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Repairing a plaster statue

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    • #133979
      Kate Brownrigg
      Participant

      Can anyone give me some guidance on repairing a plaster statue?

    • #133983
      Elizabeth La Duc
      Participant

      Hello,
      Could you please tell me a little more about the statue? How old is it? Is it a plain surface, painted, or coated? What is the extent of the damage?
      Thank you,
      Elizabeth La Duc
      Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture
      C2CC Forum Monitor

    • #133988
      Kate Brownrigg
      Participant

      I’m inquiring for someone else, so this is what I know: He thinks it’s from the 1920’s or 30’s, was originally white but has been painted numerous times (enamel spray paint and nail polish!), had a broken arm that was patched with plaster and one other break, though I’m not sure if that was also patched.
      I will see if I can get a photo to send if that would be helpful.

      Thank you,
      Kate Brownrigg

    • #133990
      Elizabeth La Duc
      Participant

      Thank for you for the additional information. Based on what you said, this is definitely a case in which the expertise and skills of a professional conservator are needed. A conservator will be able to identify what is original, what is a later addition, and what is a repair. The conservator will then be able to redo previous repairs as necessary, do new repairs, and inpaint any damage so it is less noticeable.
      You can find conservators using AIC’s Find a Conservator Tool:
      http://www.conservation-us.org/membership/find-a-conservator#
      If you can’t find a conservator nearby, don’t worry – some conservators will accept objects by mail.

      For future reference, repairing plaster is difficult. Like low-fired ceramics such as earthenware or terracotta, plaster is porous and soft. That means that the wrong adhesive could stain plaster or even damage the surface. Although a plaster wall can be patched with more plaster, this is not appropriate for art – because plaster is porous, newly added plaster will lose moisture and won’t be very strong. Therefore any repair on a sculpture made with plaster won’t be strong enough, especially not for a structural repair. On the other end of the strength scale, epoxy is much too hard to use on plaster and could cause staining. As plaster is usually white, it is very important to choose a conservation-grade adhesive, that is one that won’t yellow over time.

      This sculpture is especially complicated – the adhesive I would normally use for a plaster sculpture is prepared using acetone, but in this case, acetone might damage the enamel spray paint and the nail polish.

      For more general information on plaster, see CCI’s note on the care of objects made of Plaster of Paris:
      https://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/resources-ressources/ccinotesicc/12-2-eng.aspx

      Thanks,
      Elizabeth

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