Curator

Curator Restoration Materials & Horological Products

Curator is a specialist range of restoration materials and horological products, now owned by Priory Polishes. With a long history of supplying restoration materials and horological solvents, Curator provides specialist products for metal restoration, metal antiquing, clock restoration, dial restoration and traditional finishing.

The range includes cold patination and antiquing fluids, metal preparation products, protective oils, clock and watch cleaning solutions, clock oils, lacquers, bluing salts and specialist finishing powders. These products are suitable for professional restorers, horologists, metalworkers and experienced restoration enthusiasts.

Jump to Section

• About Curator
• Metal Restoration & Patination
• Metal Antiquing & Patination Fluids
• Metal Preparation
• Metal Protection & Finishing
• Horological Cleaning & Restoration
• Clock & Watch Oils
• Metal Lacquers
• Clock Dial Restoration
• Other Curator Products
• FAQs

About Curator

Curator has been associated with specialist restoration materials and horological solvents for over 40 years. The range has been developed around the practical requirements of restoring and maintaining antique clocks, metalwork and other historic or decorative objects.

Priory Polishes now owns the Curator range, allowing customers to purchase these specialist restoration products alongside the wider Priory Polishes range of furniture, wood, metal and horological restoration materials.

Metal Restoration & Patination

Curator has a particularly strong range of products for metal restoration and decorative metal finishing. These products allow restorers and metalworkers to clean, prepare, colour, age and protect suitable metal surfaces.

Whether you are attempting to reproduce an existing aged finish, restore period metalwork or create a particular decorative patina, choosing the correct preparation and finishing products is essential for achieving controlled results.

Metal Antiquing & Patination Fluids

Curator Antiquing Fluid is available in Black, Brown, Bronze and Old English Brass and is designed to create aged and patinated finishes on suitable metals. It can be used on brass, copper and bronze, while the Black formulation is also suitable for mild steel.

For customers who want to test different finishes before purchasing a larger quantity, the Curator Antiquing Fluid Trial Pack contains four small samples in Black, Brown, Bronze and Old English Brass.

Other specialist patination products include:

• Curator Black LPS Antiquing Fluid for lead, lead-based components, tin and lead-free pewter.
• Curator Antiquing Gel Black for controlled dark patination of suitable metals including mild iron, mild steel and brass.
• Curator Verdigris Solution for creating suitable verdigris effects.
• Curator Rusting Solution for controlled rusting and aged effects on suitable ferrous metal.

Curator antiquing products can be applied by immersion, brushing or swabbing depending on the product and the object being treated. Always follow the individual product instructions and test the finish before treating the complete item.

Metal Preparation

Proper preparation is an important part of successful metal patination. Grease, oil, fingerprints, lacquer and other surface contamination can interfere with the reaction and produce uneven results.

Curator Cold Patination Pre-Treatment is a specialist acidic degreasing solution designed to remove grease, oil, fingerprints and other surface contaminants from ferrous and non-ferrous metals before antiquing, polishing, painting or protective coating.

For suitable antiquing applications, preparing the surface correctly helps produce a more even and controllable finish.

Metal Protection & Finishing

Once a metal surface has been cleaned, polished or patinated, it may require protection from moisture, oxidation and handling.

Curator Protective Oil is designed to seal and protect patinated, antiqued and untreated metal surfaces. It is suitable for most metals, including brass, bronze and copper, and can be used after suitable antiquing and patination processes.

For additional metal finishing requirements, the Curator range also includes specialist lacquers and polishing products.

Horological Cleaning & Restoration

Curator also includes a specialist range of horological solvents and clock restoration products. These are designed for the cleaning, maintenance and restoration of mechanical clock and watch components.

The range includes specialist cleaning solutions for delicate horological mechanisms, as well as products for rinsing, lubrication and finishing.

For example, Horolene and Horological Essence Renata are professional cleaning solutions for clock and watch mechanisms, including delicate components such as hairsprings.

For more extensive clock movement cleaning, Curator products can be used alongside the wider Priory Polishes range, including No. 1 Ammoniated Clock Cleaning Concentrate and No. 2 Non-Ammoniated Clock Cleaning Solution.

Clock & Watch Oils

Proper lubrication is an essential part of servicing a mechanical clock or watch. Curator supplies specialist oils intended for precision horological applications.

Horolube Clock Oil is a superfine mineral oil for suitable clock movement components, including pivots, bearings and other fine mechanical parts.

The correct oil should be selected according to the component and manufacturer’s or horologist’s requirements. Only small, controlled quantities should be applied to appropriate lubrication points.

Metal Lacquers

Curator includes specialist lacquers for protecting and finishing metal surfaces. These products can be particularly useful where a polished or restored metal surface needs to be protected from handling, moisture and subsequent tarnishing.

The range includes Horolacq Brass Lacquer, Horolacq Silver Lacquer and Horolacq Blue Lacquer, providing options for different metal finishing requirements.

Clock Dial Restoration

Curator also supplies specialist products for clock dial restoration, including materials used when restoring silvered brass dials.

Horofinish Finishing Powder is a superfine finishing powder used after silvering to help finish and brighten silvered brass clock dials.

For restorers working on traditional clock dials, these specialist products provide a way to carry out the silvering and finishing stages as part of a dedicated restoration process.

Other Curator Products

The Curator range also includes specialist products for a variety of restoration and finishing applications, including:

• Curator Brass & Copper Polish – for cleaning and brightening suitable brass and copper surfaces.
• Curator Rouge Powder – a fine polishing compound for suitable finishing applications.
• Curator Bluing Salts – for creating a traditional blue-black finish on suitable steel components.
• Horofinish Finishing Powder – for finishing silvered brass clock dials.
• Horolacq Lacquers – specialist protective and finishing lacquers for metal.

Because Curator products are highly specialised, always check the individual product page for the metals, materials and applications for which each formulation is intended.

Why Choose Curator Restoration Materials?

• Specialist restoration range – developed around professional restoration and horological applications.
• Over 40 years of history in restoration materials and horological solvents.
• Metal antiquing products for creating controlled aged and patinated finishes.
• Horological products for clock and watch cleaning, lubrication and restoration.
• Metal preparation and protection products for different stages of restoration.
• Specialist finishing materials for metal and clock dial restoration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Curator?

Curator is a specialist range of restoration materials and horological products, now owned by Priory Polishes. The range includes metal antiquing fluids, patination products, horological solvents, clock oils, lacquers, bluing salts and finishing materials.

What are Curator products used for?

Curator products are used for a range of restoration applications including metal cleaning, preparation, antiquing, patination, protection, clock and watch movement cleaning, lubrication and clock dial restoration.

Are Curator products suitable for antique restoration?

Yes. The range was developed specifically around restoration and conservation-related applications and includes products for antique metalwork, clocks, watches and decorative objects.

Does Curator make metal antiquing products?

Yes. Curator Antiquing Fluid is available in Black, Brown, Bronze and Old English Brass, alongside other specialist patination products for particular metals and finishes.

What can Curator Antiquing Fluid be used on?

Curator Antiquing Fluid is suitable for brass, copper and bronze, while the Black formulation is also suitable for mild steel. Always check the individual product instructions because suitability varies between colours and metals.

Does Curator make clock cleaning products?

Yes. Curator includes specialist horological cleaning products such as Horological Essence Renata, Horolene alongside other products for clock and watch movement restoration and maintenance.

Are Curator products suitable for professional restorers?

Yes. The range is aimed at specialist restoration applications and is suitable for professional restorers, horologists, metalworkers and experienced restoration enthusiasts.