How You Can Fix Broken China at Home

Seeing cracks on a favorite piece of chinaware can be really frustrating, and even more so when it breaks or shatters into lots of tiny pieces.

However, damaged china doesn’t always have to stay damaged. There are different ways to repair broken china using all kinds of tools and epoxies (the process is still cleaning and gluing the broken pieces).

Securing the Pieces
The first thing you need to do is gather all the broken pieces and them in place. While it’s not a good idea to hold two pieces together by hand for a long time, you can hold them together using different methods.

There are ways to secure pieces:

• With sand (bury one piece halfway, broken side up, and secure the other broken pieces using clothespins);
• With clamps (be careful since this may add more strain to the porcelain); and
• With modeling clay (molded around the part where the two broken pieces connect).

Make sure the pieces are aligned properly before proceeding to bond them together with a filling or glue.

Fixing the Cracks
Once the pieces are held down, it’s time to There are a few techniques and materials used in filling the cracks made in porcelain to help restore its strength and appearance:

• Epoxy Filling – Applying epoxy filler directly is the easiest way to seal most cracks and add as filler for small chip marks on ceramic, since the excess epoxy can be scraped and left to dry overnight.

• Peg – Long, deep cracks in chinaware (excluding thin, fine, or bone china) can be fixed by adding copper wire and epoxy filler with the help of ceramic repair supplies.

• Using Milk – For hairline cracks, place the piece in a pot with about two or more cups of milk and let it simmer for about an hour. After this, turn off the heat and allow the bath to cool before rinsing the piece.

Keep in mind that repaired pieces can only be used for display and not for eating, since the adhesives used for them are toxic. The only exception for this is for those pieces repaired using milk.

If these methods don’t work for your piece/s, your last resort is to send them to a professional restoration service to restore your chinaware to their former state.

Hiring a Professional Restorer
If the piece is heavily cracked or shattered into many small pieces, the best way to get it fixed is to send it to a professional restorer with the tools, expertise, and the space for fixing different pieces.

There are different levels of service that a restorer can offer, from the bare minimum crack sealing, to higher quality services, such as shade matching, UV testing, and even using special epoxy coatings.

Professional restorers also provide online estimates, which helps you know if the process (wait time included, which can take several months depending on the piece) is worth the cost.