Chitika

Friday, April 26, 2013

Tips For Investigating A Statue Restoration Service

By Cherry Mercer


You can find statuary in many places, including public parks, cemeteries, private gardens, churches, and memorial sites. Outdoor statues all have one thing in common. That is, they can all suffer the effects of weather and pollution. Indoor ones aren't affected as much by weather or pollution, but they can be subject to damage by either vandals or well-meaning tourists. In these cases, it would be good to know a good statue restoration service.

Statuary comes in all shapes and sizes, and can be made of many different materials. These materials can include bronze, marble, granite, or chalk. Smaller sculptures might be made from kiln-fired clay, wood, cast metals, or precious metals. You could even carve something from a bar of soap, but you probably wouldn't want to display it outdoors. More modern artists might use either concrete or some sort of resin. In a rather unique case, the Statue of Liberty in the United States was built by placing copper sheathing over an iron skeleton.

Some statuary media are fairly durable, and other media are relatively fragile. Different media are subject to different kinds of damage. So, for example, if you have a fountain or a swimming pool, it would be wise not to place a bronze or marble statue close to it. The chlorine in the water may cause corrosion to these media.

It's also best to not place statuary close to any shrubs, dense trees, or overgrown ground cover. This could cause biological growth to take root on the sculpture's surface. If you have a statue located in an area such as this, then you'll want to keep things trimmed up.

Some kinds of damage don't occur quickly, and aren't always easily detected. Fungal cells combined with dust can settle on the sculpture's surface. Fungus may then take root and grow, especially if it's on metal, clay, or some type of porous stone. If you don't notice this problem soon, the damage might become impossible to repair.

Here are a few things to consider when you start looking into a restoration job. You will, of course, want to know right around how much the item is worth, so that you can have a better idea of how much you're willing to spend. With a modern, mass-produced item, you'd likely be better off buying a replacement, rather than to repair it. Of course, some items would be of an incalculable value. In these cases, the main consideration might only be of how much cash you can raise to get the project done. You also want to know what material the item is made of, so that you can locate shops who can work with that particular material.

Whatever the case, you need to obtain an estimate of the job's cost. Small items could be shipped to the service vendor, while large pieces would require a visit from a shop representative. Some places might want for you to send them photos of the item in question. Fees will vary based on the damage to be repaired, in addition to the materials and time required to perform the repairs.

Restoring unique or valuable statuary can be a rewarding experience. Perhaps you can even help preserve a piece of history. You can find many shops that perform statue restoration, by doing a simple Google search.




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