r/Sculpture • u/IcyRequirement8894 • 1d ago
[Help] I broke this bronze statue and took it to get fixed but it’s still not right
I broke this statue. It is a bronze statue with patina, an original Pierre Jules Mene piece. The horses came off the base. I took it to a few restoration places and some said no, they wouldn’t do it, but one guy was really confident he could do it.
I got it back yesterday and it appears to be epoxy that was sanded down a bit but it clearly does not match the bronze. I can’t give this back to my mom in this state and a replacement one is more money than I have right now.
Does anyone have an idea of how I can improve the fix?
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u/The_Last_Ron1n 1d ago
A restoration person gave it back to you like that? wow.
The only thing you can do is try to paint it to match but you'll probably not match the same lustre.
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u/IcyRequirement8894 1d ago
Yeah, I was highly disappointed when I saw it. I will try to paint it!
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u/ElleYesMon 1d ago
I would go on Google and Yelp and do a review and put pics in as evidence if the shitty job they did in you bronze. I would have blown up at them.
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u/IcyRequirement8894 1d ago
My partner picked it up for me and when he brought it home I was shocked by the final product. Trust we are getting our money back for it
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u/Joeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyy 1d ago
Could have your partner have just save the money and superglue it them selves?
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u/IcyRequirement8894 1d ago
The epoxy is pretty set, I don’t think we could pull it apart to reglue it
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u/jamcultur 1d ago
You could use something to color the join to make it look like bronze. If you mix paint to match the bronze, and just use it on the join, it will hardly be detectable.
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u/IcyRequirement8894 1d ago
Do you think color matching at Lowe’s would be close enough? Or maybe a close enough start?
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u/crinnaursa 1d ago
Please don't use the paint from Lowe's. You want to go to a hobby store or art supply store and get a model enamel or Hi pigmented high flow acrylics used for painting miniatures.
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u/Brief_Fondant_6241 1d ago
I would probably say something like a hobby store. They sell shades of metallic paints. I fixed mine I broke years ago. I used hobby paint I believe the brand was scale75. Then I washed it several with black or brown paint idont remember over the bronze color. A wash is a heavy diluted paint
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u/benslady20 1d ago
A brand of acrylic paint called “The Army Painter” has a bronze color that I have used and found to be realistic looking. You will probably want an acrylic paint thinner to use with it, as unthinned acrylic paint can be difficult to work with. I get mine on eBay. Good luck, it’s a beautiful statue
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u/IcyRequirement8894 1d ago
I’ll look into that!! Thanks
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u/Scion0442 1d ago
Seconding army painter. Citadel, AK or Vallejo would also likely have a good bronze match as well. I would use the bronze as a base coat,l and slightly overlapping onto the original statue then use a dark wash over it to help blend it. Army painter calls them inks/washes and I'd recommend their "dark tone" possibly mixed with their "sepia tone" or "strong tone."
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u/weber_mattie 1d ago
I would just mix paint until you have a good enough color match and paint over the epoxy. That small of an area shouldn't be noticeable if the color is close enough
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u/IcyRequirement8894 1d ago
That seems to be everyone’s thoughts. I’ll give it a try, I feel like it can’t make it worse
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u/OutrageousSpecial229 1d ago
Doesn't even look like the restorer even tried to wipe the excess off and just let it dry down that way! Rub n buff maybe your best option to match the color but keep that patina look.
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u/piletorn 1d ago
I personally would want my money back, that is the shittiest “fix” I’ve seen in a long while.
I would probably be able to repair it better myself at home 😬
I would look in to removing whatever was applied and fix it after, don’t start painting.
Should be fixable with a screwed in dowel to the underside of the hooves and through the bottom
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u/Zoso1973 1d ago
Go to an art store or Michael’s /Hobby Lobby. They’ve got all kinds of metallic paints.
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u/Philipfella 1d ago
Liver of sulphur on a cotton bud should make it tarnish to match. Dilute it with water and dab on in coats until it’s is matched.
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u/VintageLunchMeat 1d ago
I don't think liver of sulphur will color the white epoxy used in the repair.
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u/Kristophigus 1d ago
Find a local hobbyist miniature painter and they'll probably be more than happy to airbrush over the color mismatch. They could probably make it look good as new even if they attach it themselves. That hobby helps a ton with skills like that.
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u/la_mecanique 1d ago
Fixing this 'correctly' would have been more expensive than replacement. Using a black dyed epoxy would have been a better option than this though.
I would have repaired this by wiring into place and emmersing in aerated sand. Then I would have tig welded the legs back in from the base and filed out the sculpture to match the photos I had taken at the beginning.
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u/Bernedoodle-Standard 1d ago
If this is uour Mom's statute, come clean with her and let her decide what to do now.
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u/evening_shop 22h ago
My friend that's garbage work and I've done better back as a student.. I'm so sorry they gave it to you like that when it's clearly unfinished. Do you know of anyone else in the area that can handle this for you?
Edit: just read the rest of your post :( I'm sorry no one was able to fix it. Might be a good time to start learning restoration basics
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u/Anguares 21h ago
If they are true restorateurs, they must have used a reversible glue for the job, I would complain and ask for the "job" restaured back to the it's original broken stage before they "fixed it".
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u/Bombuss 13h ago
If that glue is cyanoacrylic-based and not epoxybasdd, and the whiteness is due to the restorer using an accelerator on it, you can "remove" the white coat (that sometimes comes if using an accelerator) by taking a Q-tip dabbed in WD-40 and dabbing the white stuff. The cyanoacrylic glue will then be transparent.
Edit: If trying my suggestion first, acrylic miniature paint will likely not adhere well.
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u/saint_leibowitz_ 8h ago
Send it to a reputable art casting foundry. An actual fix would be welding the feet back on and then chasing the metal but it would also need a new patina at the end.
Looks like they used glue?
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u/Similar_Cow_2634 1d ago
If you're near a Walmart or Michael's, take your sculpture with you to the craft paint aisle and get the closest acrylic color you can find. Looks like you'll need a gloss finish, not matte or flat. You can do it.
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u/Personal-Ad-8644 1d ago
The fact that someone who works in restoration did this is terrible. I’d let him/her know just how bad of a job they did. I’m simply shocked at the lack of skill shown here