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Letter 24091
Removing a clear coat finish from a bronze
statue
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I would like to remove a clear coat finish from the face of a
bronze Buddha statue located in a New Jersey Buddhist temple, so that
the face can be painted. I am not certain if the protector is oil or
acrylic based. My concern is not to damage the bronze finish with the
incorrect chemical remover.
Thanks,
David Newman
architect - Lawrenceville, New Jersey
October 17, 2009
Hi, David. Although you should obviously test in a non-conspicuous
place, because things sometimes aren't what you expect, most
organic paint removers should not have much effect on bronze.
I would start with acetone, since this is commonly used as a lacquer
thinner and may work fine. Although it is flammable, it is common
nail polish remover, so it's not exotic toxic chemistry. If that
doesn't do it, a methylene chloride based
aircraft stripper [link is to product info at Amazon] should --
but this is a really toxic brew that can only be used with great
ventilation and good personnel protective gear including
goggles [link is to product info at Amazon] and
protective gloves [link is to product info at Amazon].
Good luck.
Regards,
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Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com
Brick, New Jersey
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