Restoration of a resin statue of St. Philomena (Filomena in Italian) which was destroyed in transit from Italy to Canada. #statuerestoration #statuerepair
Excellent restoration! Seems to me to be nothing short of a miracle! Wow!! Wish I knew someone like you in my area to restore an Our Lady of Grace statue. She is not in pieces but very old and now weather worn. And, BTW, I love the background music. Brings the entire video together. Beautiful. God blessing to all! 🙏💕🙏💕
i like how the look of her face is, others look like she is eighteen, she is not, she is one of the youngest saints who got martyred (she is a greek princess btw, Philomena means daughter of light) at the age of 13
What A Miracle! Your work is impeccable... God Bless You! I will go straight to this statue and adore it... the first moment our Church is re-opened!!!
Well, thank you so much. We are always very pleased when we hear that our work prompts people to pray for the intercession of the Saints. God bless you.
Your video is really helping me repair a resin statue of Mary which also suffered extensive damage being shipped from Medjugorje to USA. And yes, precise alignment of pieces is critical. I'll be doing some sanding. The resin statue was unpainted. I'm using super glue, then fiberglass mesh tape with epoxy and plaster coating on the interior. But I soon will not be able to access the interior to tape, epoxy and plaster the final cracks. Should I cut a big hole in the bottom of the base? The Harbor Freight super glue is surprisingly strong. I had to rebreak a misaligned piece and the break occurred in a new place next to the repaired crack! Should I fill the interior with insulating foam spray? After sanding, I'll apply plaster or wood filler to any remaining blemishes. Painting: I'm planning to spray the entire statue (inside and out) with gray automotive sandable primer. Then use acrylic paints for the finish coats. Someone recommended alkyd enamel paints. Apparently thicker paint to hide scratches? The statue will be displayed outdoors, but perhaps under a protective covering of some sort.
Thanks for your kind comment. I’ll Be glad to offer advice or opinions via email exchange. Steve.winogron@gmail.com. I’ll ask for a photo or two and we can talk from there if you’re interested.
Thank you Tony. Yes we absolutely love when we can take something that’s broken or a very old and Restore its beauty and purpose. A majority of the pieces we restore are used for prayer and reflection. Great joy.
Really nice! You have real magic in your hands. By the way I live in Italy. Could I have an insight on the story behind this statue? Was it shipped to Italy and back? Or was it an Italian statue?
Hello! The statue was purchased in Italy and shipped to Canada. But it arrived here in nearly 90 pieces, as depicted in the video. We entered the picture only after the statue had arrived, so we don't know all the details, sorry. And thank you for your kind comments.
I shipped a more than 100 year old Mary statue to India (my greater grandmother's) and the head broke off. Since I'm not able to find anyone here who knows how to repair these kind of plaster statues, I'm looking to repair it and restore it myself. Is there any tutorial you can recommend? How to stick the parts? What colours do I have to use etc. Happy about any kind of advice 😊
Hello Anna-Maria. It’s interesting that you bring up the subject. We’ve had so many requests for a tutorial that we are planning to create a series of them as a premium service in the next couple of months. But in the meantime, if you’d like to email me some specifics or questions, we will gladly provide some suggestions free of charge. Happy New Year to you!
What beautiful and masterful work you have done, to restore this statue! When I saw it lying there in pieces, I did not think it could be fixed. And yet, it was - in less than 5 viewing minutes! I know it took much more time than that, I was sorry the video wasn't longer, as I found the process very interesting. Is most of your work in doing restorations of sacred art?
Thank you, Terrie! You're right that it took a little longer than five minutes 🤣 but we're glad you enjoyed the video! and yes, most of our work is restoring sacred statues. But we have also restored some collectible works and we've taken on a few pieces where the owners were told they "couldn't be repaired," as we thought it would be a shame to discard sentimental family treasures. Thanks again for your kind words!
Bonjour, j’ai acheté une Vierge à l’enfant sur une brocante. L’originale est du sculpteur Delcourt en style baroque. Elle est en plâtre et peinte entièrement en brun foncé pas très joli. Mais le reproduction est très bien faite. J’aimerais la peindre pour lui donner plus d’éclat. Me conseillez vous une peinture acrylique , à l’huile ou autre ? J’ai fait un essai en acrylique et cela semble bien . Merci.
