Many expensive things have been lost because they were broken. Once something is broken thats it. Its ruined forever. Broken something you loved and hate to throw it away? Okay, you can repair it but it will still have visible cracks. If thats okay with you then theres a very easy way to repair most anything broken.
The next time youre at a craft store pick up a bagful of clay. Some department stores may carry clay as well. The clay doesnt have to be expensive, and doesnt have to be any certain type or color, but can be simply cheap, ordinary clay. As a matter of fact you can even use play dough type of clays. The clay must be kept damp and not allowed to harden.
If youve broken a favorite bowl dont worry. Position the main pieces together then get busy with the clay. Simply take globs of clay and place them up next to the bowl pieces. Make a fortress, of sorts, around the broken bowl. The clay should come at least a third of the way up the bowl. Mold the clay so that it is snug against the bowl and holding the main pieces in place. Begin gluing the smaller pieces back into the bowl. Theres no need to wait for glue to dry before moving on to other pieces because the clay holds every piece in its place. Continue adding the smaller pieces until youve glued all the pieces back into place. When things break there are often pieces which are mere dust after the accident. Some of this "sand" can be scraped up and glued into places where fairly substantial pieces still remain missing. Place glue in the particular dip or groove then fold a piece of paper in half. Sprinkle some of the glass or ceramic "sand" on the glue. Wear gloves and use a thin piece of cardboard to smooth the sand into place. If using super glue skip this last step. The clay method is a great way to hold things in place while you operate on them. The technique works for wood, ceramic, glass, metal or just about any other material. The clay can be left in place until youre certain the piece has completely dried then removed and used another day. Make sure there are no glass pieces in the clay youve used. If there are its a good idea to throw that clay away and use a fresh piece for the next accident. If even the tiniest glass or ceramic shards are left in the clay you could be badly cut the next time you mold the clay around a broken item. Use the clay technique to fix broken soap dishes, ashtrays, statuettes, lamps, plaster of Paris, and resin items. There are various adhesives you can use so check the labels to find the adhesive thats perfect for the type of material you will be gluing. Fast-drying glues are best for repairing broken glass and ceramic items. Its not always necessary to surround the complete piece with the clay. If youre repairing a lamp, for example, you might be able to do so by building a short wall of clay on each side of the lamp base. Glue the piece or pieces back in leaving the lamp lying as it is. Since theres no need to have the clay molded up where you screw in the lightbulb, the lamp will be impossible to surround with clay. Just use clay in the necessary spots to support the project while youre mending. The clay holds the piece snugly while you glue meaning the piece will be glued well. Although you will still be able to see suture line and cracks the clay helps you reach as close to perfection as possible. It keeps even the smallest pieces from slipping while you glue. Trying to hold items while gluing them can be nearly impossible since you usually need two hands to repair the broken item. Keep a glob of clay in a plastic bag and youll be ready for the next accident. Hopefully there will be no "next accident", but if there is, youll have everything you need to fix it almost like new!
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