When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history, it becomes more beautiful.
I've known about Kintsukuroi, the art of mending broken pottery with gold since I
was in art school but I had never thought to try it myself. I thought it would be impossible to do without special equipment and gold. One day, after breaking a china cup my Grandmother had given me, I decided to try a "mock" Kintsugi.
To my surprise, it turned out to be easy, inexpensive, and looked beautiful.
Grandmother's cup was not only whole again, it looked even more interesting and beautiful for having been broken and then repaired.
"Broken things always have a story"
I left a crock that my Mother had given me outside on the patio last Winter. It filled up with rain, and when it froze, it cracked down one side and completely around at the bottom of the crock. I was so sad when I found it, thinking it was destroyed and useless. Remembering what I had done with my Grandmother's cup a few years earlier, I thought "Why not try the same method with the crock?"
Below are step by step photos and directions for how I repaired it with my "mock" Kintsukuroi. I love the way it looks now!
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Making sure your pottery is clean and dry, use wood glue, (I use Titebond because it sands easily, dries quickly, and cleans up with water).
Put a bead of glue on one side of the broken pottery and press the sides of the break together.
Using a small paintbrush, spread the glue to completely cover the break. Be sure to wipe off any excess glue with a damp cloth.
You'll want to let the glue dry thoroughly and then sand any rough areas, or apply more glue if there is a sunken place that you need to fill up where a piece of pottery is missing.
After the glue is dry and smooth, apply a shiny gold acrylic paint carefully to the glue in the crack. Be sure to wipe off excess paint with a damp cloth as you go.
I chose to use an inexpensive super shiny gold acrylic paint that I was able to order online. You can find many varieties of shiny gold paint at your local craft shop, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and even at most Wal Marts.
Keep in mind that these repaired pottery items are not liquid safe. You won't want to drink out of them or serve food on them. They are for decorative purposes only. I use my crock to hold umbrellas and hiking poles or walking sticks by my front door,
These are three of the several pieces of broken pottery that are in my home. They are now loved and cherished additions to my decor, each with a story of its own.
There you have it, from broken to beautiful and with a history to go with it. Far better than crying over a broken dish or piece of pottery, you now have an interesting conversation piece to enjoy and share with friends and family.
If you decide to try this process on some broken pottery or china of your own, please share a photo with me via my email, I'd love to see it!
If you run into a problem and would like to ask my advice, feel free to send an email for that as well.!
As always,
Living my artful life!
Pam
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