Ceramic is one of the quintessential ornamental materials. Its quality, elegant appearance and abundance have made it an indispensable material in many homes. The problem of those objects that are made with ceramics is fragility since it only takes a small blow or fall to break them, which is why you must be very careful when gluing ceramics.
Have you ever dropped a cup of tea and you should throw it away because you don’t know how to repair it? If this is your case, do not give up and do not get rid of your favorite ceramic objects. Next, we teach you how do you fix broken ceramic with a simple step by step and what adhesives exist to rebuild these pieces.
How do you fix broken ceramic?
In ancient times, in Japanese culture, there was a term that perfectly defined the art of gluing and repairing ceramics: Kintsukuroi. It was an almost spiritual process that required repairing the object with gold, as it was believed that a piece was more valuable and beautiful because it had been broken and, therefore, it was not necessary to hide the cracks. If you ever see a ceramic pitcher, mug, or plate with golden cracks, you know that it was the result of that process.
Although repairing ceramics today seems like a simple and fairly straightforward process, certain details are required throughout the process for the final finish to be of quality.
- Ceramic putty
- Ceramic glue
- A spatula
- Frost (optional, but important if you want to add a touch to the Kintsukuroi style)
Do you want to learn how to glue ceramics easily and ensure the best result? Follow this effective step by step.
- The first thing you should do is select the broken ceramic pieces or simply those you want to join.
- Next step, take the ceramic glue or putty and apply with the spatula on the edges that you are going to join. It is important that you do not spread the whole piece with glue and that you limit yourself to the edges. Never apply the glue directly without the spatula, as the result could look dirty and imperfect.
- Then join the pieces together without letting them peel off, and at the same time remove any excess glue or putty.
- As a final step, let the object in question stick for 10 hours.
Do you want to give a Kintsukuroi style to your ceramic piece? If so, all you have to do is add gold glitter to the ceramic glue or putty before applying. Add enough quantity and mix well so that the golden color is the protagonist of the piece.
Second process
The most important thing when gluing ceramics is knowing what type of ceramic glue should be used according to each case and how to apply it correctly. Next, we discover a simple step by step for you to learn how to glue broken ceramics.
- First, you need to take an earbud and soak it in alcohol. Use the stick to clean the area where the ceramic piece will be rebuilt.
- Next, you need to make sure you know the exact place where each broken piece of the piece needs to go. For this, the ideal would be to take the ceramic pieces and join them without using glue until you visually reconstruct the object.
- Now, you need to apply the ceramic glue, preferably a multipurpose that works to seal and fill. This type of glue will allow you to move each piece for a few seconds in case one is in a bad position.
- After applying the ceramic glue to each of the pieces, you must proceed to join them one by one while removing the excess glue with another ear stick.
- Once you have the piece completely rebuilt, you can take some adhesive tape and reinforce each part of the object with it to increase the effectiveness of the glue. After about 20 hours, you can remove the tape.
- If you do need additional parts because some are lost or fractured too much, you can rebuild them by applying putty, as it is malleable.
Other ceramic adhesives
Just as there are methods for gluing parts that tend to break easily, there are also ceramic adhesives that will help us repair it easily. Each type of glue has its own particularity, not only for its composition but also for the way it is applied. Next, we show you 3 widely used ceramic adhesives and we reveal what their characteristics are:
Resin glue
This type of adhesive is presented, in most cases, in two tubes. Each contains compounds that separately do not work but, once bonded and fused, activate a property that hardens and bonds ceramic at the same time.
It is recommended to use transparent epoxy resin glue to speed up the adhesion and drying process. Usually, this type of glue is applied to small pieces or pieces, so always remember to keep in mind the weight of the object you are going to rebuild.
Acetate adhesive
Acetate adhesive, specifically polyvinyl acetate, is used to bond a wide variety of things. However, it is in ceramic objects where it is most used, as well as in terracotta pieces.
Keep in mind that before applying this glue, you have to soak the edges of the parts of the piece with water, as this is the only way to increase the effectiveness of polyvinyl acetate.
Cyanoacrylate adhesives
These types of adhesives are used for specific purposes and materials such as porcelain. Cyanoacrylate adhesives should only be applied to ceramics with a hard material, as those that are malleable will not adhere well to these products. To apply this glue, you must first dilute it with water, always taking into account the amount you will need.
Now that you know what the types of ceramic adhesives are and how to glue broken ceramics, you already have all the ingredients and steps to repair those vases, cups, or tableware yourself that you previously thought had no solution.
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