Distracted by a lion...

[ThornhillMike]

Anyone get distracted by tasks that are so far down the list that they don't even qualify for a number...? In the midst of dry rot remediation and fighting with seagulls trying to set up their own nest renovation project in our parapet gutter, my attention has wavered to this bad boy (he also has a colleague) who cane with the garden.
Anyone successfully cleaned something like this without destroying the surface (which is my main worry)? I've googled various cleaning methods, but many seem to contradict each other!
Thanks in advance

 

[Drayton]

No idea of the answer but it will depend on what material he is?

ETA Get distracted by the fun/decorative jobs? All the time... And you'll need him in the battle with the gulls, anyway. Just don't let him amywhere near Zebra.

 

[ThornhillMike]

He seems to be cast in some form of plaster, perhaps concrete. He's heavy and certainly not metallic in any way. He's not flaking, in the way plaster topcoats come away. I'm just loathe to take a scrubbing brush to him in case I take the surface off.
The audacity of the gulls we have, I'm surprised they don't perch on him...

 

[a twig]

Soapy warm water and a brush with soft plastic bristled brush should do the job, as always do an unobtrusive test bit first!

 

[Cubist]

I would consult a specialist before attempting any kind of cleaning - that patina may have a huge impact on the beasties market value.

Be wary too of any cleaning materials you may consider using as some of these could severely damage the underlying material.

BTW - its unlikely to be plaster - but possible - as it does not handle exposure to outdoor weather all that well.

 

[Zebra]

Aaaaugh! LION!!!!!! Clippety cloppety clippety cloppety clippety cloppety clippety cloppety clippety cloppety clop clop clop clop.
Has it gone?

 

[CliffordPope]

I think he's lovely just as he is - don't spoil it by cleaning.

He looks quite a friendly lion. I think he'd like you to play with his ball.

 

[Cubist]

Ok, so now in this thread we have pink elephants in every room, lions in the garden beset by gulls and somewhere a stampeding zebra!

Has anyone told the management at Longleat about this new menagerie I wonder.

 

[ThornhillMike]

I think he's lovely just as he is - don't spoil it by cleaning.

He looks quite a friendly lion. I think he'd like you to play with his ball.

My only worry is that whatever he is covered in is slowly harming his 'coat'. I'm against 'new for old' generally, but wouldn't want to ignore him and find he starts to flake or similar. Also, selfishly (and in tune with the 'keep the faith' thread running elsewhere) it would be a rather satisfying immediate task amongst the many many longer term ones!

 

[Stevers]

It's also a time of year thing, he'll look at his very worst at the end of a long wet cold period. This part of the Mendips is big on rainfall, so everything that was once stone coloured goes a dark grey/green. A gentle clean with brush and water may be all he needs just to moderate the slime/patina and make him look loved again.

 

[ThornhillMike]

Thanks all; general views seem to be start with water and soft brushing and work up (if necessary). I'll need to do his pal as well, less one feels more loved than the other. The dry rot, plaster fungus, mould, bouncing floors and those pesky seagulls can just wait...

 

[LadyArowana]

Ok, so now in this thread we have pink elephants in every room, lions in the garden beset by gulls and somewhere a stampeding zebra!

Has anyone told the management at Longleat about this new menagerie I wonder.

Pink elephants? I have not seen the pink elephants, have ours escaped?

 

[Cubist]

Pink elephants? I have not seen the pink elephants, have ours escaped?

Sorry Milady, they snuck in while I wasn't looking, here they are safe and well.

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[LadyArowana]

Some of those are rather scary elephants! Would even scare this cutie we just adopted in Venice, he's waiting to join his other pink buddies

 

[tobydog]

Hi Lady A. As you are the Period Property in-house expert on elephants, I would appreciate your thoughts on this one. We've been in our house for 14 years and, as a keen gardener, I thought I knew almost every square inch of it, however, a few weeks ago I found this little fella. Any ideas on age or where it may have come from? Thanks

 

[LadyArowana]

Is it quite a lightweight stone, like a pumice type? Or more of a cast composite? How big? The style isn't immediately identifiable as to origin but looks like an Asian elephant not an African one. I shall consult His Lordship!

 

[tobydog]

Hi. It’s actually carved from one piece of wood with the exception of the trunk which appears to be a separate piece. Oddly it doesn’t attach cleanly and the attachment point on the trunk is too small. It has a silver grey paint like coating of some sort. It’s about 3 inches tall. Not sure what the eyes and toes are made from. Thanks