How To Clean & Polish Antique Bronze with David Harper

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  • Опубликовано: 14 июл 2024
  • It’s very simple, takes hardly any time and costs very little in materials
    Here’s an antique bronze I’m selling - I’ll show you how to clean, wax polish and improve the appearance of the bronze as well as maintain it and keep it in good order
    This is a late 19th / early 20th century bronze figure on Cupid holding a bow.
    AFTER CHARLES GABRIEL LEMIRE, FRENCH (1741-1827)
    Titled: ENFANT À L'ARC
    Thanks for watching
    Cheers
    David Harper
    www.david-harper.uk
    #david harper #bargain hunt #antiques road trip #flog it #Clean bronze #polish bronze #How To Clean & Polish Antique Bronze #Antique bronze care #how to care for bronze }how to restore antique bronze #restoring bronze #cleaning antique bronze
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Комментарии • 69

  • @jonhickers
    @jonhickers Год назад +3

    It’s a pleasure to watch you work. Your passion for the medium is clear.
    Thank you for sharing.

  • @cathrynbyrnes8737
    @cathrynbyrnes8737 2 года назад +1

    Beautiful statue. Thanks David!

  • @flippintasty3310
    @flippintasty3310 2 года назад +1

    Thanks David😊👍 We absolutely love your videos👍 So helpful and fun at the same time😎😎🙏👍

  • @sallyhinkley1177
    @sallyhinkley1177 2 года назад +1

    Thank you David I have a similar mini version of this so going to get going with your technique

  • @helenabiesma5560
    @helenabiesma5560 2 года назад +1

    love detail to the brons cleaning

  • @shakielakarim6178
    @shakielakarim6178 2 года назад +1

    Great tip David and video, thank you for sharing 😀 👍 😊 🙏 appreciate it 👍 😀

  • @Rutlandeye
    @Rutlandeye 2 месяца назад +2

    Thanks for that David. I wonder if you will agree with a solution I had to invent. myself. High up on my house under a canopy I have a bronze bell cast by Newcombe in 1550 all part of a clock-tower Every time people in the past had painted under the canopy they had dropped dribbles of paint onto the bell
    Problem, how to remove the paint without affecting the patina. Nobody I spoke to could give me an answer. I could not use chemicals or scrub it so my solution was to chip it off. I needed something harder than the paint and softer than the bronze. So I used a 2p coin which had been flattened into a long cigar shape about 7 inches long and very thin and bendy. Worked a treat although it took hours. Followed that by soap and water to remove the bird shit and dirt and then gave it a good wax. Don't shout at me I used Traffic Wax because it is so durable and had a better chance in keeping the elements at bay. Tim

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  2 месяца назад +1

      Brilliant solution Tim. Worthy of a museum top tip I’d say! Cheers

  • @eddiehowarth8123
    @eddiehowarth8123 Год назад

    Wow great job simple but it works thanks David

  • @RobertGipson
    @RobertGipson 8 месяцев назад +1

    Thanks for this David. Now I know what to do with my bronzes …if I had any.. nice job

  • @davidjones6470
    @davidjones6470 2 года назад +1

    Nice one David, interesting vid as always sir, like that t-shirt 👌

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  2 года назад +1

      Cheers David. I made the t’s to promote an exhibition a few years ago. One of my paintings ‘Guitar Players’

  • @FazioEliz
    @FazioEliz Год назад +1

    David, thanks for the lesson.
    fazio

  • @thanhalaipple6684
    @thanhalaipple6684 Год назад

    I don’t normally like angels or cupids but that is a really nice piece and I would display that

  • @user-rd1mt1qh8z
    @user-rd1mt1qh8z 2 года назад +3

    I was taught to brush the dust and grit before you wipe the work down that way you don't cause any micro damage to the surface as the dust and grit can act as an abrasive.

  • @helenabiesma5560
    @helenabiesma5560 2 года назад +1

    please don't worry about the dates getting it right - I am the same and it is refreshing then to be told about them - and a beautiful brons

  • @skiracer
    @skiracer 2 года назад +1

    Dear David Harper, is that your artwork on that shirt? Nice bronze! Thank you for yet another cool video about antiques! Hi from Colorado!