Hello! We recommend acrylic paint. When we paint with acrylics, our choice is professional grade Liquitex. You should avoid using the "student" quality or "beginner" quality paints. You should first gently sand the surface by hand if it is glossy, so the new paint will adhere better. Another option is to apply a water-based primer such as Zinsser123 so the new paint will stay on much better. We hope this helps you, and good luck! Bonjour! Nous recommandons la peinture acrylique. Lorsque nous peignons à l’acrylique, notre choix se porte sur Liquitex de qualité professionnelle. Vous devez éviter d’utiliser des peintures de qualité « étudiant » ou de qualité « débutant ». Vous devez d'abord poncer doucement la surface à la main si elle est brillante, afin que la nouvelle peinture adhère mieux. Une autre option consiste à appliquer un apprêt à base d'eau tel que le Zinsser123 afin que la nouvelle peinture tienne bien mieux. Nous espérons que cela vous aidera, et bonne chance !
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration Merci beaucoup, c'est extrêmement gentil de votre part. La Vierge en question se trouve dans la ville de liège, Belgique. sous le nom de "Vierge de Delcourt", baroque avec des vêtements amples et ondulés. L'originale est en pierre bleue/grise et est de grande taille. Lorsque j'étais étudiant je suis passé des centaines de fois devant cette statue. Je vais la réaliser en version polychrome avec une robe rose, une cape bleue turquoise et un voile blanc / crème. Encore merci a vous.
Hello William. I’m not sure I completely understand your question, but we put these shattered statues together a couple of pieces at a time. So once the Epoxy hardens, it’s ready for the next few pieces to go on. We’re not able to do major sections all in one shot if it involves a lot of separate pieces. We also will sometimes flood the base with new liquid plaster to keep it solid and to keep the statue upright once it’s completed. does this answer your question? If not, you could always email us and I’ll be glad to get into a more detailed discussion anytime. Thanks for visiting!
I admire your work. I have a vintage statue of St Joseph which is made of plaster. It's 13 inches. I like it to be repainted and is there a possibility to take off a cross attached to the child Jesus with Sr Joseph? I think it can by filing it? May I know where you are located and how can I reach you? Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, Ronaldo. We are located in Ottawa (Canada) and you can reach us using the "contact us" page on our website www.statuerestorers.com . We will gladly take a look at your photos and offer some advice.
Excellent work! I'm restoring Our Lady of Fatima statue, her praying hands are missing, im wondering what materials is best to use to recreate them. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Hello, and thank you for your compliment. The best option for someone who may not have a lot of experience sculpting hands is to find a similar statue with praying hands. You can create a rubber mould of the hands with a molding, rubber, such as pebeo siligum. And once you have a mould made, mix a strong plaster, such as. HydroCal plaster and pour it in. Let it cure for 36 hours and remove from the mould. Then gently sand the plaster hands until Smooth and apply a primer such as Zinsser123 and paint to match the skin tones of the statue. If you are a little more experienced with sculpting, you could use a product such as Apoxie Sculpt and when finished allow it to cure for 24 hours and sand gently by hand with a 400 grit sand paper. I hope this helps and good luck! (PS: this Fall we hope to launch a “how to” series of videos explaining everything from “choosing and mixing plaster,” to moulding, to mixing your own custom skin tone paints! )
Thank you so much for your quick reply and very helpful suggestions. It is so kind of you. Yes!! 'How to' Videos is an excellent idea and I look forward to your tutorials. Thank you sooo much. Greatly appreciated.
Hello Reuben. We do not make new statues but we deal with a company in Quebec which makes new plaster or Fiberglas statues. You can message us if you’d like us to help you find one. Contact us via www.statuerestorers.com . Thanks!
For resin, we use epoxy (which is a component of resin). Depending on the thickness of the plaster you are looking to glue, you can try a two-part mixed epoxy on the interior, then filling with liquid plaster on the outside edges to keep the exterior looking natural. Large pieces may require insertion of a piece of sculpting wire or dowel for strength. For tiny pieces such as a fingertip etc, you may have to experiment with bonding agents from your local craft supply store, or in some cases even a tiny bit of superglue (gel, not liquid) then covered over with a touch of Plaster of Paris to hide the repair. High-gloss ceramic is a different process, so this is generic info. Hope this helps. Best of luck with your project!
@Rocio Ochoa Please send us an email with a photo, and tell us if your statue is made of plaster, wood, etc. And is it an indoor or outdoor statue? We'll try to provide opinions based on your specific statue. Reach us through our website www.statuerestorers.com and click "contact us." Thanks!
Beautiful restoration! I have an old Columbia statuary chalkware Jesus bust that the nose got chipped off. What can I use to successfully resculpt the nose? Would plaster of Paris work?
We use a product called Hydro Cal plaster because we find it easy to work with and stronger overall. But for something as small as a nose chip, plaster of Paris should work fine. Good luck Dylan, and thank you for the compliment!
@@dylanhubbard2162 We purchase the HydroCal in Toronto (www.sculpturesupply.com) and use it straight out of the bag. If they don't have small quantities, you can also try an excellent product called Apoxie Sculpt.
Excellent restoration! Seems to me to be nothing short of a miracle! Wow!! Wish I knew someone like you in my area to restore an Our Lady of Grace statue. She is not in pieces but very old and now weather worn. And, BTW, I love the background music. Brings the entire video together. Beautiful. God blessing to all! 🙏💕🙏💕
Thank you very kindly, Miss Jean!
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration And, many thanks to you. 🙏💕🙏💕
This was wonderful. I wish there was an extended cut, but I'm happy there was such a wonderful closure to this story.
Thanks for your comment, FM! We try to vary the length of our videos, as some people are not fans of longer cuts. We appreciate your comments!
i like how the look of her face is, others look like she is eighteen, she is not, she is one of the youngest saints who got martyred (she is a greek princess btw, Philomena means daughter of light) at the age of 13
Thank you for the compliment and for the bit of history!
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration your welcome... :)
What A Miracle! Your work is impeccable... God Bless You! I will go straight to this statue and adore it... the first moment our Church is re-opened!!!
Well, thank you so much. We are always very pleased when we hear that our work prompts people to pray for the intercession of the Saints. God bless you.
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration Thank You! I will pray for you too. God Bless! :)
Your video is really helping me repair a resin statue of Mary which also suffered extensive damage being shipped from Medjugorje to USA. And yes, precise alignment of pieces is critical. I'll be doing some sanding. The resin statue was unpainted.
I'm using super glue, then fiberglass mesh tape with epoxy and plaster coating on the interior. But I soon will not be able to access the interior to tape, epoxy and plaster the final cracks. Should I cut a big hole in the bottom of the base?
The Harbor Freight super glue is surprisingly strong. I had to rebreak a misaligned piece and the break occurred in a new place next to the repaired crack!
Should I fill the interior with insulating foam spray?
After sanding, I'll apply plaster or wood filler to any remaining blemishes.
Painting: I'm planning to spray the entire statue (inside and out) with gray automotive sandable primer. Then use acrylic paints for the finish coats. Someone recommended alkyd enamel paints. Apparently thicker paint to hide scratches?
The statue will be displayed outdoors, but perhaps under a protective covering of some sort.
Thanks for your kind comment. I’ll
Be glad to offer advice or opinions via email exchange. Steve.winogron@gmail.com. I’ll ask for a photo or two and we can talk from there if you’re interested.
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration Thank you so much!!!!
Amazing! This is the first time that I watched a statue restoration and I’m sold! Looking forward to more videos.
Awesome! Thank you! (New one coming in a couple of days!)
Beautifully restored.❤
Thank you Rosanna!
Fantastic job!
Thank you DJ!
Wonderful work
Thank you Sageeth!
Wow... that has got to be super rewarding work to do. That was awesome!!!
Thank you Tony. Yes we absolutely love when we can take something that’s broken or a very old and Restore its beauty and purpose. A majority of the pieces we restore are used for prayer and reflection. Great joy.
Great work! 💖
Thank you so much, Anelle! 🙏
My gosh, that's stunning.
Thank you fenfrk!
Ficou muito linda
Thank you !
Really nice! You have real magic in your hands. By the way I live in Italy. Could I have an insight on the story behind this statue? Was it shipped to Italy and back? Or was it an Italian statue?
Hello! The statue was purchased in Italy and shipped to Canada. But it arrived here in nearly 90 pieces, as depicted in the video. We entered the picture only after the statue had arrived, so we don't know all the details, sorry. And thank you for your kind comments.
