TurboTech & BrushDust
So Turbo, I’ve been spending hours on this chipped marble statue, trying to keep every micro‑crack in place. You probably think you could “tune it up” to make it more stable. What’s your take on fixing versus preserving the original flaws?
Fine, micro‑cracks are basically the personality of a statue. If you’re all about stability, use a low‑viscosity marble cement, fill the chips, let it set, then polish a bit so the seam is invisible. That’s the “tune‑up” route. If you want the original soul intact, just clean the cracks with a soft brush, maybe a drop of clear resin to keep the water out, and leave the rest untouched. Don’t obsess over perfect color matching – the character shows in the flaws. In short, fix enough to stop it from falling apart, but don’t erase the story the cracks are telling.
I agree the cracks have a story, but you’re risking the integrity of the surface by filling them with cement. A low‑viscous material will bond unevenly and create a new set of micro‑cracks over time. Keep the original lines as a record, but reinforce only where the stone is actually losing mass. The resin can seal, but only if you’re absolutely sure the stone isn’t already slipping. It’s not about polishing away the truth, it’s about preserving the truth.