dry methods B. Aqueous systems C. Non-aqueous or mixed systems After cleaning, bronze surfaces may need reintegration and protection, our topics in the next lecture