Clear Shield Gel

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DonMcClennen
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Clear Shield Gel

Post by DonMcClennen »

I am interested in opinions on using the following product on Gallery quality work. In it's new cat. Bullseye is selling Clear Shield Gel. They promote its use "where firepolishing isn't practical. Ideal for glass that has been sanblasted or coldworked". They go on to state it "adds luster to matte surfaces... etc" The product is actually produced to be used as a bathtub and tile protectant.
My opinion is that any temporary coating such as this eliminates the piece from the "Gallery " quality rating. Purchasers of glasswork with this treatment would be unaware that this treatment will compromise the surface appearance of the artwork in time. I don't think someone paying gallery prices for our work would anticipate that such a coating was added. What do you think??
"The Glassman"
Morganica
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by Morganica »

I don't think you can really answer that without first answering a few questions:

1) Is it a temporary coating?
2) If it is temporary, why would that be more damaging to artistic quality than, say, a protective wax on bronze or wood? Or a sealant on a marble carving?
3) Will the coating really compromise surface appearance over time?
4) Define "Gallery quality work" and why that would require a different standard for after-purchase care instructions than, say, "Craft show work?"

I don't know that I have the definitive answers to any of these. Is it temporary? Dunno; I first applied Clear Shield to a pate de verre casting in 2007 and it's still on there so it lasts at least 8 years. It WILL start out fairly glossy when applied (till you buff it down), and then at about the 2-3 month mark settle in to a low-satin finish. By the second or third year there's not a lot of shine left, but right now those pieces are still smooth and sealed-looking.

I'm pretty sure that if someone regularly cleaned the piece with solvents you could remove or damage the sealant and mess with the appearance of the surface, so I'd opt for making sure that buyers received a disclosure and some care instructions...as is the practice with many bronze and stone sculptors. I've worked with quite a few over the years and all of them use surface coatings like these all or part of the time:
http://www.sculpturedepot.net/clay-wax- ... na_Sealers
http://www.learnstonecarving.com/masonry-sealer.html
http://www.sculpt.com/catalog_98/finishing/2012.htm

So I'm not sure why glass should be any different. For me, it's more about proper disclosure than about whether or not it's somehow cheating.
Cynthia Morgan
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DonMcClennen
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by DonMcClennen »

Thank you Cynthia for your informed response.
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Dick
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by Dick »

If it is not archival, do not use. I deal with this all the time at Pilchuck with people in too big of a hurry. Want to blast, coat, and be done. The current hot thing is Thompson's water seal. If you are a hobbyist, or just want to experiment, or sell cheap stuff, then ok. If you are serious about your art, then do it right. There is always a solution to rough work, or matte, or sandblasted that does not require a temporary coating. My name is going on my work. I certainly do not want my work to look differently in 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 years etc. Most of the time people are just not taking the time and learning their craft. If it was easy, everybody would do it. It is much more rewarding to have your work last the years. Do not get caught up in the response that it looks good or feels good with a coating. Unless it is archival, and you have seen work years later with it, then why risk it?

Just my thoughts
Dick
DonMcClennen
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by DonMcClennen »

I think Dick sums it up very well. This is a temporary fix...it's NOT archival!! Thanks Dick for your contribution.. It does not equate to patina on a bronze as Cynthia suggests.
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Marty
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by Marty »

Don- I don't think Cynthia's intent was to equate sealing a glass surface with an oil, wax, silicone, urethane etc. with applying a patina to bronze. It's similar to waxing finished metals (after patina) or woodwork (after staining) to protect it. I don't see the harm in doing so and disclosing the use; asking a collector to care for her/his acquisition is in everyone's best interest.
Dick
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by Dick »

I can agree with Marty, although most people I have seen using coatings do not disclose or otherwise include a care and use, or recoating instructions. for my part I do not think most collectors would want to deal with that either. Just seems that if you can achieve a good luck and feel by coldworking a little bit, then why have to deal with disclosures or passing on how to recoat? And for those who use coatings and do not disclose, how would they feel to see their work in the future having yellowed, or feeling gummy?

Dick
Valerie Adams
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by Valerie Adams »

A friend just returned from vacationing in Italy where she bought a piece of Murano glass. The backside is sandblasted, and the surface is shiny. Included in her purchase (from the gallery) was a note saying she needed to apply Vaseline and rub it into the piece every few months. The note didn't explain why, and she hadn't heard of sandblasted finishes being prone to fingerprints. She also thought she had to apply Vaseline to the top, shiny surface.
Morganica
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by Morganica »

First...the idea that patinas don't change over time is nonsense. Certainly the ones I own have changed,* as have paintings, pastel and graphite drawings, sterling, wood, and ceramic art...and even glass. Art evolves, that's part of its purpose.

And Marty's right: Wherever did I equate Clear Shield to patina on bronze? What I said was "protective wax on bronze or wood."

It certainly isn't unusual to purchase wooden, ceramic, or metal sculpture (or even jewelry) and have the artist recommend that you periodically apply some kind of oil, wax, or sealant, or take some action to preserve the original surface appearance. I don't have a problem recommending that someone do the same when I sell a piece of pate de verre sculpture.

BTW, Dick, my hand-finishing process takes four or five times longer and a lot more effort than it would to "achieve a good look and feel by coldworking a little bit," so I'm not proposing it as a lazy substitute for getting in there with a big ol' wet belt sander. However, I do get "caught up in the response that it looks good or feels good."

It's bloody near impossible to achieve the same surface quality without handwork, especially not with the level of detail I tend to put into my sculptures. I've spent the last decade trying to figure out a faster, easier way to achieve that same surface quality using machine polishing, fire polishing, etc. Problem is, I dislike the more artificial-looking surface those (faster) techniques impart. I much prefer the softer, hand-rubbed, hand-oiled finish, so I put in the extra time, and disclose.

I have, in fact, just about figured out how to build a polishing machine to do pretty much what I want on a fairly large scale, but the quote I've got back is expensive, it's going to be very noisy, and probably not cost-effective. And it will STILL look best with an oiled or sealed finish.
DogwoodMan.jpg


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* (OMG, I am now old enough to have been tracking some of these for (ulp) 30 years)
Cynthia Morgan
Marketeer, Webbist, Glassist
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"I wrote, therefore I was." (me)
Ed Cantarella
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Re: Clear Shield Gel

Post by Ed Cantarella »

Morganica wrote:First...the idea that patinas don't change over time is nonsense.
As someone who did bronze patina work (original and repair) for 7 years, I totally agree Cynthia. Patinas fade, patinas grow darker. patinas go to all hell in time. Even in museums with great conditions, most have to be touched up every few decades because the interaction between the metal salts and the bronze always continue. Modern polymers can bring this change down to a snail's pace where the museum pieces might go hundreds of years. Nano-technology could take that probably to 1000+ years - you block the oxygen, you stop the interaction of the metals. Verde Gre is frequently not an original finish destination, it just happens. :shock:

Clear Shield is a polymer - maybe it would be nice if Bullseye would have it subjected to simulated aging, so they could say it last X number of years under normal indoor conditions, X number of years under harsh outdoor conditions.
Agreed that fire polishing PDV is not an option if you want to preserve a stone-like grain structure. And coldwork kind of kills it too if too heavy handed.
HER last words were, "I'm melting, melting . . . " Dissenting opinions generally welcome for comic relief or personal edification. Sometimes both.
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