Preparation and patience are the secrets of a successful china repair. Work on a clean surface and make sure that once glued, you can leave your freshly mended sections in a position where they will be undisturbed for about eight hours until dry.
You will need
- Cotton wool buds
- Cellulose paint thinner or lighter fuel
- Soft cloth
- Baby bottle sterilizing fluid, denture cleaner or washing powder
- Powdered pigments
- Matchsticks
- Blade or scalpel
- Masking tape
- An old saucer
- Two-part epoxy resin adhesive
- Sand bed
- Cleaning china
If your piece is old, or has been in a position where it has accumulated years of dust and dirt, the pieces may need cleaning before you start to assemble them.
1. Surface dirt and stains can be removed by immersing your piece in a bowl of baby bottle sterilizing fluid or denture cleaner. After a few minutes remove the china from the sohmon and wipe dry with a soft cloth.
2. Any dirt and grease that may have accumulated on the broken edges will prevent the glue from adhering properly. Clean any dirty edges thoroughly with a cotton wool bud dipped in lighter fuel or cellulose paint thinner, then put aside to dry.
Gluing china
Assemble all your freshly cleaned pieces on a clean work surface near to your sand bed (which must be in a position where it won’t be disturbed for at least eight hours). Lay them out like a jigsaw puzzle to make it perfectly clear which order they fit together. Start by gluing the pieces nearest the rim and work inwards until you have only two large pieces. A multiple break may take some time to reassemble ¡ª don’t be tempted to take shortcuts as this could lead to a shoddy repair.
1. Mix up a small quantity of two-part epoxy resin on an old saucer, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Depending on the predominant colour of the glaze on your plate, add a tiny sprinkle of coloured pigment (just enough to tint the glue, so that it appears whitish but not enough to weaken the adhesion) and stir in to the resin.
2. Using a matchstick, wipe a small amount of tinted glue along the edges of the first two pieces of broken china.
3. Carefully place the pieces together and hold for a few minutes until they have adhered. It may be necessary to place them in the sand tray until they are completely dry, but make sure you cover each side of the join with masking tape to prevent the sand from sticking to the glue. Once your first two pieces have dried, continue to build up your broken section until it is complete.
4. Bed the solid section of the plate firmly in the sand tray. Place at such an angle that the mended section sits happily on top (even if only for a few seconds) without falling off. Then apply glue to each side and stick carefully together. Cover the join with strips of masking tape to hold the two sides firmly together while the glue sets. Leave undisturbed for a minimum of eight hours.
5. When the glue has thoroughly dried, remove the plate from the sand bed and peel off the masking tape. Remove any excess glue with a blade or scalpel. Avoid scraping any paint or glaze.
Image: Luigi Crespo
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