Sue&Jon on fri 19 feb 99
Hi Carolyn and all. I'm Sue Christensen. I'm a new voice here, but have been
listening in for awhile.
I took a china restoration class last summer and was taught that the best
material for repairing china was DEVCON 2-Ton Crystal Clear Epoxy (Part Number
S-35). It sets in 30 minutes. The 5-minute kind is not as strong. Ace
Hardware has its own version of this product; the key words here are "30 minute
epoxy."
I use a toothpick to dab the epoxy along the broken surfaces, going down the
middle and leaving the edges dry (to allow the epoxy to spread without
overflowing when the pieces are pressed together) I press them together, then
use little strips of gummed Kraft paper tape which I have dipped in water to
secure it. I stick the paper tape strips across (perpendicular to) the crack.
The tape shrinks as it dries and pulls the crack together. If the pot is in a
lot of pieces, you may have to join them one or two at a time. Plan the order
of joints carefully so you don't accidentally "lock out" any pieces.
If pieces are missing, you can fill them/rebuild them either with either of two
materials:
1) use the same Devcon epoxy mixture plus a 50/50 mixture of zinc oxide and
titanium oxide powders. The oxide powders add whiteness and prevent shrinking;
this method is best for china.
-or-
2) use PC-7 construction epoxy, which is a charcoal grey color and does not
shrink. If you let it set up a bit and/or wet your fingers or tools, you can
sculpt it like clay. I like this better for repairing my own work, which is
largely "darkish" salt and wood fired stoneware.
This china mending course, by the way, is the one taught by Gerlinde Kornmesser
every summer in Appleton, Wisconsin. It was advertised in Ceramics Monthly. If
you are interested in an excellent china mending course that will also teach you
a lot about professionally repairing/perfecting your own imperfect pieces of
clay work, you can write to Gerlinde about the course :
Gerlinde Kornmesser
1011 Harlem Avenue, Glenview IL 60025.
Sincerely,
Sue Christensen
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Sue Christensen and/or Jon Simpson
Nameless Wildness
Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Thonas C. Curran on sat 20 feb 99
Thank you, Sue, for the informative posting. Query, though: I had read
that restorations (of pots from archaeological digs, fine antiques,
etc.) should be reversible (in case the state of the art restoration
techniques improve in the future). I realize you're not talking here
about repairing priceless S'ung Dynasty pots, but did your course touch
on this point? TIA, another Carolyn (with nickname of CNC)
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