Cleaning a patinated horse statue  

Letter 24254

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I have a patina horse statue that sits on a base in a waterfall. We use chlorine to keep the water clean. Unfortunately, water has gotten to the horse. The base and on one side of the horse has turned turquoise. What can we clean the horse with without hurting the patina?

Priscilla Gutierrez
hobbyist - Phoenix, Arizona

Hi, Priscilla. I'm apparently having some problems with what you mean by 'patina' because I'm not understanding why a turquoise color is considered damage to your patina. Maybe the horse is brown? If the copper has turned turquoise in an area, it is no longer brown underneath; you can't remove the turquoise to re-expose the brown.

Or are you saying that this turquoise staining is what you want to preserve, but it get's moldy or off color? A picture would probably help!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey