Handling

Owners of stone sculptures should be aware of one or two aspects of handling:

In the first instance, be aware that the naked hand will always impart oils, chemicals and casual hand dirt to the stone. The results will vary depending on how clean and well washed your hands are, but it is the case that the stone will gradually begin to ‘oil up’, that is, darken, develop a higher shine and become ‘stained’ in appearance where it is consistently handled. Also keep in mind that even though handling sculptures is a pleasure for most people, few of your visitors will be aware of the extent to which their skin is heavily oiled.

Of course, in one sense this is nothing to worry about. Almost all sculptures you will ever see will have these stainings, and for many it imparts an attractive, and valued, patina, adding a sense of age or depth to the ‘raw’ stone. Keep in mind that a sculpture is not an ornament. It is there to be experienced, and in the end, it is hard to keep one’s hands off a good piece of work! You may come to value the presence on the surface of the stone of the loving attention that has been visited upon it.

Avoiding excessive handling stains

Time will age your sculpture regardless of what you do, so do not worry. However, there are ways to avoid excessive staining and other marks.

1.                  After eating. Never handle a sculpture after eating, cooking or snacking! Hands should be clean. A set of greasy fingerprints is not the same as a patina!

2.                   Repetitive handling of certain areas. When you lift a sculpture you will tend to lift it in the same way and use the same grip points on the sculpture. Gradually this will result in staining at the grip points. Almost all sculptures are most easily lifted in one or two ways, so you can expect staining to happen. As a result, you should vary the way you lift a piece as much as you safely can, and this will spread the staining. Alternatively, lift the piece with a cloth, if it is small enough, or use latex gloves.

3.                  Stroking. Visitors have a tendency to stroke sculptures, and usually in the same areas. There is little you can do about this, unless you indicate that the work is not to be touched.

4.                  Finger marks on a high gloss. A sculpture that is highly shone will often show finger marks. Simply rub these off with a duster.

5.                  Marking. Sculptures can get marked up in many ways. Softer carving stones will be easily marked with stroking by someone wearing a ring, for instance (Remember: metal is harder than carving stone). Soapstone is so soft it will mark up from a fingernail scratch. You can also do damage by holding a piece of work in such a way that the work is marked by the buttons on your shirt, by a zip or a belt buckle. Check you clothing when you lift a piece of work, especially if you may need to lean it against your chest/front.

Cleaning stains off sculptures

There are one or two issues here.

If the sculpture is unsealed (that is, it has not been treated with a beeswax or other sealant) then the staining may have penetrated to a few millimetres beneath the surface of the stone. As a result, cleaning of the surface of the stone in itself may have only a limited impact on the stain. In these instances it is best for the sculpture to be professionally hand-sanded to take those few millimetres off the stone and hence return the stone to its original tones. Note, however, that the depth of penetration will vary. Oil spilled on the stone, for instance, may speedily soak to a greater depth and become difficult to remove entirely. Similarly, years of handling can have resulted in staining that will involve substantial and careful sanding, and then re-sealing, to deal with the issue.

Remember that sanding is for professionals – specialist grit papers are used, and re-sealing is always necessary.

Sealing

Almost all sculptures have been sealed in some way:

Outdoor sculptures. Apart from granite, all carving stones, to the hardness of marble, should be sealed against weathering. Keep in mind that water soaks into all stone. This process in itself will not damage the work in the short term. However:

1.                  Staining. Water is never clean. It will carry pollutants, including dirt and mud particles. As a result, the ingress of water will also invariably result in medium term staining.

2.                  Frost damage. Water penetrating the stone will end up freezing in sub-zero temperatures. As the water freezes it expands, and the stone ‘explodes’, leaving you with frost damage. Repairing frost damage is never wholly satisfactory, and is very expensive. So, ensure that the sculpture is protected.

The artist will already have sealed all sculptures intended for outdoor siting. However, most seals have to be renewed periodically. So, when you buy, do find out what the sealant is, and whether you can do the re-sealing yourself. (It is often the case that you can – however, be aware that some work of a highly polished nature is best re-sealed by a professional in order to retain the correct shine).  Re-sealing is not an expensive job.

Also ensure that you know if the sculpture was intended for outdoor siting. It may not, and hence may not be sealed for weathering.

Notes: it is often recommended that sculptures be covered for the worst of the winter.

Remember, too, that birds will use your garden sculpture as a resting point, and as a toilet! Keep this material washed off, as it is highly acidic. Never try to chip or scrape the stains off – this will itself mark up the finish of the work. Also avoid abrasives, even the harder side of washing-up scrubs. Remember that the shine on a work is less than 2 millimetres in depth.

For further information, or help, contact Sam Bell at sambell@cantab.net