Stainless Steel Care

Treat with WD-40 at least once a year.  Stainless Steel LOVES oil so treat it as often as you can to keep it at its best.  Please treat the whole area or the finish will not be uniform.

If your sculpture requires any additional cleaning such as removal of stains or yellowing on the Stainless Steel, I recommend Bar Keepers Helper. Follow these instructions to ensure proper care:

  1. Using a hose, spray down entire stainless steel section with water.
  2. Squeeze Bar Keepers Helper onto the area you want to clean (do one section at a time).
  3. Leave on for 30-60 seconds.
  4. Wipe it all off with a cloth.
  5. Using a hose, spray down area again and dry with a cloth.
  6. Once you are finished cleaning, immediately apply WD-40 to the entire Stainless Steel portion to keep the finish uniform and stabilize it.

Corten Steel Care

Cor-Ten requires little to no maintenance. If you need to remove anything stuck on the sculpture, please wipe it off with a rag after a rainstorm. DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL! If some of the finish should get scraped off, the metal will self-correct itself over time. Just be patient and it will rust again!  Please note that while Cor-Ten is suitable in the majority of climates and geographical locations, care does need to be taken if your Cor-Ten artwork will be displayed in a high salt (coastal) location or in a humid subtropical environment.  Both of these factors can lead to the material not stabilizing as it normally does, but continuing to erode.  In circumstances like this, an annual application of Penetrol will protect and prolong your artwork.

Installation

Clients often wonder what the best method of installation for their sculpture is. The decision for this will vary upon the location of the sculpture, the climate, and the topography of the land.

 

If the sculpture is going into a fenced-in fairly level yard outside of tornado alley, securing it directly into the ground is most likely the best answer. If it is being placed on a busy street that gets a lot of foot traffic or on a sloped portion of land or in an area that withstands lots of wind gusts, you may want to consider pouring a concrete pad to affix it to.

 

All of the sculptures sit atop a ¼ “ thick base plate with holes in it. If you choose to secure it directly to the ground I recommend using ½ “ Threaded Rod 2’-3’ feet in length. Stake the sculpture to the ground through the holes on the base plate and cover with a nut and washer.

 

If pouring a concrete pad, I highly recommend waiting until you have the sculpture on hand so that you can test out every angle, every direction to determine the best placement. For the majority of my sculptures, a depth of 6” is ideal and the surface of the pad should be at least 3 inches beyond the base plate. So for a base plate of 23”x23” you would want the surface of the pad to be 29” x 29”, giving an extra 3 inches all the way around.

 

Concrete installation of the sculpture is relatively straightforward. It will have four easily identifiable holes that will be used to bolt the artwork to a concrete pad. One method that I like to use and have had great results with is a variable-depth internal threaded anchor*. Once the anchor is set in place I like to use a Stainless steel button-head socket Screw** to secure the sculpture to the concrete. I feel that these screws offer a more refined look greater tamper resistance.

 

*Variable-Depth Internally Threaded Anchors for Concrete

 

Also known as recessed wedge anchors, these zinc-plated steel fasteners can be installed to any depth greater than the installation depth. To install, thread a nut, washer, and an anchor onto the end of a threaded rod (nut,washer, and rod not included). Use a hammer to drive the entire assembly into a hole. When the washer and nut are flush with the hole, tighten to ensure secure contact.

 

Ultimate pull-out strength is based on tests in 3,000 psi concrete. Anchors have a Class 2A thread fit.

 

**Stainless Steel Button-Head Socket Cap Screws

 

The button head provides a wide bearing surface, a low head, and a finished appearance. Length is

measured from under the head.