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Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

fellerts.no

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Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#31

Post by hcrean »

thot_experiment wrote: post #3

I recently broke a piece of glassware that had been with me for over a decade. I have all the pieces and I'm wondering if it's possible to stick it in a kiln and run a heat cycle that will cause all the cracks to flow together without deforming the shape, and barring that if there's a thin gold glue I could use to do some approximation of this technique but with cracks that are essentially zero width.

There is a method where you piece the glass together supported in investment, (a type of ceramic casting plaster), by building it up in layers. You tightly pack it and put it in the kiln, the investment holds the shape of the object when it melts.

This is a very advanced and difficult method of glass re-forming.

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#32

Post by Baeocystin »

thot_experiment wrote: post #3

I recently broke a piece of glassware that had been with me for over a decade. I have all the pieces and I'm wondering if it's possible to stick it in a kiln and run a heat cycle that will cause all the cracks to flow together without deforming the shape, and barring that if there's a thin gold glue I could use to do some approximation of this technique but with cracks that are essentially zero width.

The short answer is no. You will not get fusion without slump.

That being said, there are excellent, optically-clear, UV stable epoxies that are made for this problem. Hxtal is the go-to for most. https://www.lakesidepottery.com/HTML%20Text/Tips/Hxtal-NYL-i...

It is very thin, and will happily wick in and fill cracks. Often the join is completely invisible. The downside is that the cure time is on the order of 1-2 weeks. It does take a little practice to use effectively, and it's worth trying on less-important projects first, but it's straightforward enough that you can expect success if you follow the directions carefully.

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#33

Post by avtar »

criddell wrote: post #11
avtar wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those in Toronto :) https://introjapan.ca/inperson-classes/ No affiliation. I gifted my partner an intro workshop pass and she's been returning for more classes since then.

How do you discover classes like this? Are there city-specific guides to interesting classes and seminars that you can take?

I wish I could offer something more useful, but in this case her birthday was fast approaching and I remembered her bringing up Kintsugi in a conversation. I did a search for "kintsugi toronto" and found that teacher's site on the first results page. Back in the day I would have browsed craigslist, but unfortunately it's not as popular here anymore.

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#34

Post by xipho »

MBCook wrote: post #28
conkeisterdoor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the GP was implying that urushi isn't food safe, but rather that some epoxies aren't food safe

The author of the peace also mentioned that while there are food safe epoxies they were worried that they may be less food safe than expected when used with high temperatures like tea or coffee as opposed to being used in a simple serving dish.

According to https://www.lakesidepottery.com/Pages/Pottery-tips/ceramic-r... there are no food safe epoxies, including Kintsugi...

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#35

Post by talkingtab »

thot_experiment wrote: post #3

I recently broke a piece of glassware that had been with me for over a decade. I have all the pieces and I'm wondering if it's possible to stick it in a kiln and run a heat cycle that will cause all the cracks to flow together without deforming the shape, and barring that if there's a thin gold glue I could use to do some approximation of this technique but with cracks that are essentially zero width.

I would seriously consider kintsugi for aesthetic reasons. You do not have to go with the gold thing. Basic urushi is black so you could go with just black. You can also get Urushi in quite a wonderful red. And there is truly spectacular orange.

As for the aesthetics. No matter what you do, you don't get a whole piece. It is broken and always will be. What you can do is to create something new that both has the beauty of the old and the care, beauty, whatever of continuing. I don't know how to explain this in logic, but there it is. I had quite a nice ceramic cup with charm that broke. I used black urushi which was not gaudy like gold leaf can be. I liked it even more than before.

Another option is silver leaf instead of gold depending on the glassware. And finally you can get really crazy. Rankaku is where you get little tiny pieces of quail egg shell and place it into the urushi. It is painstaking - to say the least- but the results can be beyond stunning. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/jean-dunand-18771942--55309901...

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#37

Post by piyh »

I repaired my mug with epoxy and kept using it for years until the handle fractured at the same spot, dropped on my trackpad and shattered it.

Now I get new mugs when one breaks.

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#38

Post by ryandamm »

xipho wrote: post #34
MBCook wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author of the peace also mentioned that while there are food safe epoxies they were worried that they may be less food safe than expected when used with high temperatures like tea or coffee as opposed to being used in a simple serving dish.

According to https://www.lakesidepottery.com/Pages/Pottery-tips/ceramic-r... there are no food safe epoxies, including Kintsugi...

Certified food grade epoxies are used in industry all the time; in fact, some wine is aged in epoxy-coated concrete tanks, and the inside of soda cans these days includes a thin layer of food-grade epoxy.

I will not fault anyone for not believing the certification, but I would personally want to see a more authoritative source than an undated ceramics FAQ. But this is just personal style! Being suspicious of regulatory thresholds is prudent.

(And this FAQ has me wanting to revisit my priors and research this a little more specifically, because its assertions are plausible, but need sources or explanations or dates, for cross-checking. Food-grade epoxy I believe in would be a handy thing to have exist; I do have some certified food grade epoxy in my garage that I haven’t used for anything yet and I’d dislike downgrading it to just “epoxy.”)

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#39

Post by xipho »

ryandamm wrote: post #38
xipho wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to https://www.lakesidepottery.com/Pages/Pottery-tips/ceramic-r... there are no food safe epoxies, including Kintsugi...

Certified food grade epoxies are used in industry all the time; in fact, some wine is aged in epoxy-coated concrete tanks, and the inside of soda cans these days includes a thin layer of food-grade epoxy. I will not fault anyone for not believing the certification, but I would personally want to see a more authoritative source than an undated ceramics FAQ. But this is just personal style! Being suspicious of regulato…

Completely agree. Was looking for citations too and this was the first I hit, wish they pointed forward.

Re: Repairing my mug with Kintsugi

#40

Post by userbinator »

talkingtab wrote: post #13

Danger!!! Urushi is basically poison oak/poison ivy sap. Not quite the same, but in that family and with the same effects. Not to scare you off, but if you are interested in this, imagine all the things that can go wrong from if you were to get a tube of poison ivy sap and then do things with it. That said, Urushi is great and the number of things you can do with it is truly amazing. Just don't do it rashly.

Most other adhesives and epoxies are also quite toxic when not cured.
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