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  2 года назад +2

      Cheers Ski. It’s one of my paintings ‘Guitar Players’ I produced them for an exhibition I did in London a few years ago

  • @ElliotBrownJingles
    @ElliotBrownJingles Год назад +1

    Marvellous video. Now to get some beeswax.

  • @emperorvader3101
    @emperorvader3101 Месяц назад

    When you're done with this sculpture..he he he....please send it to me first. :)

  • @antiquescentral
    @antiquescentral 2 года назад +2

    Interesting you use clear wax? I was always taught clear wax can leave an opaque sheen on the surface so don't use it. The advice I was given was always to use black wax on metal.

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  2 года назад

      I do use black/brown wax, but clear wax is fine as long as as you make sure you buff it all well and don't leave any in the hard to reach places, as it will look then like candle wax. Either or is fine. D

  • @OriginalNethead
    @OriginalNethead 2 года назад +1

    If you're an old dealer/collector, you clean old rhinestone jewelry with an old soft toothbrush.(like bronze, rhinestones do NOT like getting wet; it kills the paint on the back.) Get a new one for your teeth and use the old one to get uck out of tiny spots. An old paintbrush that's gone wonky are more likely in David's house. A wire brush on a bronze....ARGGGH! I have a small bronze hippo sitting here, not old at all, painted purple. I kid you not - that's how the artist made it. Too funny to leave behind.

  • @archiescat
    @archiescat 3 месяца назад

    Great video David. Is just chlorinated tap water ok or distilled or rainwater maybe better?

  • @eccuk777
    @eccuk777 Год назад +1

    Thank you David👍---mine has some tiny dots of white paint (probably the previous owner was doing some renovation and didn't cover it up...), how can I get rid of them without damaging the surface? Thanks🙏

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  Год назад +1

      Oh, the obligatory white paint! I have often found white paint spots on antiques…Shows that the piece has been in a home for a long period of time and a sign it’s not a repro! Be careful and use a little dab of hot water to loosen the spot and then gently pick it away with your finger nail or a plastic spoon. If that doesn’t work, try vinegar or white spirit. Then finish it with a wax. If it looks like you’re going to remove the patination, then that’s worse than the tiny white spots, so try it first on an area underneath or similar. Thanks for watching. D

  • @adam-uy6qg
    @adam-uy6qg Год назад +1

    hi david, would you also do this with spelter ?

  • @pauldennehy104
    @pauldennehy104 2 года назад +2

    Thanks David, I am always afraid that I would overclean an item. Would like to know how you made the wax as I have access to wax from a bee hive

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  2 года назад

      I’ll get around to making that video. Quite a few ingredients though!

  • @estajurado
    @estajurado 6 месяцев назад +1

    David, thank you very much. I have an antique bronze religious medal. Can I purchase some wax from you? I've followed your technique for cleaning it. Now I just have to wax it. Thank you, David

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  6 месяцев назад

      The best wax to buy is beeswax…I don’t have any of mine left!

  • @gretchenhudgens4507
    @gretchenhudgens4507 4 месяца назад +1

    Great video. Can u tell me what kind of cloth u used? Is it a jewelry cloth? Also, any beeswax in a jar is good, and do I need carnauba mix or either wax is ok?

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  4 месяца назад

      Just any soft cloth and a beeswax Polish, as long as it doesn’t have any silicone in it…good luck!

  • @alanmeech69
    @alanmeech69 Год назад

    David, I have a few original French Art Deco spelter figures. There is no loss or damage but the colour/patina is dull, no shine or depth. Can this method be used on spelters or do you have a method for those? Thanks Alan.

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  Год назад

      Good beeswax polish should help and yes this method shouldn’t cause any problems

  • @shortferal
    @shortferal 27 дней назад +1

    Thank you for this encouraging video! I recently purchased a Hartmann bronze crucifix and the entire corpus with halo appears to be gilded. There is a very little pitting evident along the thighs and some green in the lines inside the nimbus. Do you recommend clear besswax on these parts? I wiped it off with dry cotton balls and q-tips, followed by water diluted dishwashing liquid on more cotton balls, then wiped down with warm water-only dampened cotton balls. It feels a little dicey adding the wax, since the body is mounted to a mahogany wood cross. Is there any brand of wax in the US you can recommend for this piece? That will be gentle on the gilding, plus not leaving white lines in the wood grain? Thank you again! I'd almost resigned myself to living with grimey layers on it, but not anymore!
    (edited for spelling)

