Do you have broken pieces of ceramics or porcelain? Learn together with me in this video how to repair those broken pieces with the Japanese technique known as Kintsugi.
Kintsugi (金継ぎ, “golden joinery”), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, “golden repair”), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery or ceramics by mending the broken pieces together with lacquer dusted and/or mixed with gold. As a philosophy, kintsugi is similar to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, embracing the beauty of imperfection. By repairing your broken items with kintsugi you embrace the beauty of every break, crack and chip.
This is NOT a sponsored video and/or blog post. I did buy the Kintsugi repair kit with my own money. However, this post contains affiliate links. This simply means that if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission without any extra charge for you.
From my research, I found out that kintsugi has been around in Japan since the 15th century and traditional kintsugi uses Urushi lacquer, made from the sap of the Urushi tree, mixed with precious metals like gold.
I looked into making my kintsugi repair with the traditional materials & methods but the selection available to me was either extremely expensive or in massive quantities.
As such I decided to try out a DIY Kintsugi kit from MoraApproved on Etsy – this kit doesn’t include Urushi lacquer or gold leaf. Instead, it contains epoxy glue, which you will mix with gold-coloured pigment as well as everything else you need for a successful kintsugi repair.
The DIY Kintsugi kit from MoraApproved on Etsy includes:
- Bison Epoxy Fast Glue
- Premium Non-Toxic Colour Powder (Available in 12 colours!)
- Brush
- Mixing sticks
- Gloves
- Illustrated & written instructions
→ Buy your own DIY Kintsugi kit here!
Personally, I think the most important thing is to embrace the philosophy of kintsugi. Sometimes when an item has broken I find it scary to repair it. Especially when I try a new-to-me technique like kintsugi. My fear is that I might destroy the piece further if I try.
But could we really ruin something that already has been broken? 🤔
In western culture, we are obsessed with the idea of perfection, beauty and symmetry. This originated from ancient Greece where Plato argued that beauty represented the perfect ideal version of what we desire and could be used as a guide on how to live our lives. The idea of perfection also originates from the idea that God is being the ideal as he is the almighty creator of the universe.
As a philosophy, kintsugi is similar to the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi. In the Japanese Philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, you embrace the impermanent, the imperfect and the incomplete. According to Wabi-Sabi ageing and wear can enhance an object. The concept has roots in Zen Buddism and uses the Buddist teachings of the ‘three marks of existence’ impermanence, suffering and emptiness/voidness.
What speaks to me when it comes to the concept of Wabi-Sabi is the idea of transience and imperfection.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Is the flower complete when it flowers?
Or is it complete when it seeds?
Or when it decomposes back into the earth?
We can use the same concept when it comes to our broken pottery, our belongings and our lives.
Step 1: Protect yourself & your surface
Before I started I did put on disposable gloves and covered the surface that I will work on. I used more than one pair of gloves throughout this process so I would recommend having some extra at hand just in case. I used a plastic drip sheet that I got from the hardware store. I often reuse these sheets until they can no longer be used. I also made sure to also use an apron to protect my clothes.
I found it helpful to have the instructions nearby in case you need to check them as you go.
The first item I decided to repair was my husband’s beloved pizza plate. I sadly broke it by accident last year when it was in the sink and I opened the cupboard above the sink and a spice jar fell down on it!
The other item I repaired was a plant pot which used to have an aloe vera-plant in it.
Step 2: Mix the glue
I started by squeezing out an equal amount of glue from each tube onto a mixing plate. The kit didn’t come with a mixing plate – but they recommend you to use the box that the kit came in which I did.
I mixed the glue with a mixing stick and then added a tiny amount of the gold dust to the glue. I applied gold powder by dusting the brush in the container with gold pigment and then shaking the brush towards a mixing stick to get out as much powder possible from the brush.
Then I mixed thoroughly with my mixing stick.
Step 3: Time to apply glue!
Next, I used another mixing stick and applied a generous layer of glue to one side of the repair. I left it on for 1 minute and then gently pressed both of the parts together for a couple of mins until the glue starts to work.
I highly recommend you to put on an audiobook, tv show, podcast or Youtube video whilst holding your pieces together to dry. (I was watching Tiffanyferg’s video on Meme Kids – if you’re interested you can check that one out here!)
Step 4: Time to add extra gold dust!
Once the first two pieces were joined it was now time to apply extra gold dust. When the glue was almost dry but still sticky or tacky on the surface, I dipped my brush in the gold dust and generously applied a layer of gold dust onto the repair. (This step only applies to the colours gold, silver and old rose.)
Then I continued to join the rest of the pieces by repeating the same steps as before, applying glue mixed with coloured dust generously on one side, wait 1 min, then hold pieces together until the glue starts to work, dip the brush in the gold dust and apply a generous layer.
To let the plate dry without getting stuck to the surface underneath I placed them on top of two chopsticks.
I recommend you to work in small segments – do not squeeze out too much glue at a time – just enough to join the pieces you need to join. And of course, make sure you close the epoxy glue in between use.
Once the two pieces of the plate were stuck together I saw that I needed to apply a bit of extra glue to not have a crack in the middle of the plate and make sure it was joined properly. I carefully applied extra glue to the crack with a mixing stick.
As it was a little hole in the plate where a ceramic piece was missing in the middle of the breakage I made sure to create a couple of layers of glue so that it could be filled and dry properly. After around three rounds I succeeded in filling up the hole.
Step 5: Clean away excess dust & glue residue
Let it rest for 2 hours before carefully cleaning away excess dust with a sponge and dish soap. To clean off excess dust & glue I did wet my sponge and then I wiped it on top of my bar of dish soap.
Then I started to clean away the excess by wiping the plate with the sponge. I used the ‘scrubbier’ side of the sponge to remove any glue residue that had gotten stuck on the plate.
I found it helpful to use an unused mixing stick to remove excess glue residue. I used the scrubbier side of my sponge first, but then I just the softer side of the sponge to gently clean around the repair and remove any leftover soap residue. Then I repeated this process on the back of my plate as well!
✨ Then leave your repaired piece to full set for 48 hours and then it is ready to be used! ✨
A little tip if your glue doesn’t set…
A little troubleshooting tip is to make sure that you mix the glue thoroughly – if both tubes are not mixed properly it will not set! This happened to me at one part working on this plant pot.
At first, I thought it might be due to when I made this repair we lived in a polar vortex, and the outside temperatures were below -30ºC, but as it didn’t set for several days I realized I had to wipe it off and reapply the epoxy glue mixed with gold dust. Temperature can definitely affect the set time but if it doesn’t set at all it’s most likely that the glue wasn’t mixed properly!
Is this repair method food-safe?
The coloured powder included is non-toxic. The epoxy glue is resistant to a maximum of 100ºC (212ºF). Temperatures beyond that will cause the components to melt and therefore will not be safe. MoraApproved advice against dishwashing, microwaving and pouring very hot drinks directly onto your repairs.
Please note the materials are NOT approved food-safe by the FDA. Hope that helps!
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