Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Bronze sculpture: Removing paint & refinishing
Q. I found a really nice bronze bust, but someone painted it white, how do I go about getting the paint off without losing that great patina that is on it.
Please help me.
- Jonesville, Virginia
2002
A. Hi, Elaine. Maybe the patina is only on the areas where the paint has worn or chipped off, and there is probably no easy way to know whether there is a patina underneath the paint. So if someone suggests a method, you should recognize that maybe there was no patina, rather than their method removed it :-)
I'd try removing the paint with a strong non-aqueous solvent like turpentine
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links]
, mineral spirits
⇦ this on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links]
, or if necessary "Aircraft Stripper" (much more noxious). Organic solvents like this should not attack metal. Avoid water based citrus solvent (which might dissolve the patina), and with as little rubbing as possible (not that I've actually done it though).
If you do end up needing the methylene-chloride based aircraft stripper, be extremely careful: you need not only
goggles
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] and rubber gloves
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] , but outstanding ventilation. Do it outside, standing upwind of the work.
In the worse case you may need to restore the patina or let it restore itself. Good luck!
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I too have a bronze covered in paint [black]. I wondered how Elaine got on with stripping her bronze. Or, if anyone else has done the same. Do's and don't would be very much appreciated here as I do not want to ruin what looks like a superb figure.
Thanks,
- Somerset, UK
2003
A. Hi, Joy. Avoid "caustic" strippers, plus the patina may not be fully adherent and may be slightly soluble in water, and certainly in acid, which is why I would minimize rubbing and avoid citrus solvents, which I suspect might tend to dissolve the patina.
The Aircraft Stripper is very noxious to humans, and requires goggles and rubber gloves, and excellent ventilation -- but should prove harmless to bronze. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Ed. update March 2020: Amazon and some other places no longer offer any methylene chloride based strippers. It's possible that they are no longer available to non-professionals due to their toxicity.
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors and repetition :-)
Q. I bought some great 100 year old bronze bookends (the antiques guy assured me they are bronze) but they have been painted, and a pretty poor job too. Can you recommend a product that might get the paint off? Will I damage the finish? Is there a type of company that does this sort of thing?
Peggy [surname deleted for privacy by Editor]-Maryland
2003
A. Turpentine (mineral spirits) can perhaps do it, Peggy, and I see no reason to suspect that it would damage bronze. But if that doesn't work, what almost surely will work is "Aircraft Stripper".
But this is methylene chloride, and really toxic -- so goggles
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] , rubber gloves
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] , and really good ventilation (outside and upwind) are required. Good luck.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. Several years ago some well-meaning, but uninformed, member of my church painted our 128 year old bronze church bell with aluminum fence paint. I managed to remove the paint (it was only on for a few days) using oven cleaner ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and a soft scrub brush. (Several applications.) Doing it outdoors it all "washed away" with the hose, so no paint stripper to deal with. Also, it didn't destroy the original patina of the bronze bell!
Paul Snyder- St. Louis, Missouri USA
August 29, 2011
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors and repetition :-)
Q. I have an old bronze statue that was painted many years ago. The painted surface is matte so I don't think the paint was enamel. I believe it was painted in the '20's or '30's. I would like to remove the paint and restore the statue to its original finish. Can you tell me how to do this?
Thank you very much,
- San Francisco, California, USA
2004
A. You can use any solvent base paint stripper (methyl ethyl ketone or DMF based)! 4 parts acetone
⇦ this on
eBay
or
Amazon
[affil links] Warning! highly Flammable!
/1 part ammonia
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] (25%) mixture is usable too. Cleaned object must be well rinsed and then dried with acetone or pure alcohol.
Good luck!
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
Q. The suggestion is interesting. We have a huge bronze bell that is 160 years old that was painted with silver paint. We would like to remove this paint so as to retain the natural patina. Will your method also work with this?
Patrick Harris- Aurora, Oregon, USA
2006
Multiple threads merged: please forgive chronology errors and repetition :-)
Q. We have a man-size bronze sculpture outdoors. Years back, it went dark due to pollution, acid rain, etc. So, it was painted over with metallic paint. :-(
Right now, we would want to restore it to its original finish. How could we remove the paint without using metal scraper or chemicals that would further destroy the brass?
Help please. . .
Designer - Daly City, California
October 26, 2009
A. Hi, Javier. If we rule out mechanical removal and chemical removal, we might be left only with wishing it away :-)
I believe you will find that organic paint strippers, like methylene-chloride based Aircraft Stripper, will have no bad effect on the bronze. But try it in an inconspicuous place first, of course. But methylene chloride is really noxious stuff, so a full safety protocol is in order, including goggles
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] , rubber gloves
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] , and excellent ventilation (outdoors, working from upwind).
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. That is job for professional metals conservator. Hope it helps and good luck! Goran Budija- Cerovski vrh Croatia A. Hello Javier, most likely a bronze sculpture. You can use heat as with a paint removing gun or torch which will blister the paint. This is perhaps the best idea then follow with a high pressure water spray to lift paint. Thanks Barry Feinman BarrysRestoreItAll Carlsbad, California |
A. Barry's idea is a good one that I didn't think of! Just make certain that your stuff really is solid bronze first. I don't like to even think what a torch will do to plaster or fiberglass, or maybe even a bronze plated zinc die-casting.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March 2020
Q. I have a 15th century bronze buddha and somebody repainted it.
Can I get paint off without ruining Buddha. And get old patina back?
Regards, Isi
hobbyist - Kapellen belgium
March 11, 2020
A. Hi Isi. How tall is this statue? If you're confident that it's actually a 15th century bronze casting, and you're planning on a hobbyist playing around with it, count me out :-)
One recently sold for $558,000 USD; as Goran noted, this kind of stuff is for a professional metals conservator, not internet advice based on a pic or two.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Refinish a cast bronze sculpture
Q. How to clean the paint off of this lovely lady? I think she is bronze with many layers of paint. I would be happy to have her back to bronze with a protective coat -- or even paint again -- because she was LOVELY when I got her with fresh paint.
Anne Miller
- Wilmington Delaware
November 15, 2020
A. Hi Anne. I suspect that you are right that this is cast bronze, but you might check with a magnet to make sure it's not cast iron.
A rule of thumb is that solvents will rarely affect metals, but acid & alkalis can harm many metals. So you can probably use turpentine or other solvents as previously discussed on this page, but make sure your paint stripper is not caustic-based!
I'm no artist, so not someone to take artistic advice from, but I think bare bronze will look sort of funny looking. I think it needs to be repainted. However, I don't think you can just slap on one uniform color of paint either; I think someone with artistic sense (maybe you, maybe a friend) needs to repaint it with some light & shadow.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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