Fine Art Restoration

French ceramic “tulipieres” urn top pieces – ceramic repair

fixfineart — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:25:59 +0000

here is a good example of what reconstruction can do to a piece missing a fairly large part. The tip of one of those tops was missing. We used a platinum cure silicone to make a mold of the existing tip. Then using casting ceramic like material we created a copy of the original. Once connected, smoothed out and painted with the same design it’s impossible to tell which is which. This is true for any parts that is missing. It’s a big asset in ceramic repair to be able to virtual recreate any shape in a a wide range of materials. We never use fired material in our ceramic repair process. All the products are composite that use various kind of activator/hardener to reach a ceramic like feel. The result speaks for itself, spotless repair that gave joy to it’s owner.

Please contact us for all your ceramic restoration needs, at 310 266 1078 or Info@fixfineart.com

Roseville old ceramic repair

fixfineart — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:55:55 +0000

This low fired ceramic piece presented extensive signs of erosion due to repeated washes and most likely exposure to fruits for decades. It made this ceramic repair even tougher since the glaze turned into a porous semi mat to ultra mat surface with lots of variations in the color. After fusing the pieces back together we gently filled the gaps, cracks and chips before carefully airbrushing several layers of cold porcelain glazes that cure at room temperature and allowed us to fully recreate the looks of very old fired ceramic glaze. The result was spectacular for the client who was thrilled to have this family heirloom back on the side board it used to sit on. The UV resistant colors won’t fade or yellow and the surface will remain intact as long as it’s cared for using soft cloths and very little or no cleaning agent at all. An decorative piece like this one doesn’t get dirty enough to require the use of cleaning products. If dusted regularly particles won’t have the opportunity to accumulate in fine layers, help by moisture and grease. Such a ceramic repair required about 8 weeks.

Rosenthal porcelain repair

fixfineart — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:26:01 +0000

This old porcelain figure owned by a collector in New York had sever damages due to a fall. Despite what most people think the white glaze is the hardest to match. The reason is that is take a pin head worth of color to change dramatically the tone of white. You have to be patient and work by adding very little to the mix so you can finally get to the exact tone and make the paint job a spotless one.

What is particularly difficult here is that the color your see is actually not a glaze but the actual color of the clay body. The figurine has very fine details carved in that come to life when a clear glaze is applied over the bisque. The clear glaze collect in the carved parts and reflects the light with a bit of a darker hue. very subtle and so quite beautiful. Unfortunately for the restorer it makes the task even harder. This has to be recreated the way it was first done, only with non fired products. It’s as close to a ceramist a restorer can get when performing a porcelain repair like this one.

Porcelain repair requires the most skill and the most patience. Everything needs to be perfectly smooth and controlled. It’s also a very rewarding process. The result is spotless and the collector can’t believe a pile of rubble was changed into his favorite figurine again.

Contact Fine Art Restoration for all your finest porcelain repair needs at 3100 266 1078 or info@fixfineart.com

Large english Copeland ceramic planter repair – ceramic repair

fixfineart — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:29:52 +0000

This piece came to us in several pieces and was showing a heavy old repair done in a very poor manner. Plaster, paint and epoxy were used to mend and hide the damages. The problem is that epoxy turns deep yellow to brown overtime. Plaster soaks in moisture that weakens it and makes it come off. Using a paint that is not appropriate and failing to seal it correctly will always end up coming off.

This is a classic ceramic repair for the studio. The unusual thing here is the size (over 2F wide and tall). After removing all the loose part, old glue and varnish of various origins we fused the pieces back together using a medium viscosity bonding solution. The gaps were filled with a polyester based putty that would resist water. We performed what we call a “touch up repair” on this item. A full ceramic restoration here would have cost too much. Instead we tinted the putty to get as close as possible to the color of the fired glaze. Then we used some light touch up with porcelain cold glazes that we sealed with top coat of 2 parts polyurethane that recreates the look of fired ceramic. From a few feet away the pot looks absolutely spotless. if you get closer and get under a foot away from it you’ll be able to detect the areas that were worked on. The client was thrilled and since it is a piece sits in a corner under a large artificial plant, a spotless ceramic repair was not needed at all.

We are happy to offer several levels of restoration to accommodate our clients needs and wallets.

