Fall 2021

OnAim found that there was a lot of detailed carving work on the lintel that had been covered and preserved by compacted sand over the years. Before moving forward to begin to fill and carve the fractured sections of the piece, OnAim used this opportunity to do some more detailed cleaning and uncover the more intricate carving work. Using distilled water, dental tools, soft bristled toothbrushes, and a vacuum cleaner the door lintel was scraped, scrubbed and cleaned until all foreign matter was removed.

Following that, we began the process of filling and carving the missing sections. A wire framework was siliconed into the sections that were a through and through break. This framework gave us a structural backing for subsequent fill material. The first layer of fill consisted of portland cement sand, and small aggregate, the second layer was the same with less aggregate, and the third layer had no aggregate material. In this manner we were able to build up structural fill to start laying down the less
hard more carvable material. The carvable material consisted of plaster of paris mixed with an acrylic bonding solution. We found this mix to have the best ratio of hardness and carvablity. Bit by bit we were able to fill and sculpt until there was an almost seamless transition from old to new. Client was then contacted for and, subsequently, gave approval before moving on to coloration.

To faux the color of the repaired section to match the rest of the sculpture, a selection of acrylic paints was used mixed with a pastel ground medium. A darker base color was used for the ground, followed by thin layers of various color mixtures sponged on to recreate the natural variations of the surrounding sandstone relief.