Subject: Confirming active electrolysis on bronze sculpture
**** Moderator's comments: Please respond directly to the author. Comments of general interest are also welcome for posting. I need help and a referral from anyone familiar with confirming active electrolysis in an existing bronze sculpture. Trinity University has a bronze sculpture with water fountain elements which has been very problematic from its installation in 2005. Thick blue colored crystalline deposits (probably copper chloride) form on the surface of the bronze within a month following cleaning. Protective coatings of Incralac and/or wax do not prevent these deposits. We suspect that the construction inadvertently has dissimilar metals in contact with each other. We would like to demonstrate definitively that active electrolysis is ongoing. If you have any experience in dealing with these types of sculptures please contact me directly. I can send images if needed. Trinity University will probably hire you to fix the problem, if it can be fixed. Dennis Baltuskonis Art Conservation Services 210-383-4458 *** Conservation DistList Instance 24:26 Distributed: Thursday, November 18, 2010 Message Id: cdl-24-26-026 ***Received on Tuesday, 9 November, 2010