The early bird gets the worm, and the best selection and prices!

We constantly tell people that call in to inquire about one of our pieces that the time to buy is now, generally this goes unheeded because people assume it's just a sales tactic. It's not. We have a lot of sculptures and fountains in-stock, but never more than 1 or 2 of each style. What this means to a consumer is it's better to buy now than wait and hope for a better price. We're already the lowest priced dealer in the country so waiting and hoping to save an extra hundred dollars may actually cost you more in the long run. All our in-stock prices are based on our cost AT THE TIME we purchased it. If you wait, and the piece sells out, you now risk paying significantly more because the next time we order it the price will have gone up on our end which means it's going up on your end as well. Plus, by ordering sooner than later you'll get the best selection as well.

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Bronze Sculpture 101: Understanding Patina

As stated on wikipedia:

Patina (pronounced /ˈpætənə/ or /pəˈtiːnə/) is a film on the surface of bronze or similar metals (produced by oxidation over a long period); a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure. On metal, patina is a coating of various chemical compounds such as oxides or carbonates formed on the surface during exposure to the elements (weathering). Patina also refers to accumulated changes in surface texture and colour that result from normal use of an object such as a coin or a piece of furniture over time.

Patinas are restricted to exposed surfaces and are fragile (that is, they can flake off). One reason bronze is so highly valued in statuary is that its patina protects or passivates it against further corrosion. This natural patina is solid and seldom shows a tendency to flake. Brass is also resistant to corrosion, but it is, in the long run, not as attractive since local pitting shows against the shiny background.

The green patina that forms naturally on copper and bronze is often mis-named verdigris and usually consists of a mixture of chlorides, sulphides and carbonates. copper carbonate or copper chloride. Atacamite is another name for the patina compounds. Verdigris can be produced on copper by addition of vinegar (acetic acid) - such a verdigris is water-soluble and will not last on the outside of a building like a "true" patina.

One example of a patina is a green surface texture created by slow chemical alteration of copper, producing a basic carbonate. It can form on pure copper objects as well as alloys which contain copper, such as bronze or brass.

Artists and metalworkers often deliberately add patinas as a part of the original design and decoration of art and furniture, or to simulate antiquity in newly-made objects.

A wide range of chemicals, both household and commercial, can give a variety of patinas. They are often used by artists as surface embellishments either for color, texture, or both. Patination composition varies with the reacted elements and these will determine the color of the patina. For copper alloys, such as bronze, exposure to chlorides leads to green, while sulfur compounds (such as "liver of sulfur") tend to brown.


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Bronze Sculpture 101: Fixing minor blemishes

In this post we'll be talking about repairing and/or maintaining your bronze sculpture in the event that something happens to it. Bronze is a very durable, long lasting metal that ages well. However, it's not indestructible. On occasion, some wearing or scratching of the patina may occur; during movement of the piece from one location to another. And, rarely, cracking can occur when when the weld holding two parts of the sculpture together comes loose. The beautiful part about bronze is that these are both very easily corrected. For scratches and scrapes that may remove the patina down to the bare metal, just a simple re-patination is all that's required. For minor cracks, the area around the crack has to be sanded to the bare metal then brazed and welded. Once the weld is done and smoothed, a simple re-patination is done and the piece will look as good as new. Preventative maintainance goes a long way in preventing these type of issues from occurring. Being careful when moving the piece and putting a protective coating on will help your sculpture stand up to the elements and last for many many years to come.

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Doing our part to be a Green company

Nowadays, being a "green" company is almost as important as being an upstanding, customer friendly one. Here at bigbronze.com we try and do our part; we're always using boxes discarded by other companies in our complex to ship our smaller pieces and we almost exclusively use wooden pallets that were used as the base of our crates for the larger pieces we ship. Both these items would become landfill if we didn't step in and recycle them for our own use. We've also kind of taken it upon ourselves to sort of recycle people too. By that I mean we offer jobs to individuals that would otherwise have little prospect for finding work. These men are often down on their luck or dealing with personal issues that make them not desireable for a traditional 9-5 type of job. We give them the chance to make an honest days wage for an honest days work and to have something to take pride in.
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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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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Preserving Your Bronze

After you purchase your new bronze sculpture, statue, or fountain you'll want to ensure that it keeps its beautiful look for many years to come. Now, you may want to leave the piece alone and have it naturally "age" over time. A lot of people like the pieces even more once they begin to get that Statue of Liberty look to them. If you're one of these people, just sit back and enjoy your piece as is and it will weather over time. However, if you'd like the piece to retain its original look, like our Eagle, some protection will be required. When these piece are created they're polished with a wax like Kiwi Boot polish which gives them that beautiful luster. Eventually, that initial coating will wear off and the weathering process will begin. To prevent this you can put on a new coating of the same type of polish, plain paste wax, or a clear spray on laquer. We recommend Permalac. It comes in a spray can and is easy to apply. You definitely never NEVER want to use any automotive grade waxes or abrasives as it will remove the finish rather than protect it. A little simple maintenance every few years will keep your bronze looking as good as the day you bought it!

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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Accent or Impact?

