Kintsugi comes from Japan and is a stunningly beautiful way of repairing. So next time you break a piece of pottery, don’t bin it; fix it. Don’t replace it; repair it. Using the art of Kintsugi, turn a broken piece into a beautiful piece celebrating the repair; it’s not invisible; it’s quite the opposite fact the repair is highlighted in gold.
Centuries-old
“Kintsugi is a centuries-old art of repairing broken pottery and transforming it into a new work of art with gold. High lighting the break. The word Kintsugi comes from the words Kin meaning “golden”, and tsugi, meaning “join”, the “golden repair.” The cracks and chips of the piece become the focus turning the object into something unique and beautiful.
Supplies needed
You’ll need – ceramic adhesives, liquid gold leaf, gold mica powder, a thin paintbrush, a broken ceramic dish or plate, paper, and masking tape. Once the dish or plate has been repaired, it can only be used as an ornament; it can not be used for food or drink.
How to
These are modern methods. A) 2 parts ceramic glue mixed with 1 part gold mica powder. Mica is a natural mineral pigment with a fantastic shimmer and metallic-like appearance. Completely non-toxic. Resin8 Mica Powder Pure Gold is about £4 for 5g. B) To paint over the repaired joint with liquid gold leaf, a good quality one is about £25 for 30ml. C) Other techniques use actual 22ct gold powder sprinkled onto the wet glue that has seeped out from the joint/s. It is beautiful and expensive 1oz is about £100, but a little goes a long way. D) The traditional way of Kintsugi uses sap from a unique Japanese tree called Urushi lacquer and real gold.
A beginner’s guild to Kintsugi shows us how to repair. So keep your broken items in future and have a go at turning them into beautiful objects.
