repair studio

• Simple

  Best for clean breaks with no missing pieces. I do a clear repair: it will be visible, like a seam, but as close to the original as possible.

  This repair is not food safe or heat resistant.

• Simple + Fill

  A Simple repair plus sculpting, for pieces with missing parts or that need extra support. The repair will be more visible, but stronger.

• Food safe (Urushitsugi)

  This repair uses urushi, a traditional Japanese lacquer also used in kintsugi. It’s made from tree sap, so it’s naturally food safe.

  Not recommended for the dishwasher, the microwave or boiling liquids. Even with care, exposure to liquids and temperature changes can cause the urushi lacquer to crack over time.

• Kintsugi

  Using urushi and brass powder, kintsugi is a beautiful way to display a repaired piece.

  Brass powder can corrode, and I don’t use pure gold powder, so I can’t recommend this finish for anything that holds food.

If you aren’t sure whether something can be fixed, send a photo anyway. It costs you nothing to ask and I’ll give you a straight answer.

A repaired piece is not dishwasher safe. Wash it by hand and don’t leave it sitting in water.

It won’t stand up to high heat either. Keep it out of the oven and the microwave, and don’t pour boiling water into it.

That rules out anything you need back in daily kitchen service. What I do suits pieces that sit on a shelf, get used now and then, or that you simply don’t want to bin.

Repairs will be visible. Invisible repairs are done using intricate spray-painting techniques and are for display only. This kind of repair is available at other repair studios at a high cost.

The simplest repair starts at $20. Prices vary depending on the complexity of the break.

A 50% deposit is required at drop-off, with the remainder due at pick-up.

I’ll quote you from your photos before I start, and I won’t start until you’ve agreed to the price.

I try to keep my costs as low as possible, but for cheaper, sentimental items, you may find the repair costs more than the monetary value of the item.

Before and after.

Fill this in and it comes straight to me, or email info@repairstudio.co.nz directly. Useful things to include:

• The whole piece. A picture of the piece before it was broken helps me too.
• A close-up of the break.
• All the fragments laid out together, if it came apart in several.
• Anything that’s missing.

I’m in central Auckland on Karangahape Road. I work from a home studio and will provide my address on request.

I’m available for drop-off and collection Monday to Saturday.

If you’d rather not travel, I can collect it and bring it back for an extra charge. What that comes to depends on where you are, so tell me your suburb and I’ll work it out with the quote.

I make my own ceramics. Repairing other people’s is something I’ve moved into more recently.

More about me and my own work