The Art & The Craft of Bronze Work: Each bronze item is handcrafted, one at a time, by Chicago furniture artist, David Orth. Solid plates of sculptural bronze are hand formed, bent, welded, riveted, ground, polished, and finished. The bronze thickness ranges from 1/16" to 1/4". Surfaces and edges, including tops of tables, are worn and irregular. The final effect is of something very old, and yet inexplicably novel and fresh. Some designs incorporate sculpted concrete & weathered steel elements. The concrete is formulated for durability and is stone-like in appearance. Designs that require a lower center of gravity, may include the necessary counterweight as a small, internal concrete mass. The lush surfaces are finished in timeless bronze patinas available in several colors and intensities.
Care of Bronze, Copper, Brass: The patinas are protected with wax or lacquer. They should be treated as you would any piece of furniture. Clean up spills in a reasonable amount of time. Use hot plates as needed. Felt dots should be used under vases and other scratchy items to protect the finish. If your piece has a wax finish, apply carnauba wax as needed. This might be once every 5 years or several times a year for highly used surfaces.
Outdoor Use: Bronze furniture and sculpture are for indoor use. However, most of the designs can be adapted for outdoor use with several small changes to the interior structure and surface patina. This adaptation will incur a 10% cost increase. Copper-plated, brass-plated, and steel items are for indoor use only. Please specify if you intend to place your bronze piece outdoors. In this case, I will usually recommend a wax finish that will allow the piece to age naturally. A waxed outdoor bronze can left alone, however an occasional rewaxing does bring out deeper, richer colors. Patina changes must be expected when an item is exposed to the weather. However, if you would like to 'lock in' the patina on an outdoor piece, lacquer can be specified - this will require a schedule of regular maintenance. Never place items in areas exposed to strong winds without taking appropriate measures.
Care of Steel: Most steel finishes are protected with lacquer or enamel and should be treated like any piece of furniture as described above in reference to the care of bronze, etc. The one exception is the Raw Oxidized Steel finish. This is an unprotected rust finish that is most often used under glass. To dust this finish use a feather duster or vacuum with a soft bristle attachment. Do not use a rag as this will disturb the patina. Use the feather duster or vacuum in light strokes in the same direction as the rust streaks. Do not brush in other directions. Imagine that you are stroking a cat - follow the direction of the fur. If something sticky needs to be removed from a raw rust surface, it is best to take the item outside where it can be gently hosed off and left to dry in the sun. Remove parts of the item that might be damaged by such treatment first. Occasionally a small flake of rust may develop on this finish and may come off - this is normal and is nothing to worry about.
Care of Concrete Bases: The exposed concrete components are treated with buffed beeswax. Dust with a feather duster. Dirt or spills may be cleaned with water (and a brush, if needed). Make sure that each corner of the concrete bottom has a section of heavy duty felt pad. If the piece is to be placed on a carpet, it is helpful to place a carpet protector under each corner - obviously to protect the carpet, but also to help stabilize the entire item. See cautions about moving concrete below.
Moving Items with Concrete Bases: Concrete is heavy and does present several issues when moving these elements. It is important that concrete bases be removed when possible and moved separately. Understand your particular piece and how the concrete is attached. Some bases are permanently attached. Some are "jam fitted". Some are bolted. Because of its weight and inertia, concrete elements should be set down very gently to avoid chipping corners or floor tiles. The unique formula used by Orth Furniture is much more durable than ordinary concrete, nevertheless, always lift and lower these elements with care. Get help lifting, have a plan, and proceed slowly. Use a four-wheel or two-wheel dolly when appropriate.
If you have any kind of question, please contact David Orth at Orth Furniture:
815-943-4099
www.OrthFurniture.com