In March 1995, The National Trust awarded Plowden & Smith the contract to restore the 4 bronze clockfaces, bronze urns and statue 'Spirit of Liberty', on the clock tower at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire. The project was completed over a 12 month period and re-opened in March 1996.
The work involved several areas of expertise, including the dismantling and removal of all the bronze components. Initially, a comprehensive report was undertaken to determine the most appropriate methods for cleaning, repair, fixing, paint treatment and gilding. Cleaning of all bronze to remove corrosion, using the Ecostrip air abrasive cleaning system with a water induction nozzle. The abrasive used was calcium carbonate at low air pressure (20-40 psi).
Repairs were carried out using bronze pins and blanks which were welded in place with a TIG welder and bronze filler rods. Repaired areas were fettled to match the surrounding surface. The surface coating to the bronze comprising, 1 coat of 2 pack etch primer, 1 coat Zinc Phosphate metal primer, 2 coats Urethane Alkyd undercoat (yellow base for gilding) and 1 coat Imperval lead based gloss (blue) for the clock faces themselves.
All areas apart from the clock face were gilded with 2 layers of double thickness 23.5 carat English deep loose gold leaf. Over 2,000 books of gold leaf were used on the project. Jigs were designed and constructed to enable the clockfaces to be installed in a complete unit rather than the component parts.
Installation was carried out with extreme care and precision, in order that the newly gilded surfaces were not damaged. Re-assembly was completed using new stainless steel fixings. Final finishing was done on site by the team of gilders
