Fargo, N.D. ––The NDSU Research Foundation announced it has concluded a license agreement with Elinor Specialty Coatings, Fargo, for removable protective coatings for outdoor bronze monuments and statues. The agreement, announced Sept. 27, gives Elinor exclusive rights to further develop and market the technology developed at NDSU.
From the statue of Sakakawea near North Dakota’s Heritage Center in Bismarck to Rodin’s Burghers of Calais in France, thousands of bronze monuments worldwide endure exposure to pollutants, temperature extremes and all types of weather, from hurricanes to blizzards. Left uncoated or improperly coated, statues can deteriorate, which may result in huge costs to restore them properly.
The unique polymer technology licensed to Elinor Specialty Coatings and marketed as BronzeShield,™ allows the original patina of the bronze to remain, while protecting monuments, art and architecture from salt, UV radiation, moisture and vandalism. “We believe it is a durable, yet maintenance-friendly option for municipalities, museums and historical societies to protect history,” said Dante Battocchi, research and technical officer of Elinor Specialty Coatings.
“Monuments are meant to last forever, but budget constraints often cause public art to go unprotected,” said Holly Anderson Battocchi, president of Elinor. “It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore a piece of public art. BronzeShield’s durability, and easy application and removal, allow for a more economical way for curators to manage the maintenance schedule and yet retain the integrity of the art as the artist intended.”
BronzeShield™ provides shiny or matte protection similar to that of clear-coats on automobiles, yet is removable using an uncomplicated and safe liquid coating remover, which eliminates the damage caused by traditional mechanical removal methods, says Dante Battocchi. Samples of BronzeShield™ are now being sent to potential clients around the country, including one of the largest bronze workshops in the U.S.
Others playing a role in years of development leading to the specialty coating include former NDSU graduate student Tara Shedlosky; NDSU professors Gordon Bierwagen and Dean Webster; NDSU’s Center for Surface Protection, a state economic development Center of Excellence; the NDSU Product Design Center; the North Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research; and federal Department of Interior funding supported by the state’s Congressional delegation.
“We are thrilled to see this specialty coatings technology reach the market through Elinor Specialty Coatings,” said Dale Zetocha, executive director of the NDSU Research Foundation, which licenses technologies developed at NDSU. “It represents a great opportunity to commercialize this research.”
About Elinor Specialty Coatings
Elinor Specialty Coatings solves problems in coatings-related markets through technology and scientific research. Elinor is addressing a challenge in maintenance and preservation of historical works of art through a recently-licensed technology from North Dakota State University known as BronzeShield.™ www.elinorcorp.comor www.bronzeshield.net
About the NDSU Research Foundation
The NDSU Research Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization that supports NDSU in its teaching, research and public service missions. The Foundation manages the intellectual property developed by faculty, staff and students doing research at NDSU and facilitates commercialization of these technologies. www.ndsuresearchfoundation.org
About NDSU
North Dakota State University, Fargo, is notably listed among the nation’s top 108 public and private universities in the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education’s elite category of “Research Universities/Very High Research Activity.” As a student-focused, land grant, research institution with more than 14,000 students, NDSU is listed in the top 40 research universities in the U.S. without a medical school, based on research expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation. At the 55-acre NDSU Research & Technology Park, faculty, staff and students work with private sector researchers on leading-edge projects. www.ndsu.edu/research