[eoteceramics]

Disaster! Ive just dropped a piece of greenware and it broke in two places. Clean break but it was made by somebody else as apresent for her Dad!!
Is there any way of repairing it or will I have to own up? Thanks

[bciskepottery]

I was in a handbuilding class with Alfredo Ratinoff and watched him repair a student's greenware earthenware bowl that was broken in several pieces . . . he misted/wrapped the edges with damp towel until they were soft enough to work with, then scored and slipped, then reassembled . . . one piece at a time. Over the course of about three hours, he rebuilt the bowl. Was fascinating to watch (I got no almost no work done that night but learned a lot watching). Not sure if it can be done in your case, though. When Alfredo was studying in Italy, he did statue restoration . . . so he really knew how to do such a repair.

[Marcia Selsor]

Use a toilet paper /paper clay patch. Mix it up in the blender.
Mix
your clay in dry powder form, dash of vinegar, drop or two of sodium silicate
toilet paper that has soaked overnight
stir in the blender. Use about 15% tp to your volume of powdered clay.
dampen the edges before applying.
Marcia

[~janie]

What Marcia said. Do be sure your edges are nicely damp. I use paper clay for all repairs in my studio.

[morah]

Marcia Selsor, on 27 August 2012 - 08:32 AM, said:

Use a toilet paper /paper clay patch. Mix it up in the blender.
Mix
your clay in dry powder form, dash of vinegar, drop or two of sodium silicate
toilet paper that has soaked overnight
stir in the blender. Use about 15% tp to your volume of powdered clay.
dampen the edges before applying.
Marcia

Marcia, I am sorry to be such a novice but would you mind explaining about powdered clay? Do you just save the dried up clay powder (that I thought I should avoid because its not safe to breathe) or is there some process to make it? Also, is there any particular type of vinegar- wine, white, etc.? And last but not least, what is sodium silicate and where do you get it? Thanks. Morah

[Marcia Selsor]

Morah,
The easiest way to mix your patch without excessive water is to take dried crumbs of theclay being repaired, crush it with a rolling pin,a mallet, the back of a spoon so that your end result is powder. Hope this explains it. you don't want to usewateryslip because there's too much water with theclay.

Marcia

[Mark C.]

One other choice you have that has worked well for us in small repairs is an Amaco product called SP -mender for greenware as well as better luck with
Aztec-high fire mender as you mix it with your dry clay body.It works up thru all cone temps.
Mark

[TJR]

This is what you want for greenware repairs.It is called spooze.
1 Several tablespoons of your clay body, CRUSHED AS A DRY POWDER.
2. two tablespoons of white vinegar.
3.Caro syrup-a tablespoon or some other cheap syrup.
Mix it up like a paste. Repair the work. Do not store it as it stinks from the syrup rotting.
Good luck.
TJR.

[morah]

TJR, on 27 August 2012 - 10:39 PM, said:

This is what you want for greenware repairs.It is called spooze.
1 Several tablespoons of your clay body, CRUSHED AS A DRY POWDER.
2. two tablespoons of white vinegar.
3.Caro syrup-a tablespoon or some other cheap syrup.
Mix it up like a paste. Repair the work. Do not store it as it stinks from the syrup rotting.
Good luck.
TJR.

Thanks TJR. Caro syrup sounds a lot more familiar then sodium silicate! Do you also put toilet paper into this mixture?

[Marcia Selsor]

Spooze is the best recipe IMHO. Just go easy on the corn syrup.
I like vinegar instead of water. and yes on the toilet paper.


Marcia

[eoteceramics]

Wow thanks for all the replies!

This forum is a lifesaver, Im going to try the suggestions on a few scraps of greenware before
attempting the actual piece. i think I will have to tell her that it broke whatever the outcome.
Hopefully it will be a good one! Thanks again, will post how I got on.

[Earth and Fire]

TJR, on 28 August 2012 - 03:39 AM, said:

This is what you want for greenware repairs.It is called spooze.
1 Several tablespoons of your clay body, CRUSHED AS A DRY POWDER.
2. two tablespoons of white vinegar.
3.Caro syrup-a tablespoon or some other cheap syrup.
Mix it up like a paste. Repair the work. Do not store it as it stinks from the syrup rotting.
Good luck.
TJR.

Hi !

I have problems with very small cracks appearing on a piece which isn't completely dry yet. They appear there where two parts join and I am suspecting one wasn't as soft as the other while joining them ... classic beginners problem :-S ... I fear that it will completely crack while bone-dry.
I tried scoring, humidifying, consolidating the area with soft clay, but after leaving it to dry slowly (wrapped in plastic), they still come through (smaller, but still).
Your solution seems worth trying. Is this a good way to proceed : scoring, humidifying, putting on some of the paste and than later on sanding off the excess ?

Thanks for your help !

Chris

[Benzine]

I'm a fan of "Ceramic Enhancer", which can be used to mend dry pieces of clay, though I may have to try some of those other recipes.
My Ceramics instructor in college, told me about using Karo syrup mixed with clay powder, but it didn't have the vinegar in it.

[Earth and Fire]

I'm in France and I am not sure to find Ceramic Enhancer here ... same for the Karo Syrup. I tried another kind of candi syrup.

[Karen B]

Earth and Fire, on 13 November 2012 - 04:39 AM, said:

I'm in France and I am not sure to find Ceramic Enhancer here ... same for the Karo Syrup. I tried another kind of candi syrup.

Karo Syrup is actually corn syrup.

[yedrow]

Thanks Marcia and TJR. I think I've written these solutions in some form down three times already, perhaps at some point I'll be able to find one quickly.

Joel.

[SmartsyArtsy]

Just a caution about buying Sodium Silicate. In my local drugstore, It is 5x the price I buy it for at a ceramic supplier-- 400% MORE! So, it is worth checking carefully