The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
  

  -----

Finishing a bronze fountain

I am cleaning up a bronze fountain I recently purchased. The inside of the bowl has some sort of material (paint) on it - I assume to support its purpose of holding water.
Two questions...

1. What type of material (paint) should I use to re-coat the inside of the bowl? Epoxy?
2. What should I use to preserve the bronze? Oil? Wax?

Thank you for your help.

Mark Magstadt

2006

You do not need to have any epoxy or paint on the basin of the fountain. Bronze will not rust or deteriorate, it will only tarnish. This same issue applies to the rest of the fountain. Because the bronze cannot rust, you do not need to wax or oil it. If you wish to keep it from tarnishing, you may wish to apply a lacquer coating. Personally, I would not recommend this, but many people like to lacquer their items to keep them polished.

Orion Henderson

2006