How do I clean/maintain my Weathervane?

Your weathervane is truly a prized possession, and you would want it to look fantastic all year round. The best thing about weathervanes is that they are durable and long-lasting with only a miniscule amount of maintenance required. Weathervanes are generally constructed from weather resistant materials such as copper or aluminium. The maintenance requirement for both types differ slightly, and adopting the correct maintenance protocol would ensure that your weathervane keeps looking astonishing year after year.

Copper weathervanes

Polished Copper Finish

Copper weathervanes come in two varieties – polished copper and “blue verde” finish. Polished copper weathervanes, just like a copper penny, would begin to naturally oxidize within months, eventually giving it a natural patina. If you do not want this to happen, and want your weathervane to have the finished copper look all the time, then you may use a lacquer or polyurethane coating to maintain the polished finish. For basic cleaning, mild soap and water is all that is required. No specialized cleaners are necessary. If you want a shiny copper finish (and get rid of the tarnished look), you may use a copper cleaner. But remember that this feat can be very time and energy consuming, and you should instead go for things like StayBrite copper and Brass Polish to preserve the finish.

Blue Verde Finish

Weathervanes that have a "blue verde" finish have already gone through an accelerated patina process, and their look won’t change much over time. Such weathervanes are given an artificial finish that makes them look antique. This kind of finish involves accelerating the oxidation of copper, such that your brand new weathervane already has the patina. The only care these weathervanes require is an occasional cleaning using mild soap and water to clean up the dust and dirt, without removing the blue-green patina finish. Aluminium weathervanes:

Aluminum Weathervanes

Aluminum Finish

Cast aluminium weathervanes are coated with paints that are weather resistant and can withstand the harshest of elements. An occasional cleaning with mild soap and water, followed with thorough drying is all that is needed for maintaining aluminium weathervanes.

Weathervanes are constructed to last and stand the test of time. With only tiny efforts, you can maintain your weathervane such that it looks stunning for many years to come. Weathervane figures, directionals, assembly rods and mounts are all made with the highest quality materials that ensure lasting beauty while requiring minimum maintenance.

Weather vanes still very popular

Some of the questions that came to my mind when I first heard about weather vanes were, “Weather vanes? Isn’t that a thing of the past? Who would buy that today?” Those are valid questions, and I’m sure many of you must have thought about it this way. But then, you know, the law of the universe says that once you’ve gripped your attention to something new, no matter how trivial that might be to your existence, the very fact that it crossed your mind, makes that thing to keep manifesting itself in various forms in front of you, and you cannot help notice it. So it happened that I kept noticing weather vanes everywhere - perched on top of peoples’ houses, in the garden of a friend I visited, and even on a keychain! (although this was only an image of a weathervane).

This prodded me to do a little bit of checking on weather vanes and I realized that there is a huge market for it. People are buying them! In fact, some of the antique pieces from the late 19^th century get sold for thousands of dollars. In October 2006, an antique copper weathervane, dating to 1900 and once owned by the Ford family, was sold for $5.84 million! This piece was bought by Jerry Lauren (executive vice president at Ralph Lauren) and his late wife Susan, and now proudly sits in his Park Avenue apartment. This one was perhaps the most expensive weathervane, but prices for antique weather vanes range from $3,500 to $350,000.¹ Weather vanes are increasing gaining popularity among collectors, and become their treasured assets.

Weather vanes need not always be coming from the 19^th century, and you do not have to necessarily spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to own one. There is a huge demand for weather vanes in the market, and there are more vanes being made today than at any point in history. Weather vanes can be manufactured by different techniques, and can come at a variety of price ranges. But if you want to have a vane that can last long, you should go ahead with one that is hand-crafted. These ones are generally made from high quality copper, and are polished with weather resistant materials. Some vanes are made in such a way that they develop an attractive patina over time, giving the weathervane an antique look. Few retailers provide a free mount so that you don’t have to worry about finding an expert who can help you with mounting these structures over your roof. The larger, roof top vanes can cost you about $300 to $1,000, whereas the standard-sized ones that are great for your garden, patio, or even your walls are even more affordable. You can easily find a weather vane for as low as $69 in this size range.   

Weather vanes, old or new, can certainly enliven your home. A large, beautifully crafted eagle or a heron perched on top of your house, can offer a unique aesthetic appeal that can transform your otherwise ordinary house into a landmark.  Weather vanes look charming even inside your home – perched on shelves, tabletops, or displayed on walls.