I shipped a more than 100 year old Mary statue to India (my greater grandmother's) and the head broke off. Since I'm not able to find anyone here who knows how to repair these kind of plaster statues, I'm looking to repair it and restore it myself. Is there any tutorial you can recommend? How to stick the parts? What colours do I have to use etc. Happy about any kind of advice 😊
Hello Anna-Maria. It’s interesting that you bring up the subject. We’ve had so many requests for a tutorial that we are planning to create a series of them as a premium service in the next couple of months. But in the meantime, if you’d like to email me some specifics or questions, we will gladly provide some suggestions free of charge.
Happy New Year to you!
Bravissimo
Thank you ! 🙏
Fantastic work, as usual! This one is absolutely beautiful!
Thank you, Mary Mulligan!
Amazing skills. So satisfying
Thank you kindly, Klowen!
Superbe 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🙂
Merci Sebastien!
És um grande artista parabéns pelo seu trabalho obrigado
Muito obrigado Jose!
What beautiful and masterful work you have done, to restore this statue! When I saw it lying there in pieces, I did not think it could be fixed. And yet, it was - in less than 5 viewing minutes! I know it took much more time than that, I was sorry the video wasn't longer, as I found the process very interesting. Is most of your work in doing restorations of sacred art?
Thank you, Terrie! You're right that it took a little longer than five minutes 🤣 but we're glad you enjoyed the video! and yes, most of our work is restoring sacred statues. But we have also restored some collectible works and we've taken on a few pieces where the owners were told they "couldn't be repaired," as we thought it would be a shame to discard sentimental family treasures. Thanks again for your kind words!
BEAUTIFUL
Thank you Michael!
Bonjour, j’ai acheté une Vierge à l’enfant sur une brocante. L’originale est du sculpteur Delcourt en style baroque. Elle est en plâtre et peinte entièrement en brun foncé pas très joli. Mais le reproduction est très bien faite. J’aimerais la peindre pour lui donner plus d’éclat. Me conseillez vous une peinture acrylique , à l’huile ou autre ? J’ai fait un essai en acrylique et cela semble bien . Merci.
Hello! We recommend acrylic paint. When we paint with acrylics, our choice is professional grade Liquitex. You should avoid using the "student" quality or "beginner" quality paints. You should first gently sand the surface by hand if it is glossy, so the new paint will adhere better. Another option is to apply a water-based primer such as Zinsser123 so the new paint will stay on much better. We hope this helps you, and good luck!
Bonjour! Nous recommandons la peinture acrylique. Lorsque nous peignons à l’acrylique, notre choix se porte sur Liquitex de qualité professionnelle. Vous devez éviter d’utiliser des peintures de qualité « étudiant » ou de qualité « débutant ». Vous devez d'abord poncer doucement la surface à la main si elle est brillante, afin que la nouvelle peinture adhère mieux. Une autre option consiste à appliquer un apprêt à base d'eau tel que le Zinsser123 afin que la nouvelle peinture tienne bien mieux. Nous espérons que cela vous aidera, et bonne chance !
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration Merci beaucoup, c'est extrêmement gentil de votre part. La Vierge en question se trouve dans la ville de liège, Belgique.
sous le nom de "Vierge de Delcourt", baroque avec des vêtements amples et ondulés. L'originale est en pierre bleue/grise et est de grande taille.
Lorsque j'étais étudiant je suis passé des centaines de fois devant cette statue. Je vais la réaliser en version polychrome avec une robe rose, une cape bleue turquoise et un voile blanc / crème. Encore merci a vous.
How do you fix the statue in position while you are epoxy gluing it together?
Hello William. I’m not sure I completely understand your question, but we put these shattered statues together a couple of pieces at a time. So once the Epoxy hardens, it’s ready for the next few pieces to go on. We’re not able to do major sections all in one shot if it involves a lot of separate pieces.
We also will sometimes flood the base with new liquid plaster to keep it solid and to keep the statue upright once it’s completed.
does this answer your question? If not, you could always email us and I’ll be glad to get into a more detailed discussion anytime.
Thanks for visiting!
