Care for stainless steel:

I use high grade stainless steel (Marine grade 316) in my sculptures which should be low maintenance. Fingerprints, water spots, dirt, etc., can easily be cleaned with a soft lint-free cloth and a stainless steel cleaner. I prefer Sprayway Stainless Steel Cleaner & Polish. If the area to be cleaned is less than 3 ft, spray cleaner on cloth and wipe steel. If the area is greater than 3ft, conservatively spray cleaner directly onto steel and wipe with cloth. If you notice rust or anything else concerning please contact me.

care for patinated bronze:

The best way to preserve the patina finish on your sculpture that is kept outside will be to re-wax it at least once a year, harsh climates such as high humidity, rainy, salty or intense sun environments it may be best to increase to twice a year. 

If your sculpture is kept inside it may never require any more care than light cleaning with a damp lint-free cloth. High sun exposure and humidity may cause the finish to dull or the color to shift. If so, this would require re-waxing.

Each bronze portion of a sculpture will have an undercoating of a high-grade lacquer and then will have a topcoat of Paste Wax (I use a brand developed within a collective of artists call Forged Finish).  The wax I use can be purchased online or Carnauba wax should be available at any decent hardware store or online.  If you don’t want to tackle this process contact me or a number of patina or art restoration companies will be happy to help you preserve your investment. 

·      Materials needed: Nitrile gloves, wax, a natural bristle brush, a nylon bristle brush or soft lint free cloth (depending on surface finish of sculpture).

·      When to apply wax: Carnauba wax should be applied to the sculpture when the piece is cool to the touch, so spring, fall or early mornings.

·      The sculpture should be clean, dry and free of contaminants; a gentle rinse with a very mild soapy water should do the trick.  Let the sculpture dry completely before applying the wax.

Waxing Process: (wax does contain petroleum distillates so wear gloves.) It is easiest if the sculpture is warm from the sun when doing this process.

·      Dab and swirl brush into wax to load brush, if brush gets overloaded dab onto paper towel before dabbing onto sculpture.

·      Gently dab brush on to sculpture to apply wax (don’t do brush strokes it could leave streaks that may never come out), you should see a slight color difference where the wax has been applied.  Continue with process until sculpture is covered.  Keeping brush clean and loaded with wax.

·      Once sculpture is covered with first coat of wax allow wax to dry thoroughly.

·      Then buff wax with circular motion, a medium stiff bristle brush (nylon or polyester bristle) for textured surfaces or a soft lint free cloth for polished surfaces.

·      One to two layers of wax are recommended, when applying second coat less wax is needed on brush and work delicately and much quicker as the second coat of wax will start to dissolve the first coat.  Follow above steps for second coat.