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  26 дней назад +1

      thank you. Yes, beeswax is a wonder product and will certainly help. D

    • @shortferal
      @shortferal 26 дней назад

      ​​@@DavidHarperAntiquesTVThank you, I'm having a difficult time finding a paste wax just from beeswax and carnauba. The closest I can find has coconut oil added. Is that preferable to mineral oil? Do things like lemon or lavender oils adversely affect the PH, becoming too acid on the bronze or the gilding, if used along with the beeswax? I'm trying to source a jar of plain beeswax and carnauba, but it seems these ingredients require some other emulsifer ingredient?
      Can you tell me? I'm in your debt. Kindly, Juliet

  • @carlitoswayz-Okan
    @carlitoswayz-Okan Год назад +1

    Hi. I just recently purchased a 6 foot bronze statue and it has some white deposits in a few areas that are hard. Looks like calcium deposits. What's the best way to remove it safely? Thanks!

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  Год назад +1

      I’d say just follow the instructions. Be gentle, don’t over do it as you can take away the patination

  • @NYSESTRA
    @NYSESTRA 5 месяцев назад +1

    What a wonderful video thank you for sharing it. I do have a question I hope you could answer- I’ve found a beautiful antique Japanese bronze dragon that I would like to purchase unfortunately I’ve spotted what appears to be bronze disease in its tail. Is there a cure for this or should I stay clear?

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  5 месяцев назад +2

      It’s never worried me, it’s part and parcel of what makes an antique. A good clean might help, but if you love it, why not own it!

  • @user-or6pm4hn7c
    @user-or6pm4hn7c 6 месяцев назад +2

    Hi David, can I use Daddy Van's All Natural Unscented Beeswax Furniture Polish? the ingredients are: Beeswax, Carnauba, and olive oil. Thank so much!

  • @helenabiesma5560
    @helenabiesma5560 2 года назад +1

    would those static clothes do the trick as well

  • @JOSELOPEZ-zd2px
    @JOSELOPEZ-zd2px 6 месяцев назад

    Hello thanks for the video. Is mink oil okay to use? Or specifically what is the brand name of the proper wax to use? Thanks for your help 🤘🏽

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  6 месяцев назад

      My pleasure. Old fashioned furniture wax is best - beeswax with no silicone in it

  • @shannonbrown7488
    @shannonbrown7488 6 месяцев назад +1

    Do you know of a cleaner that is commercial available since I don't have access to yours? Can I just use plain beeswax?

  • @manguscarpenter9519
    @manguscarpenter9519 Год назад

    Can you clean with steamer?

  • @mickmoore9782
    @mickmoore9782 10 месяцев назад

    Can I send you some pictures of a statue they want me to clean? I would love to hear your advice.

  • @luciengrondin5802
    @luciengrondin5802 18 дней назад

    If it was made in the 19th or 20th century then it's not antique, is it?

  • @helenabiesma5560
    @helenabiesma5560 2 года назад +1

    I mean micro ones - who have long hairs loops

  • @021423
    @021423 11 месяцев назад

    Good morning. I was given some very beautiful, bronze Holocaust medals years ago. They need to be cleaned; but I'm terrified of doing them damage. Could you please tell me if this method will work on them, the type of cloth to use, and the brand of wax? Lastly, how do I safely store them? I appreciate your help😊! Myra Kathryn

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  11 месяцев назад +1

      Hi Kathryn, I’m sure the method will work - just do it lightly. A soft clean cloth and any beeswax polish (not silicone polish) Wrap them in cloth and put them in a drawer or display them in a glass cabinet. Best wishes

    • @021423
      @021423 11 месяцев назад

      @@DavidHarperAntiquesTV Thank you kind sir! I will do exactly as you say! Your videos are AMAZING!!!🤗🤗🤗

  • @BrianFrenchinternet-marketing
    @BrianFrenchinternet-marketing Год назад

    Fake bronze....

  • @georgebelev1900
    @georgebelev1900 10 месяцев назад

    Thanks for wasting my time!

    • @DavidHarperAntiquesTV
      @DavidHarperAntiquesTV  10 месяцев назад

      Why would this be a waste of time? If you don’t want to clean bronze, why would you watch the video?