Great Aunt Martha's china platter finally bit the dust this morning

I was moving my great aunt's 1920s Noritake platter from the top shelf to wash it and my hand just slipped. It hit the counter edge and cracked right down the middle, pieces everywhere. I spent the last hour carefully gluing it back together with that clear epoxy from Ace Hardware, got maybe 70 percent of the shards back in place. Has anyone else tried to fix broken china and had it hold up for display only?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_mary11d ago

My buddy Sarah dropped her grandma's tea set once and glued it back together with that same epoxy. Looked okay from across the room but you could totally see the cracks up close. She kept it on a high shelf just for show, figured it was better than tossing it.

the_mary11d ago

Yeah, I've been there myself actually. That high shelf trick works but only if nobody ever needs to get the stepladder out. My advice? Sand the broken edges with fine grit before gluing, it helps the epoxy grab better. And don't glob it on too thick, you'll see it through the glaze. If you can clamp it tight while it cures, that makes a big difference too. Otherwise you're just looking at a wobbly mess that'll probably break again the next time someone dusts.