Fiske Zinc Dog Restoration - page two Back to Page One |
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Fist Replacement Bottom Base had been Fabricated with Angle Iron
The original bottom base of the damaged dog, had been completely lost and had been fabricated from steel angle-iron with plaster inserts and body filler. It was removed and replaced with a fabricated zinc plate (two 1/8 pieces to make Ό thickness). All seams were carefully welded with zinc rod.
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Missing Parts: Upper Decorative Base
Large sections of the decorative upper base were missing and had to be molded and cast in 3 large sections. On the parts of the decorative base that were available, heavy corrosion had set in, along with fractures and tears which all had to be cleaned several times before good fusion was achieved.
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Joining Newly Fabricated base with Restored Upper Decorative Base
When the newly cast pieces were soldered with good fusion to the existing casting, and the dog was attached to the newly fabricated base, extra care was taken to properly fit and solder every imperfection 100%. All holes and gaps were filled and all newly joined edges had to be soldered and filled above the surface plane, then ground and finished to the proper height for a smooth and invisible transition. Every effort was made to insure good fusion throughout the entire thickness. Surface patterns and textures were recreated as close as possible to the artists intention using martello and over 20 different chisels that created various undulations, lines and marks to match the original surface.
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Cold Welds
Also aggravating the situation was the fact that cold welds had been left as a result of poor soldering techniques during the first restoration done years ago. Cold welds refer to improper welds where the base metal has not being heated sufficiently and is too cold to accept the solder. In this case some fusion may be achieved on the edging which may close the crack or joint, but there is no strength there at all.
All old solder joints were removed and new welds were made with good fusion throughout. All soldered joints and fill areas were peened with Martello and various hand-made chisels to compress the crystalline structure. This process hardens and strengthens the crystalline structure giving the joint superior strength and durability and closes any pinholes that might be present.
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Color
It was the desire of the owner to recolor the pieces from the white paint to a finish that would give the pieces an aged bronze look
To accomplish this, the sealed pieces were finished with epoxy primer and then painted in several layers using multiple colors and pigments. This process was done slowly and artistically to achieve a warm and harmonious look and to appear to be aged, mellow bronze.
The pictures below show the original paint, the dog during repairs when the paint had been stripped off, and the finished bronze look.
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Pins and Screws
Pins and screws had been used to hold sections of the dogs together but are unnecessary if good fusion and inside support are present.
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Summary
 While some of the previous repairs were unsightly and not properly executed, to their credit, they did temporarily salvage the piece and prevent it from being lost forever. These dogs are beautiful works of art and fine examples from Fiske Manufacturing. It was my pleasure to have restored them and it is my hope that they will now be enjoyed by many generations to come. 
John Ward, Masterworks Studios
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