Contatc us for all your ceramic repair needs at 310 266 1078 and info@fixfineart.com

Paul Soldner large ceramic bowl repair – Ceramic repair, ceramic restoration

fixfineart — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:38:05 +0000

This is a very good example of how an item broken to piece can be restored to perfection. Our expertise in ceramic repair here at fine art restoration allows us to promise our clients the most incredible restorations.

This stoneware piece had been broken years ago and never repaired properly. The first task was to fuse the pieces together. Then comes the filling of the gaps and missing chunks. In this particular case we needed to find a way to not make a mess while filling up the gaps for the surface of this item was very porous. We decided to use clear resin instead of the solid colored putty we would normally use for tasks like this one. It made this ceramic repair much easier when it came recreating the color of the very intricate glaze. Hours of dots and dashes and fine lines later the piece is back to it’s prime beauty. This ceramic repair was particularly important to us for this was a rare piece from the artist who rarely made bowls.

Asian Ivory figure – Ivory repair, Ivory restoration

fixfineart — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:13:20 +0000

This figurine came to us in pieces. Pretty common for this type of item since it was made decades ago and was usually put together with rice based glue. Over time the glue becomes very brittle and the parts snap right off. The challenge here was that the bamboo fishing stick and the fishes were missing. Using old ivory parts gathered over the years were carved the fishing stick to fit in the figurine’s hand. The fishes were molded from an other figurines from the same collector. Then we used a casting resin to recreate the finest details of the fish. Using our experience here at Fine Art Restoration Studio in Ivory repair we managed to give the fishes the look of ivory using cold glazes and the right amount of pigments. Some fishing line from a fishing tackle supply store made it look like it was never damaged.

Nothing is too complicated or too simple for our expertise. We work on any project that needs our attention disregarding the value of the item and solely focusing on helping our customers bringing their valuable pieces back to their prime beauty.

Contact the studio at anytime at 310 266 1078 or email info@fixfineart.com

Antique Meissen ceramic repair, figurine repair

fixfineart — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:41:15 +0000

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 conservation 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.

French Ceramic bottle restoration, Ceramic repair

fixfineart — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:37:26 +0000

This rather large piece was shipped from France and arrived with quite a few damages on the handles. It’s a good example of what poor wrapping does to valuables. The task here was to bond the handles back on in a way the piece could be picked up by the top ones. In the life time on the piece it is inevitable that someone would at some point try and grab it by the top handles. So we decided to drill small holes in the thickness of the ceramic (here Terra Cotta) and to insert stainless steel threaded rods that we bonded with polyurethane compound (doesn’t ever get brittle and won’t snap in the future). Once assembled we were able to carry then by the handles without any problem. Nest we used a pigmented resin to fill up the gaps and missing chunks. This allows us to not do any painting job here and preserve the natural beautiful crazing that occurred in the firing oven when the piece was originally crafted. A very fine buffing gave the restored areas the desired shine.

At fine art restoration we can take care of your valuables of any type, made of any medium. This ceramic repair example is one of many you’ll find at FIXFINEART.COM so visit us now!

Faux bronze on Resin castings

fixfineart — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:37:50 +0000

The price of bronze castings can be quite high. That’s why the studio decided years ago to combine it’s expertise in molding/casting with a technique we developed to create ultra realistic bronze effect. The pieces can be poured in any medium like cement, plaster or resin. The bronze look is either embedded in the product (resin) or applied on it after casting. We use the finest grain of bronze powder to create the best look possible. In the case of resin casting using that bronze powder it is possible to polish the surface and alter it with acids to give it the desired patina. It is real bronze so any antique look can be achieved.

Crystal Trophy / Full reconstruction of missing part

fixfineart — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:40:26 +0000

This is a good example of what the studio is able to do for glass and crystal restoration no matter how desperate it may seem. For this project we started with making a mold of an existing part using a platinum cure silicone that has the ability to reproduce the finest details. Then we had to cast the missing part using the clearest resin that offers a total stability to heat and UV light. After a fine polishing of the edges and the entire surface we obtained a perfect replica of the missing arm. After preparing the surfaces for bonding the newly cast piece was fused to the trophy. A final filling of the remaining gaps and the missing parts was a thing of the past.