Antique china repairs - Pottery repair - Porcelain and Ceramic Conservation and Restoration Service

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Types of Repair

Ceramics Restored will be happy to undertake both museum and invisible restoration. In the case of a museum restoration, items are sympathetically cleaned and rebuilt, restoring the objects original shape. All of the realigned break edges will however remain visible. Fillers, compatible to the type of ware, are applied to missing sections and matched to that of the original body.

Invisible restoration draws on all of the recognised techniques available, to produce as near as possible an undetectable repair. All repair areas are kept as small as it is possible to achieve.

Cleaning - Stabilizing - Adhesive Removal - Surface Rust Removal - Rebuilding - Coloured Fillers - Modelling and Moulding - Airbrushing - Hand Painting - Glazing - Gilding

The surface textures of all repairs are very closely matched to that of the original condition of each piece on manufacture.

Please Note that for any estimates for restoration that require gilding, a workshop examination must be carried out as digital images do not supply enough relevant information.

Conservation awareness

Materials used at Ceramics Restored are specifically chosen to maximise the future stability, appearance and lifetime of any pottery and porcelain repairs. All procedures are fully reversible and are documented for future reference. After conservation or restoration, items should be used for display purposes only and kept away from extreme sunlight and heat.

Estimates

Free, no obligation, estimates are available, on request, for all ceramic repair services. A reasonable idea of the condition and treatment requirements of any piece can be gained from good photographic evidence, either by e-mail attachments or photographs, and an approximate value of work required can be given initially in this way. If it is possible to arrange a workshop inspection, then a better understanding of the damage involved can be gained and a full detailed estimate supplied.

Insurance

We advise all clients, that at all time during the restoration process, any item that is presented for restoration remains at the entire risk of the client. It is accordingly the client’s responsibility to insure the object/s in such sums and for such risks as the client shall think fit and no such insurance shall be taken out by Ceramics Restored.

Waiting List

We appreciate that clients are keen for their restoration to proceed as soon as possible and therefore we monitor this list regularly to ensure that the time period on the waiting list is kept to as short a period as is possible, depending on the current work load, and that every commission starts in the correct order. You will be given details of the current waiting period during your initial contact with us.

Time scale for repairs

Restoration and conservation work to any piece of pottery, porcelain and china can never be successfully rushed. Some procedures and techniques take longer than others and we advise that clients should consider a time scale to be, on average, around a 12 week period, however some pieces make exceed this time scale. We are always willing and able to accommodate the more urgent requests as long as it is technically possible and we are fully aware of the circumstances prior to the start of any of the services that we supply, however, we have always held firm to the view that it is never beneficial, to either party, to compromise the quality of any work in a bid to complete a job earlier than expected.

Shipping

Postal / Collection / Delivery charges are quoted separately and paid by customer

Please ensure that you individually wrap each piece in tissue paper, including fragments, and wrap pieces in plenty of bubble wrap prior to placing in a suitably strong and large enough box with at least a 3 inch gap from any point between the wrapped items and the box edge. Fill this gap with sufficient padding to ensure that your items are held securely but without unnecessary pressure on delicate points and seal all edges to ensure no damage is caused whilst in transit. Contact the Royal Mail or your local Post Office for further details. All claims for loss or damage caused to items when in transit to and from the restoration studio must be dealt with through Royal Mail customer services.

I use the Royal Mail's 'Special Delivery Next Day' service for delicate items which travels separately from the standard postal service.

Online consumer protection

It is always advisable when looking for any professional service that clients do some research into the businesses offering such services within the relevant field of interest and this is becoming more important today with such volumes of websites available and vastly increasing internet marketing. Although there is now a better level of regulation these days to deliver more consumer protection online with regard to content displayed and distant selling regulations, it is still good practice to check and confirm the validity of any claims made on websites and we are always happy to do this with regard to ourselves and our site.

To conserve or restore

The roles of the conservator and restorer share a common responsibility to protect any object in their care, both antique and modern, from further damage or deterioration.

The art of the restorer encompasses all the ethics of conservation while carrying the treatment forward to as near as possible an undetectable repair.

At the beginning of any treatment at Ceramics Restored, the type of ware is identified and then an assessment is carried out to including any risk factors. Research is carried out to ensure the process returns the object to its original form.

Every treatment plan will be as individual as the object itself, and in building a plan, consideration is given to areas such as rarity, age, historical importance, sentimental value and any previous repairs, which in the case of rivets, for example, form an important part of the history of the piece. All these factors are viewed together and help in producing a suitable plan of action.

An awareness of inherent weaknesses and knowledge of acceptable characteristics of wear and tear, evident on early earthenware glazes for example, is essential in order to gain a full understanding of the piece and therefore draw up an effective treatment plan.