Kintsugi repair service

What is Kintsugi ?

“Kin-tsugi” literally means “gold joints” in Japanese. It’s an ancestral technique for repairing broken pieces: cracks are not hidden, but sublimated, and the accidents of the past remain visible. Because, sometimes, it’s the scars that make the beauty: magnifying them also means changing the way you look at what seemed to be a defect. Repairing to give new life.

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The broken piece can be used again: the materials needed for traditional kintsugi are mainly natural lacquer (urushi) and pure gold, both of which are food-safe. Precious, long-lasting materials that give your object a second life and make it absolutely unique.

What are the steps of a kintsugi repair ?

To restore an object using the kintsugi technique requires great skill, expensive materials and dozens of hours of painstaking craftsmanship. Here are the main steps:

These steps are essential to ensure that your object is durably restored, sublimated and absolutely unique.

  1. First, the object is cleaned, any traces of chemical glue scraped off and the crumbling enamel consolidated.
  2. The various fragments are glued back together using a mixture of natural lacquer and rice glue. Drying takes several days and must take place under stable, controlled conditions.
  3. Cracks and gaps are filled with a mixture of lacquer and terracotta powder: again, drying takes several days. Next comes sanding to obtain the smoothest possible surface. This step is repeated as many times as necessary until a perfect result is achieved.
  4. Once the cracks have been filled and sanded, a black lacquer is brushed over them. This step can be repeated as many times as necessary.
  5. After drying, the final coat is a precious red lacquer that serves as an adhesive base for the pure gold powder.
  6. This is the most impressive process: the pure gold is sprinkled over the red lacquer… This requires a total absence of dust in the room and on the craftsman.
  7. Once completely dry, the gold is polished with an agate and can be protected with a very thin layer of lacquer.

Kintsugi is not all about gold.

It’s possible to create kintsugi with something other than gold… I offer a wide range of finishes from traditional metals such as :

  • silver,
  • platinum or tin,
  • colored metallic powders
  • tinted lacquers that offer a wide palette of colors to suit every mood.

It is also important to notice that kintsugi does not limit to ceramics: I can repair your glass or marble objects, your plaster or wood sculptures…

Years of experience have helped me to adapt the kintsugi technique to a wide variety of materials. Do you have a special request? Don’t hesitate to contact me!

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How can you use your repaired item?

The kintsugi technique makes it possible to use ceramics again for food purposes: it’s perfectly possible to drink tea or coffee from kintsugi-restored tableware!

Here are a few tips for caring for your restored objects:

  • Avoid anything abrasive: no scrubbing sponges or fingernail scratches, just rinse and wipe with a soft cloth.
  • Avoid chemical or alcohol-based household products, preferring a natural soap.
  • Kintsugi doesn’t like dishwashers or microwaves!
  • Finally, avoid storing the object outdoors.

Following these few instructions will ensure the longevity of your object and the brilliance of its kintsugi restoration.