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Darius
Bronze Bronze and brass are general names applied to alloys of copper with another metals (zinc, lead, tin, nickel, aluminum, etc.). Applied ornaments, handles and marquetry (Boulle work) are made of them. In high quality furniture the bronze ornaments were gilded and known as "ormolu". The classical process of making it was to apply an alloy of gold and quicksilver and then heating the ornament. This was an extremely poisonous process. Surviving pieces of XVIII century show remains of this extraordinary effective process, which must be preserved at any price. The methods of preserving and restoring bronze ornaments may consist in: cleaning with water and ammonia (very little, it's extremely pungent) and/or organic solvents to remove dirt; polishing with a mechanical device with a paste of aluminum oxide, not touching the gilded areas to bring back some of the original shine, and finally covering the bronze ornament with one or more layers of an acrilic varnish so as to preserve from oxidizing. This is made in order to restore to a certain point the aesthetic unity of the piece. Lost ornaments may be replaced with replicas made in cast fusible alloys or cast bronze (I don't agree with the last, they may not be distinguished from the originals). |
1999 Darius Gubala