Buying a Bronze Sculpture 101: Installing Your Statue

After you've purchased your new bronze sculpture, statue, or fountain you'll be asking yourself, "Now what do I do with it?" We constantly get asked what the best way to mount one of pieces is. And, really, there are many answers which is why we don't generally recommend a specific way. This is mostly because each location and use for the bronze is very different. What works in one place may not be a good idea in another. As the customer you'll need to assess what you'll be doing with the bronze and which installation is appropriate. Mounting brackets can be welded to the piece and then bolted to a concrete slab, the base can be drilled allowing an anchor bolt to be fed through. We've had customers simply sink a steel pipe filled with concrete and a bolt sticking out which was set in place through a hole in the base. Another method is to bolt a metal plate to a concrete slab and then have the piece welded to the plate. Construction grade apoxy, which hardens harder than concrete, can be used. The bases are hollow on nearly all pieces and we've actually had people fill the cavity with concrete to weigh the piece down. So, as you can see, the methods are as varied as the styles we offer. We recommend you consult a local landscape designer or specialist who should have some experience mounting sculptures in your area. Their knowledge will be invaluable to making sure your new bronze gets installed the best way for your need and ensure it looks good for many years to come. An example of this is our mermaid and dolphin piece that was installed for a homeowner in florida.

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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Patina or paint?

When you read some of our descriptions you'll often notice that we mention that a piece is colored with an all natural "patina" finish. You may ask yourself, "What the heck is a patina?" Bronze is made up of a few metals, mainly copper, and some other alloys. These metals, when heated, react in a certain way to different chemicals and acids which produce a certain color. The real look of a bronze sculpture that has no patina is that of a new penny. The "traditional" look of bronze statues, that dark brown coloring like our wild horse, is actually a patina that was applied to the heated metal to create the color. Bronze can be colored in several shades using this chemical reaction process. Most often they are greens and browns. If you want your bronze statue or fountain to have a more realistic look,like our Mermaid with 8 dolphins, traditional paint must be used. An oil based paint, like automotive grade, gives a shinier, almost porcelain appearance, whereas acryllics will be more of a matte finish. In both cases a protective coating is applied to maintain the look for a long time.
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