CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR YARD ART

• If your animal is STAYING INSIDE you don’t have to do anything. 
   

• If your animal is PAINTED we suggest washing it off every once in a while preferably with a car wash with wax in it.  If you see any rust developing rub it off and treat with boiled linseed oil as described below.
   

• If your animal is NATURAL STEEL you can: 

1.   Do nothing.  Over time the animal will develop an attractive brown and red rust.  The steel is thick; it won’t rust through for a very long time.

Or:

2.   You can treat the animal with boiled linseed oil, a product available in any hardware store.  Apply the oil all over the entire animal with a brush and/or rag and let it soak in for about fifteen minutes, then wipe off any excess oil and let dry. Linseed oil will leave a slightly golden tone. Be careful to spread the rag out when you are done and let it dry.  Don’t stuff it in your waste can or it can combust.  After two or three days the oil will dry completely and your sculpture will be protected from rust as long as you see water beading off the surface. If rust eventually begins to appear, simply rub it off with a Scotch-Brite pad and reapply the oil. 

3.   If you fall behind on your animals upkeep and it rusts nearly all over and you want to spruce it up, you can do the following:

• Using medium coarse steel wool,  remove all loose rust from surfaces, then treat with boiled linseed oil (see Step 2).  This time, the result is a dark reddish patina that is quite attractive.

• Repeating application of the linseed oil every six months or so will delay further rust and will retain the new “patina”.