Weathervanes

Weathervanes are some of my favorite things to work on since restoring them requires far less steps than does working on frames. After any repairs to the metal are made, the vane is stripped of its finish. Then primer and 12-hour gold size are applied. When that has cured, a high karat gold leaf is applied and smoothed, and voilá, the weathervane is gilded. No further finish goes on after that. The results are very gratifying.

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18th century weathervane on the Brick Church in historic Deerfield, Massachusetts.

Steeple restoration of First Parish Church, East Derry, New Hampshire.

Steeple restoration of First Parish Church, East Derry, New Hampshire.

Steeple restoration of First Parish Church, East Derry, New Hampshire.