How dry-ice blasting equipment by Red-D-Arc restored a prestigious statue

The Stephen F. Austin statue in Sugarland, TX.

Red-D-Arc Welderentals has earned an international reputation with its history of success stories. Most recently, the company’s dry-ice blasting equipment was used to restore the Stephen F. Austin statue in Sugarland, TX. Bronze statues suffer from years of weathering, pollution, and surface contaminants on their patinas. The Red-D-Arc team of dry-ice blasting specialists delivered solutions to complete this project, restoring the statue to its original beauty without compromising its structural integrity.

The founder of Texas

Austin helped to colonize the region now known as Texas by bringing 300 families from the states in 1825. Maintaining the integrity of his historic statue was important, but Red-D-Arc also had to minimize the release of contaminants and airborne waste in the area.

The project required removing layers of paraffin coating and natural cellulose lacquer without harming the statue. Red-D-Arc needed to use a cleaning method that delivered high operational characteristics while saving money and time. After evaluating the customer’s needs, Red-D-Arc settled on dry-ice blasting as the most suitable process. This is a preferred method of restoring statues, removing surface coating without generating secondary waste; rapid heat transfer causes the dry ice to undergo instantaneous sublimation on impact.

Red-D-Arc assembled a package of dry-ice blasting equipment that included two Cold Jet blasting machines, two high-volume after-cooled 375CFM diesel air compressors, 2,500 pounds of blasting ice, after-coolers, accessories, and operational and safety training. This package removed dirt and coating in a fraction of the time that more conventional cleaning methods take up.

This dry-ice blasting equipment provided the following results:

• No toxic chemicals released. This resulted in improved environmental safety.
• Shorter setup and project time. The machinery was easy to install and operate.
• Substantial cost savings. Minimal secondary waste generation resulted in no additional labour expenses.
• Soft and non-abrasive process. Emitting dry ice through nozzles of various pressures is gentle, making it perfect for sensitive, valuable surfaces.
• Environmentally sustainable cleaning. By using recycled dry ice, this method is more environmentally friendly, as well as moisture-free, non-conductive, and non-flammable.

The final result: another satisfied customer.

For more information, contact Red-D-Arc.

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