Latest Work

1/2/2020

This piece of Meissen ceramic was brought to us in very bad shape. It had been restored more than 20 years ago by the owner's grand father. He used some kind of epoxy glue that penetrated the porous ceramic and turned dark brown over time. The first task was to remove all traces of the old glue and prepare it for bonding. A clear water thin bonding ...

This old Meissen ceramic had been poorly repaired a few decades ago using some kind of cheap epoxy glue that got dark brown over time. Stored in an attic for years, it was brought to Fine Art restoration for a full spotless restoration. This piece was originally a lamp. The owner wanted to simply enjoy it as a statue. The first task was to remove all the old glue using several baths of various solvent. This step has to be done slowly and in conservational way since this is a low fired ceramic that is very porous. Using the wrong technique could make the old glue penetrate even further in the ceramic making it very difficult to reassemble. After carefully scraping all the edges of what was left of the thick glue we were ready to reassemble all the parts and make it one again.

Once all the parts are perfectly clean of any composite product, it’s time to start a careful bonding. This procedure requires to start figuring out in what order the parts should be reattached. It takes hours on a piece like this to figure out the right order before actually starting to connect the parts. We use a water thin bonding agent that penetrates the finest cracks so each seem is the tightest possible. We use an activator that freezes the bond in place permanently. This bonding solution is crystal clear and is not altered by UV rays so it will never yellow. Once this is completed, the filling process starts. We use a composite putty of the finest grain that cures to the hardness of porcelain.

Once the filling is done we airbrush a coating, crystal clear, that is scratch resistant and UV stable. This allows us to fill up the gaps that are to small to physically reach and to smooth out any imperfections. Several ultra thin layers are needed with fine sending in between them. Then the surface is as perfect as it once was. The next step involves airbrushing cold glazes over the crack lines to match the fired glazes of the item. Some will be applied with a paintbrush to get the right effect. For the Final step we airbrush a last layer of clear protective coating that will seal in all the paint job.

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857 S. San Pedro St. #309
Los Angeles, CA 90014
310 266 1078
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Fine Art Restoration is an expert ceramic repair, porcelain repair and glass restoration studio that provides valuable restoration services to many types of clients, including antique dealers, auction houses, art collectors, art museums and insurance companies. Under the direction of Owner Henri Laborde, our studio delivers the highest level of restoration services found in the industry. We repair each treasured piece with a high level of skill and care, giving each customer total satisfaction with their finished product.