Chris

My understanding of the metals conservator approach is
that they would:

1.  Wash the bronze to remove the salt and crud.
2.  Gently repolish the bronze, probably like option
3.
3.  Wax the bronze to protect it ... or leave it
unwaxed to weather again.

Options 1 and 2 are, to my mind, not good options from
a conservation viewpoint.  Depends what is authentic?
And to whom!

I also think that option 4 is undesirable, but it
would be better than repolishing to a bright finish.

The red wear smooth polish cannot be reproduced
easily.  It is a function of abrasion and protection
from the atmosphere by the human skin oils.  The
approach given at the top goes closest, but getting
the reddish-bronze colour is probably impossible.

At least, that's my slant on it, but I'm not a metals
conservator!

Cheers

david

--- Met History <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> But, on the stoop, pointing to the
> anciently-patinaed bronze
> doors (also 1909) he said "Do I clean them, like we
> cleaned the facade?
> Then they'll just look new."
>
> He had three test areas:
> 1.  completely refinished to look nearly black
> 2.   completely refinished to look bright
> 3.   slightly polished, to yield some highlights,
> but leaving mostly deeper
> "bronze" color on the low points
> 4.    untouched, which mixes the deep green patina
> with salt spray and
> accumulated crud
>
> Then he pointed to the small area which people push
> to get into the building,
> rubbed smooth, with that red tint that is native to
> old bronze.  He pointed
> to that area and said "That, that's what I want -
> but how can I get that?"
>
> What should I have told him?
>
> Christopher Gray


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