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View Full Version : Cannon at Washington Navy Yard after conservation



cannonmn
06-28-2009, 12:00 PM
One cannon at the Washington Navy Yard was professionally conserved in 2001, and was returned to Leutze Park late last year. In the photos at the slideshow linked below, you can see the cannon after removal of the corrosion products, which shows where bronze was removed by corrosion. The Navy's writeup on the project is here:

http://www.history.navy.mil/cannons/cannons57.htm

As you will find in that writeup, the cannon was treated with microcrystalline wax. That's the outdoor bronze treatment currently favored by professional conservators, at least from what I've read. The only issue I have with it is that it isn't very durable. Gettysburg National Military Park feels the objects need re-treatment after about one year. A treatment with that brief a life is probably not suitable for the Washington Navy Yard cannons, which, unless there's some drastic change, won't get the required maintenance.

My own preference is cleaning, thorough drying, priming and painting with a good, non-epoxy gloss black paint. I've used it successfully on many outdoor cast-iron cannons, some of which still have a complete coat of paint after 20 years of exposure. Since paints are available in every color imaginable, if an organization so desired, it could choose a blue-green shade for the top coat of paint, to match the existing color of uncoated, corroded bronze.

Slideshow: http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/c ... 5084d0.pbw (http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/forums36/?action=view&current=915084d0.pbw)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/forums36/WNYrevisit135.jpg