Posideon Fountain

This fountain is very early example of a commercial cast iron architectural artifact fabricated in the United States. Even under the most favorable conditions, a cast iron object exposed to 170 years of outdoor exposure in Salem Ma, USA would not fair  well. Add-in salt air, constantly flowing water, degraded layers of paint, contact with copper piping and well-meaning but misguided treatments and the observed conditions are not surprising.

The iron surfaces are heavily corroded and with many spots that can be considered unstable-they flake off when touching. Numerous sculptural elements are missing or degraded. There is flaking paint which has been applied over rusted surfaces. Several modern clamps, repairs and welds used in past treatment campaigns which are contributing the visual degradation.

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The fountain elements were removed from the site and brought to Daedalus for treatment. The surfaces were cleaned of degraded paint, rust, scaling and previous repairs. Missing sculptural elements were fabricated in cast iron. A new internal armature was designed, fabricated and installed by our staff. The surface was primed and re-painted with a specialized paint. The fountain was re-installed on site in coordination with the plumbing team.