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Posted by David Hoexter
on March 18, 2008, 12:14 pm, in reply to "Re-doing repairs"
75.36.131.83
Hi Susan:
First, as to TCC membership: as I am married to the TCC Membership Chair, I feel authorized to inform you that you are welcome to join now, and we will be happy to extend your membership through June 30 2009.
Second, as to old repairs etc (and of course this is personal opinion, not that of the TCC): we do a lot of "cleaning" with hydrogen peroxide. I have generally found that most pieces with old degrading repairs are much improved in appearance by removing the repair. Of course, you may lose some of the piece, including part of the transfer. You have to examine the piece carefully and make your decisions. If the damage is a hairline, it can be easily stabilized by forcing 2-part epoxy glue into the crack and removing excess (carefully) with acetone (available at any hardware store) or even nail polish remover. Watch your eyes and skin!
The pottery is actually somewhat porous and permeable, including the glazed surface. The brown coloring can be various compounds which have come into contact with the piece, including sugar, tea, coffee, various fats, etc. Occasionally, some sort of mold or such, which in my experience is the most difficult to remove.
There are various approaches and philosophies to cleaning pottery. I don't really want to devote time to how we do it, but the one thing I will say is do not ever under any circumstance use household bleach. You will ruin the piece. You do use hydrogen peroxide. My basic approach is that unless the piece is really valuable, why not go ahead and have fun.
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