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Kootenae House plaque refreshed
By Ross MacDonald, Parks Canada
Canada’s national historic sites commemorate stories of places, peoples and events of national significance. Near Wilmer, Kootenae House National Historic Site is the location of the first trading post in the Columbia River Basin established by explorer and fur trader David Thompson in 1807.
The site is managed by Parks Canada.
Every national historic site is marked by a sturdy bronze plaque. Year after year, these plaques are exposed to the hardships of climate and weather. The extremes of heat, cold, sun, rain and snow will take their toll on the plaques and eventually a thorough clean-up and a new coat of paint is needed. Fortunately, the 140 national historic plaques in Alberta and BC are kept in good repair by volunteers from the Parks Heritage Conservation Society. The society’s membership consists of retired national parks and historic sites staff who maintain a passion for the parks and sites.
On August 3 two retired Banff National Park employees, Rob Harding and Bob Haney, refinished the Kootenae House plaque.
Refinishing a plaque is an involved process. After protecting the stone cairn with thick waxed paper a coat of paint remover is applied onto the plaque. A high pressure blast of baking soda removes the softened paint from the plaque without damaging the bronze. After washing the now bare metal to remove any soda residue the top of the letters are lightly sanded and dabbed with a light layer of grease to keep new paint from adhering to the text. Layers of metal primer are sprayed onto the bronze followed by coats of dark burgundy coloured paint. Then a careful sanding removes the paint from the letters to accent the text from the rest of the plaque.
Finally, a protective layer of varnish is applied.
The entire spruce-up of the plaque took nearly five hours to complete but the Kootenae House National Historic Site plaque is ready again to withstand years of weathering.
Top photo: Baking soda replaces sand as a gentle abrasive to remove old paint without damaging the plaque.
Photos by Ross MacDonald