I admire your work. I have a vintage statue of St Joseph which is made of plaster. It's 13 inches. I like it to be repainted and is there a possibility to take off a cross attached to the child Jesus with Sr Joseph? I think it can by filing it? May I know where you are located and how can I reach you? Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, Ronaldo. We are located in Ottawa (Canada) and you can reach us using the "contact us" page on our website www.statuerestorers.com . We will gladly take a look at your photos and offer some advice.
Excellent work! I'm restoring Our Lady of Fatima statue, her praying hands are missing, im wondering what materials is best to use to recreate them. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Hello, and thank you for your compliment. The best option for someone who may not have a lot of experience sculpting hands is to find a similar statue with praying hands. You can create a rubber mould of the hands with a molding, rubber, such as pebeo siligum. And once you have a mould made, mix a strong plaster, such as. HydroCal plaster and pour it in. Let it cure for 36 hours and remove from the mould. Then gently sand the plaster hands until
Smooth and apply a primer such as Zinsser123 and paint to match the skin tones of the statue.
If you are a little more experienced with sculpting, you could use a product such as Apoxie Sculpt and when finished allow it to cure for 24 hours and sand gently by hand with a 400 grit sand paper.
I hope this helps and good luck!
(PS: this Fall we hope to launch a “how to” series of videos explaining everything from “choosing and mixing plaster,” to moulding, to mixing your own custom skin tone paints! )
Thank you so much for your quick reply and very helpful suggestions. It is so kind of you. Yes!! 'How to' Videos is an excellent idea and I look forward to your tutorials. Thank you sooo much. Greatly appreciated.
I shall let you know how I get on with my repair project
Amazing work!
Thank you! We hope you enjoy our other videos as well. Take care!
I wonder if the person who broke the statue had to pay for the restoration? Or if the church had to absorb that cost? A nice job on the statue.
Hi Judith. As far as we know, the Italian Post office never responded to the church's inquiry. Also, thank you for your kind comment!
What a skill!
Thank you so much!
Amen...
can you make statues this big for sale
Hello Reuben. We do not make new statues but we deal with a company in Quebec which makes new plaster or Fiberglas statues. You can message us if you’d like us to help you find one. Contact us via www.statuerestorers.com . Thanks!
What kind of glue do you use? I have a plaster lamp that is a statue of a woman broken into a few large pieces that I'm joking to repair....
For resin, we use epoxy (which is a component of resin). Depending on the thickness of the plaster you are looking to glue, you can try a two-part mixed epoxy on the interior, then filling with liquid plaster on the outside edges to keep the exterior looking natural. Large pieces may require insertion of a piece of sculpting wire or dowel for strength. For tiny pieces such as a fingertip etc, you may have to experiment with bonding agents from your local craft supply store, or in some cases even a tiny bit of superglue (gel, not liquid) then covered over with a touch of Plaster of Paris to hide the repair. High-gloss ceramic is a different process, so this is generic info. Hope this helps. Best of luck with your project!
can you do tutorial
Thanks for the request Julian. We are hoping to put up a couple sometime in the spring or summer. Just difficult to make the time.
@Rocio Ochoa Please send us an email with a photo, and tell us if your statue is made of plaster, wood, etc. And is it an indoor or outdoor statue? We'll try to provide opinions based on your specific statue. Reach us through our website www.statuerestorers.com and click "contact us." Thanks!
It's sad how it was new but ruined via delivery.
As far as we know, the Italian Post Office never replied to inquiries about its terrible handling of this piece which was clearly marked "fragile."
Damn not traveling well is an understatement
😆
✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
Beautiful restoration! I have an old Columbia statuary chalkware Jesus bust that the nose got chipped off. What can I use to successfully resculpt the nose? Would plaster of Paris work?
We use a product called Hydro Cal plaster because we find it easy to work with and stronger overall. But for something as small as a nose chip, plaster of Paris should work fine. Good luck Dylan, and thank you for the compliment!
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration thank you!
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration do you use a specific type of the hydrocal plaster or mix it with any stabilizer?
@@dylanhubbard2162 We purchase the HydroCal in Toronto (www.sculpturesupply.com) and use it straight out of the bag. If they don't have small quantities, you can also try an excellent product called Apoxie Sculpt.
@@BrushworksStatueRestoration thank you so much for the suggestions
Why her image is broken?
It was badly damaged while in transit in the care of the Italian Postal service.
And i thought it was unfixable
No music it is very annoying