Congratulations on the purchase of your new, one-of-a-kind bronze sculpture, an artistic investment that will bring you generations of pleasure and enjoyment! Made principally from copper and other non-ferrous metals, each piece of bronze sculpture is made entirely by hand by artisans skilled in the “Lost Wax” casting method, unsurpassed for rendering life-like detail to metal sculpture. Unchanged since Roman times, Lost Wax casting takes several steps over a four to six week period to complete. The result is a richly-finished, vibrant and lifelike piece of bronze sculpture. To ensure maximum enjoyment of your investment, please take a few moments to read this important information:
We strongly recommended that sculpture used for any of the following purposes be safely and permanently secured to prevent theft or accidental tipping over, which could cause serious injury:
Sculpture intended to be placed in public areas.
Sculpture not inherently stable (i.e., does not have a very low center of gravity); particularly large, heavy, and upright pieces, which include many wildlife and animal designs; e.g., horses, giraffes, etc.
Sculpture designs that are inherently an “attractive nuisance” to children wishing to jump on or attempt to play on them; e.g., horses, animals, fountains, etc.
Although many sculpture designs are mounted on a base to provide stability, the base is not designed to prevent accidental tip over. We recommend bolting the piece to a secure base: e.g., a concrete patch, pad or prefabricated metal* or wooden base that can secure the base of the sculpture. The recommended method is to drill holes big enough to fit 3/8” or larger bolts, or bolting mounting brackets on the base, which can then be secured. A high-torque drill, which is a commonly found at any hardware store, is the preferred type of drill for this purpose. Color-matched patina can be used to match the bolts to the color of the base.
**Do not mount a bronze sculpture directly onto a steel base.* The merging of these two dissimilar metals, especially when wet, will, in time, cause a chemical reaction called electrolysis (where the metals may deteriorate). To avoid electrolysis, bronze sculptures may be mounted onto a steel base by placing a rubber, silicone or plastic buffer in between the two metals, ensuring that the metals do NOT meet.
Stainless steel with an alloy number of no less than 3/16 is an exception as this quality of metal is inert.
A secondary method is to set the base of the piece directly into a curing cement base, and allowing the cement to dry, permanently securing the piece. Although this will obtain the desired result, it will be difficult to move the piece once this process is used.
If other securing options prove untenable, brackets can be welded directly to the base. Use this method only if other options will not produce the desired result. This is because the process of welding results in re-heating the metal sculpture, which will peel off the finish up to a foot around the weld area, requiring patina to be color-matched and re-applied to the welded area.
If you have any questions, please contact us anytime Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at 302-738-2190 or email us directly at sales@bigbronze.com for your bronze sculpture installation as we are always here to help.
