
Here’s how to do kintsugi repair at home in four steps:
- Protect your working surface; newspaper is a good material for this purpose.
- In a disposable container, mix a small amount of metallic powder with your epoxy.
- Work quickly but carefully to glue your broken pottery back together using the epoxy-mica mixture. A wooden coffee...
- After you’ve re-attached all the broken...
What is Kintsugi repair?
Learn more... Kintsugi, which literally translates to “joined with gold,” is the ancient Japanese practice of mending broken ceramics with gold, silver, or platinum epoxy. The goal of a kintsugi repair is actually to highlight the cracks and damage with a bright metallic binding agent that draws attention to the damage.
How to make Kintsugi pottery?
How to Make Kintsugi Pottery Art. 1 Step 1: Choose your Kintsugi object. Choose the ceramic you wish to apply the Japanese gold repair to. Select one that is used for decorative ... 2 Step 2: Prepare the adhesive. 3 Step 3: Glue your ceramics together. 4 Step 4: Create gold lines.
How to repair Japanese gold with Kintsugi?
Choose the ceramic you wish to apply the Japanese gold repair to. Select one that is used for decorative purposes, not for food or beverage consumption, as epoxy resin can be toxic if consumed. After you’ve selected which dish you wish to prepare, determine which Kintsugi method to use:
Where can I find Kintsugi pieces?
You can find Kintsugi pieces in auctions. It is very expensive, as the repairs are usually done in real gold and by craftsmen whose talents far exceed mine. So, while we will be making our own Kintsugi pieces, we're going to be doing it on the cheap.

What glue do you use for Kintsugi?
Clear epoxy resinClear epoxy resin or other ceramic adhesives. Gold mica powder or liquid gold leaf.
What gold should I use for Kintsugi?
About half of our Kintsugi work is with 23.5 Karat gold and the other half uses our proprietary Gold Effect process made with a blend of brass, copper and zinc.
How is real Kintsugi done?
Poetically translated to “golden joinery,” kintsugi, or Kintsukuroi, is the centuries-old Japanese art of fixing broken pottery. Rather than rejoin ceramic pieces with a camouflaged adhesive, the kintsugi technique employs a special tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
How do you use Kintsugi powder?
Apply metallic powder using the dusting brush like tapping off cigarette ash. Once urushi is covered with powder, dust off excess powder using the tip of the dusting brush gently. To avoid breaking the surface of the urushi. Return to the box.
Is kintsugi real gold?
Most of our kintsugi work is not real gold and uses instead a blend of brass, copper and zinc creating a durable realistic gold effect. We developed this process of the gold effect due to the high demand for the lower cost product which is virtually indistinguishable from real gold.
Is kintsugi food Safe?
Is Kintsugi Kit food safe? The Humade Kintsugi Kit from YŌNOBI is food safe for a max temperature of 100 degrees celsius. If the repaired porcelain is heated above 100 degrees, the heat can melt the materials.
Can you use mica powder for kintsugi?
You can use any color you'd like, but it won't technically be a kintsugi repair if you don't use a metallic color. Mica powder is made by grinding up mica, which is a natural mineral that comes in a variety of colors. It is often used in makeup and is perfectly safe to handle.
Can I use gold leaf for kintsugi?
In Kintsugi pottery is reattached using 24kt gold leaves applied using a glue, traditionally urushi lacquer, which was made for thousands of years from tree resin.
What lacquer is used for kintsugi?
urushi金継ぎ Kintsugi roughly translates as 'joining with gold' (kin is 'gold' and tsugi is 'join'). It is a centuries-old Japanese repair technique which uses urushi (Japanese lacquer) dusted with powdered gold to restore broken ceramic and porcelain vessels.
How do you fill cracks with gold leaf?
2:176:01fill a crack in wood. Fill a knot. Gold Kintsugi-style inlay - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd being that it is a gold leaf. It's it's like almost like fabric. You can squish it less to fillMoreAnd being that it is a gold leaf. It's it's like almost like fabric. You can squish it less to fill up the wider areas of the crack.
How do you fill gold cracks?
1:459:39How to Repair Broken Bowls with Gold ~ The Art of Kintsugi - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis is very easy to find and comes in a very handy little plunger like this that dispenses theMoreThis is very easy to find and comes in a very handy little plunger like this that dispenses the perfect amount you want to start with about a quarter sized dollop.
How do you use urushi lacquer?
Try fuki-urushi. Apply raw lacquer on clean, smooth wood (just basic board for practice), and wipe it off just after applying. The cure for 24-48 hours, sand with 400-600 sandpaper and repeat, and sand with a higher grit.
How do you put gold in ceramics?
