In preparation for its display in Jeffrey Gibson: When Fire Is Applied to a Stone It Cracks at Brooklyn Museum, the bronze relief of Charles Rumseyโs Study for Buffalo Hunt needed to be cleaned. It had previously been displayed for years outdoors. It was covered in a thick layer of wax and resin applied over decades as protection. The coatings had turned brown and absorbed dirt. Wax and resin were no longer necessary since they were not original and the object would be indoors. However, the coatings had become impossible to remove except with extremely harsh chemicals like paint stripper. Using a special laser, however, it was possible to remove this coating without dangerous solvents. The old, dark coating is on the left, the cleaned surface on the right.
Posted by Harry DeBauche
