Invisible China Repair

There are many reasons why someone might want to have their collectible china repaired. Maybe your three-year-old child was running around the house and crashed into the china cabinet, knocking some bowls off the shelf. Or perhaps you were handed down a family heirloom that was broken in five or twenty pieces years ago. You might even be looking for someone to help you preserve a priceless piece for a national museum.

Materials that Can Be Repaired

Many companies which repair china also repair a variety of similar materials, including porcelain, ceramics, and pottery. This means you can repair your favorite sentimental vase, regardless of whether it was constructed by your eight-year-old son or your favorite name brand manufacturer. Many china repair companies will repair a wide variety of name brand china, including pieces from Royal Copenhagen, Boehm, Crown Derby, Meissen, Tiffany, and Lenox.

Types of Repair

Unlike a typical home repair that consists of Elmer’s glue and a lot of patience, there are a number of ways that a professional china repairman can go about piecing your artwork back together. These can be separated into two categories: visible repairs and invisible repairs. Each type of repair is performed for a different reason, and the method of repair work you choose is dependent upon what type of repair job you are looking for (i.e., are you looking to restore it to its original state, or are you only hoping to have it pieced back together into a cohesive unit until you can afford a better job).

Visible China Repair

There are three types of visible china repair that are typically performed by china repair companies. These are structural china (and porcelain) repair, cementing, and filling in and touching up.

Structural china repair is the cheapest and quickest way to repair your broken china, but it is also the messiest form of repair. It is typically used when a customer needs to piece a piece of china back quickly (for example, if they are likely to lose small pieces or don’t want broken shards of ceramic lying around the house) but can’t afford to properly pay for a more extensive repair piece. Structural china repair is temporary and can be undone at a later time so that more effective repair jobs can be performed.

Cementing is a visible type of china repair that involves using colored cement to careful piece your broken china back together. It is usually used as a stepping stone to more advanced china repair services, and it is important to choose a repair company which has extensive experience and expertise in this method, because it can be difficult to do properly. It takes someone with expertise to be able to properly mix cement for a particular piece of china. Choosing a company that is well-versed in the cementing process can help guarantee that your piece will not sustain any damage from checking and sinking, and your china will be more closely color-matched than if you were to choose a less competent repair company.

Filling in and touching up is the last step in the visible china repair process. It often includes or follows the cementing step and involves filling in places where pieces are missing and painting and glazing the dried, cemented china so that it will match the original piece. Despite this, the cracks and other damaged areas will still be visible to the naked eye.