Liberty Replica - page two  Back to Page One

Missing and Unrepairable Pieces and Parts, Gaps and Cracks
There were many unrepairable and missing pieces and parts from the sculpture that had to be fabricated, fitted and hammered into place. The original rays were too badly damaged to save. In fact, as a result of a previous repair, 4 of the rays were actually cut out of plastic and attached with body filler and bailing wire. New rays were fabricated from 1/8" silicon bronze stock and the new pieces soldered together. The attachment of the new rays to the head involved pinning the pieces into the concrete-filled head and heavily soldered all around. The soldered joints were lightly ground and finished.

The bottom row shows some examples of some of the severty of the cracks and gaps and open seams. The far right shows an example of a larger missing sections that had to be fabricated, fitted and attached in a manner that was strong durable and weatherproof.

Attaching Body to Base
Not shown, the junction of the feet and robe to the bronze base was missing several large pieces which had to be sculpted, formed and fitted to the space for a seamless and pleasant transition. Attaching the thin copper sheeting to the 1/4" inch newly fabricated bronze base was a bit tricky due to the thickness difference. It was done by applying heat to the bronze base under the edge of the thinner copper, keeping the heat on the thicker base, and carefully soldering in and up and eventually catching the edge of the figure on the top and feeding the solder for a deep strong attachment.

Patina and Finished Details
After all repairs were finalized, the sculpture surface was thoroughly washed with stiff brushes and a mild soap and water. After drying, the surface was lightly blasted with a fine media using low air pressure. The next step was to use red scotch pads and water to revitalize the surface and allow the surface after the patina to have the wonderful depth and color variation.

The chemical patina is done using various acids and heat. The sculpture is again washed with a mild acid-neutralizing soap and blown dry. Next the piece is sealed with an acrylic lacquer which has some corrossion inhibitors. The seal coat thickness is about 1 ml thick and is allowed to cure 48 hours. Several coats of a good quality mycrocrystaline wax with a bit of pigment is applied. The surfaces were slightly heated to insure penetration and maximum protection. A light buffing brought out the beautiful depth of the colors.

Yearly Maintenance
Liberty was returned to her owner after the restoration was complete. I performed a yearly maintenance to the piece after one year and two year periods. Liberty still looks wonderful!

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