Remember the pictures of our bright and shiny, newly made arch bows?  We had visions of lifting a gleaming, unblemished copper tower into place, just to show the “new-ness” of the piece.  Well, what we’ve built here is essentially a really big copper ornament.  So big, in fact, that we don’t have a facility large enough to keep it 100% out of the elements while we work on it.  And it’s been raining down here.  A lot.

As we all know, one of the most remarkable features of copper is how it reacts with the elements.  These reactions are what build the glorious and sought-after patina that only copper can produce.  So even though the copper arch bows will be a bit on the brown side when the tower is placed, they will be every bit as beautiful.  Like fine wine, copper becomes more valuable as it ages. 

If you’ve read about our company, you’ll know that we’ve spent most of our lives restoring some of the most beautiful castles, cathedrals and other important historic buildings in the world.  Since the methods of installation in Europe are so stringent and have been for hundreds of years, the majority of our restoration work on copper has been almost exclusively due to “acts of God” like fallen trees or nasty hail storms but also, sad to say, damage from the world wars.

When we examine the copper on these centuries-old structures, the copper can be over double its original thickness!  It is an honor to work among these buildings and see the depth of character they have taken on after so many years.

So all the details on this cathedral spire won’t be perfectly shiny on reveal day, but the copper is on its way to developing its own unique character people centuries from now will appreciate and love.  We are proud to be part of this legacy!