I was told by a friend that the statue I have is bronze. I want to sell it but I need to prove that it is bronze and not a bronze finish. A magnet does not stick to it.
2007-03-28 06:17:52 · 5 answers · asked by Linda D 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Visual Arts ➔ Sculpture
Only three metals stick to magnets, and bronze is not one of them.
Well, if you want to know if it's metal or not, just take a stick and strike it, metal should give a clear and crisp "ding" sound.
To see if the metal is bronze or not, get something that you know for sure is bronze, find the back of a tile (with the rough surface, or an unglazed terra-cotta piece) and make a scratch with the real bronze. Then scratch a discret place of the statue with it and compare the color of the two mark.
Most bronze piece made by someone should either have the make bronze on it or the artist's name. Search the artist could also help.
2007-03-28 13:39:28 · answer #1 · answered by Astrid Nannerl 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
A statue made of bronze would have to be a cast statue.
It would be obvious if it was cast. It would look like it came out of a mold. And it would be consistent in color all the way through.
About the magnet... A magnet would only prove that a particular metal was non-Ferris. In other words it would only let you know that it contains iron, or not. It only sticks to iron.
Any other metal it would not stick to. Like copper, or lead, or stainless steel, or gold, or silver. And even cheap pot metal it won't stick to.
2007-03-28 17:07:45 · answer #2 · answered by dewhatulike 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast-metal sculpture of bronze is often called a bronze. Common bronze alloys have the unusual and very desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold.
Weight and details would be suggestion of what to look for. I also found a site with interesting comparisons and discussion: http://www.largeart.com/bronze-collection.aspx
2007-03-28 07:30:59 · answer #3 · answered by Orion777 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try an ammonia patina test. Both copper and brass react to ammonia so the alloy of the 2 may also. Scratch a hidden spot with sandpaper or a steel wool. Swab ammonia on it, let sit for about a day. If it turns a different color it is most likely one of the 3 afor mentioned metals.
2007-03-28 14:53:53 · answer #4 · answered by jollioutcast 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bronze is a color Brass or Copper are metals that can be bronze in color!
2007-03-28 06:27:16 · answer #5 · answered by me4tennessee 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