1:2711:35How to Apply a Gold Lustre/Luster Overglaze on Fired CeramicsYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNow for the application process you will need a dedicated lustre brush and I can get that to comeMoreNow for the application process you will need a dedicated lustre brush and I can get that to come into focus you can see is a very very fine tiny brush that I use the lustres are extremely thin.
Can you use mica powder for kintsugi?
You can use any color you'd like, but it won't technically be a kintsugi repair if you don't use a metallic color. Mica powder is made by grinding up mica, which is a natural mineral that comes in a variety of colors. It is often used in makeup and is perfectly safe to handle.
Why do Japanese use gold to repair pottery?
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — a metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections. “You won't realize your full potential until you go through the tough times,” Kumai says. With that said, Kintsugi takes work and awareness in order for it to truly be healing.
How do you fill gold cracks?
1:459:39How to Repair Broken Bowls with Gold ~ The Art of Kintsugi - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis is very easy to find and comes in a very handy little plunger like this that dispenses theMoreThis is very easy to find and comes in a very handy little plunger like this that dispenses the perfect amount you want to start with about a quarter sized dollop.
DIY Kintsugi Repair
Kintsugi is a great way to repair your broken dishes and reduce waste. Through kintsugi, you can also create a one-of-a-kind piece of art to display on a shelf, or give broken ones a new, extended life. To perform a kintsugi repair at home, you will need:
Not All Broken Pottery Is Suitable for Kintsugi
Precious antiques may not be good candidates for DIY kintsugi repair. A talented ceramics restorer can do amazing work with precious pieces of broken china.
Step one
Now, you’re going to need a broken pot. Whether that’s your favourite mug or bowl that you have been saving or you ‘accidentally on purpose’ break something. If it is the latter, make sure you do it safely. Out of the way, in a bag and tea towel. A drop from head height should do the trick.
Step two
The next step requires you to start fitting those pieces together again. Just a general idea is fine, you don’t have to go balancing bits on one another. You just want to know what goes where and when really – an outline of where you need to apply the Kintsugi glue.
Step three
Now go ahead and reach for your DIY kit and supplies . You’re going to start to mix the Japanese gold repair powder together with the epoxy putty and use a stick to start applying it slowly to the edges of your broken pieces.
How Is Kintsugi Implemented In Our Studio? Real Gold and Gold Effect Processes
We restore ceramic objects implementing the Japanese art of Kintsugi using one of these two methods:
Kintsugi Gold Repair Process Instructions
Kintsugi Gold Repair Process Instructions This tutorial demonstrates the main steps of our Kintsugi process. The presentation is intended to provide only a general idea of Lakeside Pottery's two proprietary Kintsugi methods and is not a precise instruction for a DIY
Real Gold Over Lacquer
A few years ago, we stopped using the ancient method of mending and filling with urushi (a tree sap) and found that the shown process yields more durable results with greater customer satisfaction
What does kintsugi repair mean?
It means finding pleasure in aged and worn objects, and value their blemishes as beautiful. Kintsugi repair also relates to other Japanese expressions, such as mottainai, which means to regret wasting something, and mushin, which means to free one’s mind and accept change.
What is Kintsugi art?
Kintsugi is a centuries-old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery and transforming it into a new work of art with gold, the traditional metal used in Kintsugi. The name of the technique is derived from the words “Kin” (golden) and “tsugi” (joinery), which translate to mean “golden repair.”. The scars and cracks of the broken ceramic become ...
How to repair Japanese gold?
Step 1: Choose your Kintsugi object. Choose the ceramic you wish to apply the Japanese gold repair to. Select one that is used for decorative purposes, not for food or beverage consumption, as epoxy resin can be toxic if consumed.
When was Kintsukori invented?
The History of Kintsugi. Kintsugi, or Kintsukori, dates back to the 15th century, when according to legend, shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke his favorite chawan, a Chinese ceramic tea bowl, and sent it back to China for repair. It was returned and fixed, but bound by ugly metal staples.
Can you use gold mica powder to paint Kintsugi?
If you used gold mica powder, you can add additional strokes with liquid gold leaf for a more apparent Kintsugi effect. Tip: Use an exacto-knife to scrape off the thick layer of the resin for a more delicate, subtle look. If you are using liquid gold leaf, do this before painting on the new lines.
What is faux kintsugi?
DIY Faux Kintsugi. Kintsugi is a Japanese art in which broken ceramics and pottery are fixed with resin and powdered gold dating back to the 15th century. It is the process of taking something that is broken and, to many, now worthless and transforming it into a work of art. It is both beautiful and broken.
How long does glue dry?
We will be getting rid of the excess glue in the next step, don't worry. Once you have everything put together, the piece should be left to dry for three hours.
