Panchaloha, bronze, brass or copper: how they differ
Four metals sit side by side in our shop. Here is how they differ in colour, weight, price and use.
Caring for a bronze at home
Patina, abhishekam and dust: what to do, and what to leave alone.
A well-cast bronze needs very little care, and most damage comes from too much cleaning rather than too little.
For everyday dust, use a soft paintbrush and work from the top down. Cloth catches on the fine edges of fingers and flames.
If you perform abhishekam with milk, curd or turmeric, rinse the bronze with plenty of clean water afterwards and dry it with a soft cotton towel, then leave it in the air for an hour. Residue left in the folds slowly eats into the surface.
An antique patina, the soft green or brown colour on many of our pieces, is part of the finish. Do not polish it away. Bright polished brass, on the other hand, can be cleaned with tamarind once a month if you prefer it shiny, or left to darken naturally.
Keep bronzes away from sea air and bathroom steam where possible. If a piece is damaged, do not try to glue it. Send it back to us; our sthapathis repair bronzes from any foundry.