When you make the decision to purchase a bronze sculpture, statue, or fountain the most important question to ask yourself is, "What am I going for?" This simple question can go a long way to helping you narrow down your search and make the process much less stressful. There's basically two trains of thought, " Do I want a subtle yet pleasing accent or do I want to make an impact!?" You should sit down and take a look at your specific need to figure this out. A small garden with a water feature? You may want to get a piece like the heron, pictured, that will add beauty yet not overpower the landscape. Have a business you'd like to see get more attention? A large bronze statue like our charging bull, pictured above, would be the way to go. A piece like that is sure to get the attention of passers by as well as your clientele. A piece that large will make much more of an impact than a flat sign, no matter how fancy. And often, it's cheaper than a sign! The same holds true with a bronze fountain. Is it going to be the focal point of the space it's in or add to the overall ambience? Just a quick evaluation will help you to decide which direction you need to go in and make the buying process a good one!

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Buying Bronze Sculpture 101: Shipping Tips and Cost

Shipping a large piece of bronze sculpture or fountain is no small task. Many times, the cost of shipping can be a deal breaker when a piece needs to be shipped across country. Bronze is heavy, especially when you're dealing with life-size works. Most people don't realize the cost involved and often directly compare the shipping cost to the price they paid for the statue or fountain itself. We encourage our customers not to do this for two reasons; first, you're liable to miss out on an incredible price and second, the shipping cost we're able to offer is often far and away better than you would pay as an individual. We often recommend brokers like Blue Grace Logistics or Diversified Transportation Services who can get the lowest rates by bidding the job to competing companies. Also, you must take into account the work that goes into getting your bronze ready for shipment. Each piece must be carefully wrapped and crated, with the crate being completely tailored to each work of art. This service is often free. In fact, if you ever need to ship a piece yourself you'll want to be sure to put it on a pallet base for easy moving, and build a secure crate with a lot of supports for the piece so it won't move around during it's journey. Not doing so will most likely result in damage to your sculpture or you may not be allowed to ship it at all. A good way to know if you're getting a good deal on shipping is if the amount is pre-paid or collect. If it's pre-paid the company has most likely added a pecentage over the estimate they received to cover themselves, but this means you may be paying an extra couple hundred dollars you didn't need to. The same holds true with "Free Shipping"; generally this just means that the cost of the shipping has been added in to your price, with the same mark-up you'd find with the pre-paid. We like doing freight collect. It ensures that the customer only pays the exact amount due and eliminates the upcharge we would have to include. This way, the customer knows they're not being taken for more money than needed. At bigbronze.com we want our customers to feel they are getting the maximum savings we can provide, be it through us or an outside broker.

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Buying a Bronze Sculpture 101: Understanding the Process

The history of bronze sculpture dates back several thousand years, and was predominately used in Greece, Egypt, Rome and the Near Eastern civilizations. Many of the same techniques used thousands of years ago are still in use today, in fact.

Bronze is an alloy made by melting copper and tin in varying proportions, but the resulting metal is easily worked and melted, does not rust and has a smooth finish. The ability to be colored artistically using chemical treatment combined with the ease of use makes bronze an ideal medium for many artisans.

The earliest method of making bronze sculpture was to use solid masses of bronze, but later artisans developed the lost wax casting method, which enabled the artists of the time to develop larger works of art, and produce the bronze sculptures faster.

About a thousand years ago, artists began using the lost wax casting method to create their masterpieces, and has been used by such renowned artists as Donatello, Rodin, Remington, and Russel, to name a few. The process of lost wax casting allows artists to produce as many works of their art as they feel fit, and while no two pieces of bronze sculpture are the same, all bronze made from the same mold is still original artwork.

Many famous sculptures belong in the public domain, and can be recreated in bronze using the lost wax casting method process to put a piece of history in your home or landscape project, at an affordable cost.

The Process

The first step in creating a bronze sculpture using the lost wax casting method is to sculpt the original piece from which the mold will be made. All the detail is captured in this stage, which is the basis for the rest of the process.

The next step of casting is to pour molten wax into the mold, using layers of wax to form an exact duplicate of the original casting.

The wax is pulled from the mold and detailed, or chased, welded and polished by individual artisans. Each piece may contain some small variation from the original, but the reproductions remain true to the original sculpture.

Wax rods and pouring cups are attached to the wax casting to assure a full pour. Using a temperature controlled climate, the wax casting is dipped into investment liquid (liquid clay, essentially). After the first dip, a powder is applied to the clay, and on subsequent dips a layer of ceramic sand is applied, creating a ceramic mold that must be allowed to dry between layers.

The ceramic shell is then placed into a kiln and fired, the shell is baked and the wax is melted (lost) from the shell, creating a hollow ceramic shell mold and the phrase 'lost wax casting.' The mold is removed from the kiln, and molten bronze is poured into the shell at about 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.

After several hours of cooling, the unfinished bronze is carefully stripped of the ceramic shell. The ceramic shell fragments are carefully removed from the bronze, which is carefully inspected at this stage.

If required, this is the time when a master craftsman would weld larger sections together, and chase or re-detail the weld marks. Afterward, the craftsman uses a process called 'glass beading' in which the bronze is sprayed with powdered glass under extremely high pressures to ensure an even bronze finish.

The bronze is now hand polished and heated to await the patina application. The patina is hand applied by the artisan, and a layer of wax is hand applied with heat to ensure a lustrous patina finish. After a final inspection, the bronze sculpture is now ready for delivery and display.

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Bronze Sculpture Statue Patina Application Process

This video was taken on our last trip to the foundry. It shows part of the patina process for the bronze statues and sculptures we have. It's a very cool process as you can actually see the metal change before your eyes. People don't always realize the amount of work that goes into creating these pieces but they are all individually hand colored. Just another reason our pricing is so fantastic. You just won't find better prices for truly hand made sculptures or statues.