How to Care and Maintain your sculpture?

How to care for and maintain your sculpture:

Your sculpture has been treated with a penetrating oil called Penofin. It is available at Hunter Lumber in Albuquerque and at most Ace Hardware stores. This is a premium grade oil used to penetrate and seal the grain of your sculpture and it contains UV protectants. If you desire a natural dull finish a second coat penafin is all you need. Then your sculpture has been coated with 2 or more coats of Cabots Marine Spar Varnish. This varnish is used on boat decks and is very durable and also contains UV protectants. Your sculpture will occasionally need to be retreated with Cabots Marine Spar Varnish to keep it protected and looking good. Recoating your sculpture once a year in the spring will normally be enough to keep it sufficiently protected. Once the varnish has been applied you can no longer apply the Penofin. The varnish is a coating and once applied the penofin cannot penetrate the coating. Marine spar varnish is available at Lowes and at most paint supply stores.

*How to deal with insects: Occasionally insects will see your sculpture as an opportunity to establish a new home. One of the most common things you might notice is a small pile of sawdust next to your sculpture. Your first thought might be termites but 99.99% of the time it is not termites but bark beetle larvae. The larvae live under the bark and bore into the wood creating tiny tunnels in the wood. The best way to eliminate them is to follow the sawdust up the sculpture until you locate the borehole it is coming from. I dig out the sawdust from the bore hole and spray insecticide into the hole, this usually does the job, you may want to tilt the sculpture so gravity will allow the insecticide to penetrate the hole deeply. In extreme cases I have heard that wrapping the piece in black plastic then setting it out in the hot sun for a day or 2 will fry any remaining larvae.

*Treating onsite sculptures: I usually recommend treating an onsite sculpture with Borate rods. I will drill 4 to 6, ½” X 6” holes in the base of the sculpture at ground level, then insert a 3” rod and then plug the hole. Treatment lasts about 3 to 5 years then new rods will need to be inserted. Borite rods are used in the log home industry to help prevent fungus and bug problems. I highly recommend this low cost treatment to protect your investment. In some cases I may recommend a borate wash before finishing your sculpture. This service is an additional fee.

Please Contact me with any questions not answered here, thank you!