nothing rare or collectable, just a souvenir my folks brought back.
Clean break. Couple little bits.
Is there some kind of adhesive or epoxy that might work best and neatest?

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If there are spelling issues, please pardon, Owen the cat is sitting on my keyboard.

A sculptor friend of mine warned me against using something like super glue on ceramics, since its so forgiving. He always use a white glue like Elmers. While it requires some care and a steady hand, its at least repairable. He said to only use superglue or its ilk if you are absolutely sure of getting it right the first time (which I rarely am).

Kate

Even with a clean break, it can be tricky if there are multiple pieces to fit back together.

The problem is that any adhesive takes up space, which throws off the fit. I would avoid something like epoxy because it's so thick. But, without seeing the break, you might be able to use just a dab in one or two spots rather than trying to coat the entire broken surface.

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I would use a 5 minute setting epoxy that says it's good for ceramic. Note that initial set time is not usually fully cured, and that it takes up to 24 hours to fully cure.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2019 08:16PM by Cary.

White glue is the best for this job. This is because it dries clear and is easy to work with. You need glue, blue tape pre-cut in strips and a soft rag which you will wet and clean up the excess glue before it dries.
Check where every piece goes and put glue on the piece and put in place. Now remove and wipe the excess glue off making sure you have glue on both surfaces. Let it tack up for a minute and install in place. If you need the tape strips add them after wiping off the excess glue. You might need to wipe off excess moisture for the tape to stick.
I would use the next piece to check the fit. If it looks good you can add it at this time or wait 5 minutes or so to let the glue dry a little. I use a hair dryer or heat gun to move things along. Be careful not to boil the glue with too much heat.
It's pretty straight forward and easy using water base glues.

thanks for the input, guess I'll try my hand at elmers.

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If there are spelling issues, please pardon, Owen the cat is sitting on my keyboard.

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Fritz
thanks for the input, guess I'll try my hand at elmers.

....make sure to get elmers permission before putting your hand on......

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

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NewtonMP2100
....make sure to get elmers permission before putting your hand on......

I don't need no stinkin' badges ......

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If there are spelling issues, please pardon, Owen the cat is sitting on my keyboard.

I'm a fan of Duco Cement for ceramics. It doesn't set as fast as super glue (although still a bit faster than I'd like), and cleans up with acetone/nail polish remover.

Duco Cement is also waterproof once it dries, so better for anything you might want to wash later. It also dries very clear, which Elmer's does not do. In my experience Duco can provide a nearly invisible bond, but that requires that the positioning be perfect, which I'm not very good at.

I've never tried white glue (Elmer's) on ceramics. I'd argue it sets too slowly. While slow setting makes positioning easier, my problem often is holding something in place long enough for the glue to set. White glue would be almost impossible - although for situations where you can tape something in place while the glue sets, as artie67 suggests, it might work OK.

Super glue works on some ceramics, but not very well on those which are porous (like pottery). I also agree that in many cases it sets too fast for easy positioning.

Epoxies tend to be thicker, which makes it hard to use them where you want an invisible bond for a mending. Some of them are a bit "rubbery" when set, but others dry like rock and are essentially impossible to clean up if some ends up in the wrong place. Probably not the best choice for most ceramic repairs. But might be perfect for something like gluing a ceramic pot to a wooden base, as most epoxies can be used to fill gaps, which Duco, Elmer's and super glue can't do.


Good luck.

- Winston

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Be seeing you.

I've had success with Duco in the past, but couldn't remember the name until you mentioned it!

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Winston
I'm a fan of Duco Cement for ceramics. It doesn't set as fast as super glue (although still a bit faster than I'd like), and cleans up with acetone/nail polish remover.

Duco Cement is also waterproof once it dries, so better for anything you might want to wash later. It also dries very clear, which Elmer's does not do. In my experience Duco can provide a nearly invisible bond, but that requires that the positioning be perfect, which I'm not very good at.