Nathan Hale

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the 4th of July, let me offer up our recent treatment of a casting of Bela Pratt's version of Nathan Hale. This sculpture was mounted in the grounds of Mitchell College in New London in the 1970's to be seen as a role model for the students. Two young men objected to this, however, and snuck out at night to paint the sculpture red. They were found out and made to remove the paint - unfortunately also removing surface coatings and patina at the same time! Years of exposure to the elements, and especially the salty ocean breezes, have left Mr. Hale disfigured with corrosion products.

We removed the worst of the green and black corrosion with a gentle pressure washing, then repatinated the entire surface with Liver of Sulfur before adding layers of UV-blocking microcrystalline wax to protect the surface. And, we didn't smush the flowers!