Why are my CAST Lighting fixtures turning white?

Bronze contains a small amount of zinc. After a fixture is installed in the landscape, some of this zinc migrates to the surface forming a whitish coating. This coating eventually fades and washes off. The time for the whitish coating to disappear varies according to environmental conditions and can last from a couple weeks to a couple months.

We recommend that homeowners allow this natural process to progress, but if they wish to remove the zinc coating, this is best done by gently scouring the fixture with coarse steel wool or a steel brush. After scouring the fixture, the surface should be wiped clean with a damp cloth. Keep in mind that the whitish coating may re-appear until the zinc migration is complete.

To prevent the zinc from reappearing after the above step, the homeowner may apply WD-40® to the fixture then rubbing it over all the surfaces. Note, however, that this application will delay the further patinization of the fixture to it's final stage of bluish-green by as much as a year.

 

(Document No. : Created on: 07/13/08 Last modified on: 07/13/08)

---