How Do We Refurbish a Bronze Garden Sclupture or Water Feature?

Because of the unique natural properties of bronze—its high copper content and its irrepressible want to oxide over time—eventually, the ‘living’ surface of your sculpture will transform into a beautiful rich shade of verdigris. 

Despite this unavoidable yet stunning evolution of your bronze garden sculpture, it is possible to not only slow down the natural process, but, in essence, reverse it. 

By utilizing time-honoured restoration techniques, we are able to fully refurbish each handcrafted piece back to its former glory—turning back the clock and stirring memories of when your sculpture was first installed in your garden. As if by magic, your story begins again…

These are techniques that Robert and I have perfected over the years, and today we’d like to give you a glimpse behind the curtain and show you the work that goes into refurbishing one of our bronze sculptures; the meticulous steps we can take to ensure that each coattail and bronze button is glimmering proudly once more. 

So, join us on another adventure, dear reader, and see how with a little bit of elbow grease and a few carefully-selected products and tools, we can fully restore your beloved literary-themed sculpture.

Clean, dry, and polish

The first step of the process is to clean the sculpture thoroughly with warm soapy water. Once we’ve rinsed off the soap and the sculpture is fully dried, it’s time to start cleaning with a brass brush. For the larger surface areas, we would tend to use a larger brush. We’ll also put to work a ‘scothbrite’ mop, powered into action with a cordless drill. We then apply a metal polish like such as Autosol, bringing the surface to shine with a soft cotton mop.

Coloured wax, renaissance wax, and enjoy!

After wiping off the excess product with a soft cloth, we then use a brush to apply coloured wax to selected areas. Here we can see the Hatter’s green hat band being treated and the colour restored.  We then allow the wax to dry, then polish with a lint-free cloth. To protect the surfaces, and prolong the life of your sculpture, we apply a Renaissance wax which is buffed with a cotton mop.

And, then, miraculously, your sculpture is fully refurbished and ready to enjoy!

How can we help?

If you’d like any guidance on bronze sculpture restoration, or for care and maintenance advice in general, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We'd love to chat!