Tutorial: Repairing broken ceramics
It wasn’t your fault. If they hadn’t left their muddy shoes on the floor by the sink then you wouldn’t have tripped and dropped it. Either way, the damage is done. Now, let’s get this thing fixed.
This is a step-by-step of how to rescue your broken ceramics or glassware. There are two parts to this tutorial. If you’re lucky and the break was clean, without chips, then you’ll only need the first part. Otherwise, find a non-broken cup and make a cup of tea – you’re here for the duration.
The two products we recommend for ceramics repair are PC-Clear liquid epoxy and PC-11 paste epoxy. PC-Clear is strong and (you guessed it) clear, so perfect for joining each piece back together. PC-11 has excellent filling qualities to rebuild any missing/damaged areas and will give you an off-white paintable surface.
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Disclaimer: Epoxies aren’t rated as food-safe, so if you’re going to make some soup and lick the bowl clean then I’m sorry my friend, it’s time to get a new bowl.
So you know, we’ve actually followed a tutorial written by professional restorers – Lakeside Pottery Studios in Delaware. We figured, if we can manage a decent repair on our first attempt, then so can you.
Stage One: Sticking
You’ll need
For sticking: PC-Clear epoxy. The 1oz will be more than enough. Save the rest for when you’ve smashed more stuff.
For mixing: A tray, old tile or ice-cream tub lid, and a knife, spatula or lolly stick. Ideally, non-absorbant surfaces, but don’t worry too much for a small repair.
For support: A tub of rice, maybe masking tape and blu tack. For tricky repairs you could use a glue gun, but it’s a bit more of a pain to clean up afterwards.
For clean-up: Methylated spirit, razor blade, some kitchen roll or a rag.
1.1 Take a good look at the mess you made. Try out placing the pieces back together – do they need to go back in a particular order? Is there an ‘aha’ moment where the right angle gets them back together just right? Pick out your first two pieces.
1.2 Get your support crew ready. We’re using a tub of rice and letting gravity hold the two pieces together.
1.3 Only one repair at a time. With our plate we’re going to glue pieces A and B together, then pieces C and D together. We will need to wait for these to cure before gluing AB to CD.
1.4 Take a deep breath, this bit is time sensitive. Squeeze a small amount of PC-Clear from the syringe. You’ll have roughly 3 minutes to mix and apply it. Mixing will only take 10 seconds or so. The two parts will quickly become semi-opaque as they’re smooshed together with the pallete knife. The colour is the clue that it is properly mixed.
1.5 Apply the epoxy to one of the broken pieces (not both). Make sure you’ve covered the whole surface.
1.6 Press your two broken pieces together. Apply gentle pressure. You want a tight fit and any excess will squeeze out. Resist the temptation to wipe the excess away. It will be more easily removed (without smearing) after it has cured.
1.7 Clean up your tools with methylated spirit. By this point you’ll notice the epoxy is already starting to cure.
1.8 At room temperature, the epoxy will cure within in 1 hour. We strongly recommend waiting 24 hours until it has reached maximum hardness. It will probably be fine sooner, but why risk mucking things up at this stage?
1.9 Once fully cured you can scrape off any excess epoxy with a razor blade. You may find it easier to bend the blade into a curve, especially if your repair project isn’t flat. (Warning! Shield your eyes when bending!)
Awesome! We’ve now got a plate again and a super strong repair.
Stage Two: Filling & Painting
You’ll need
For filling: PC-11 epoxy. Unless you’ve broken a life-sized elephant, opt for the 1oz which has the advantage of being in a syringe for easy dispensing.
For mixing and clean-up: Your tools from stage one.
For sanding: 240 and 400 grit sandpaper and/or Dremel discs. 3000 grit for a museum quality finish.
For painting: Acrylic paints and a fine tip brush. A water-based glaze/varnish, if required.
2.1 We made sure our work area was clear of debris (a wipe over with methylated spirit) and taped off the wider work area in case we made a mess (this proved to be unnecessary).
2.2 We start with a repeat of 1.4 but without the time constraints. Squeeze the required amount of PC-11 from the syringe. It has a peanut butter consistency so needs a little more work to mix both parts together, but you’ve got 30 minutes of work time to play with. Mix until the colour is even – no streaks.
2.3 Using your knife or sculpting tool, apply the PC-11 to any chips or remaining cracks. You’ll find the epoxy is quite sticky. You can use methylated spirit to smooth over the top if your effort looks like a pavlova, but if in doubt go too high rather than too low as you don’t want to find yourself sanding it into a dip.
2.4 Clean up your tools with methylated spirit.
2.5 At room temperature, the epoxy will cure in 24-48 hours. Patience is a virtue, so they say.
2.6 Once fully cured, you need to remove any excess epoxy and achieve a level surface. If you’ve got a Dremel hiding in the back of the abandoned hobby cupboard, then dig it out! Otherwise, it’s sandpaper and a bit of effort. Start with approx. 240 grit and then change to 400 grit. In this instance, our plate was flat and the repair was small so we found we could scrape off most of the excess using our razor blade.
2.7 How good is your eyesight? Is your spouse very fussy? If so, then you can repeat steps 2.2 to 2.6 once or twice more, applying only a fine layer of PC-11, working to achieve the smoothest finish possible. Always wipe any dust away with methylated spirit before you start another layer of filler.
2.8 The final stage! Again, this bit is about how good a finish you want to achieve. Do you have a friend who is good at art? It’s time to buy them a drink. If not, summon your inner Van Gogh and, if necessary, apply watered down coats, allowing each to dry before building up the colour. You can also use a second, soft brush to lightly brush over the top, lifting away any unwanted build-up of paint. This can help to remove any visible brush marks.
2.9 If required, apply a glaze. Ideally, you’d airbrush this on. Realistically, you probably don’t have an airbrush and will want to apply a thin layer so your repair doesn’t look out of place if it catches the light.
Congratulations on your successful repair! Next time, don’t drop it.
This tutorial was first published in The Collector's Companion magazine (December 2024).