Keeping Your Stone Art In Perfection

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Finding the right location for you stone art is always important. This is how your friends can see it and appreciate it. When a stranger encounters a Shona stone carving, we will spend time explaining what it is about, and how it was created quite simply this gives a greater understanding of the work.

Most art will live indoors. Some pieces can be placed outside, but here you need to be careful about the stone selection. If your climate is wet and has periods of frost then you need to protect the stone. Using varnishes is not the best choice, because varnishes do not have a long life; also the stone may have been waxed, which prevents the varnish adhering to the stone..

Here are a few ideas about keeping your stone art in good condition:

OUTDOORS.

The stone must be hard and not porous (not able to soak in water) because water penetration can allow frost damage to the surface. If the piece has been polished then being outside will destroy the polish; re-polishing ideally requires a wax based polish like a beeswax based compound. Clean off old polish with white spirits then apply hot wax sparingly, let it cool and then buff it with a soft cloth.

INDOORS

Many stone pieces can be gently washed with mild soap/water to remove dirt and finger marks. Before you wash a piece, experiment with the underside of the base. If the piece has been polished you can use a good quality furniture polish that contains wax, and shine it with a soft cloth. Regular polishing (say a couple of times a year) will keep the shine in good condition.

REPARING DAMAGE

This depends very much on the stone. Soapstone is very difficult to clean and also to repair (for example a knock will damage the surface and leave a bruise). Harder stones are easier to deal with because marks can be taken out; start by removing any polish from the damaged area with white spirit, then use wet-and-dry sandpaper. If the damage is deep, use a coarse paper, about 200 grit, then change to 300 - 450 - 600 grit, finally 800 to 1000 grit to get the damaged part to the fineness of the surrounding area; follow this with a hot wax polish and buff it with a soft cloth.

With all stone art, prevention is always better than cure, and with care you can keep your artwork in excellent condition.

If you have any questions then let us know.

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