Fixing Damaged Art Pottery
Summer 2002
by Gail Tischler, board member


For those of you who attended the April presentation on Roseville Pottery, Gordon and Sue Hoppe promised some information on sources to restore damaged art pottery. The Hoppes have had very good luck with a business called Broken Art Restoration, 227 South Gladiolus, Momence, Illinois 60954, 815-472-3900.

As with any service-oriented business, there are different levels of quality available in the marketplace. It might be helpful to think in terms of your goal.

Do you want to repair the piece or restore it? Think about what those two words--repair and restore--mean. My trusty Funk & Wagnalls defines repair as "to return to sound or good condition after damage; to mend." The definition for restore is "to bring back to a former or original condition, appearance, etc." To help you choose between repairing or restoring, different methods are available ranging from gluing (usually the least expensive) to complete restoration.

Two more tips from the Hoppes include: good restoration takes awhile---think in terms of "months" rather than "a month" and with either a repaired or a restored piece, careful handling is required because the repair will never be as strong as the original.

All pottery repair businesses say they both repair and restore antiques and collectibles including art pottery, figurines, art glass and porcelain. Some also have the expertise to work on paintings and metal repair. The Hoppes say trial and error is the best way to find the repair or restoration business you like the best. To get you started, here are some additional businesses.

Old World Restorations, Inc.
5729 Dragon Way
Cincinnati, Ohio 45227
513-271-5459
E-mail: OldWorld@restorationart.com
Web: www.restorationart.com

Steve Salek Restoration
Robbinsdale, Minnesota 55422
763-529-5151

Scott Paul Lewis
Porcelain and Pottery Restoration
800 Hinman Avenue
Evanston, Illinois 60202
708-328-8952

Wiebold Studio, Inc.
413 Terrace Place
Terrace Park, Ohio 45174
Phone: 513-831-2541
or toll-free 1-800-321-2541
Fax: 513-831-2815
E-mail: wiebold@eos.net
Web: www.wiebold.com

In searching the Internet for information on these businesses, I came across a source in Texas with a name similar to Broken Art Restoration. It is:
Broken Arts
2739 Gladstone
Dallas, Texas 75211-5206
214-331-6706 or toll-free 1-877-643-1121, enter pin #2869
E-mail: brokenarts@aol.com
Web: www.brokenarts.com

With permission from Broken Arts in Texas, here are some useful questions from their Web site to help you decide if your piece is worth fixing:
1. Is it a one of a kind or rare piece?
2. Does it have historical significance or sentimental value?
3. Is it a part of a set? Things usually have a better value when they are a whole set.
4. Will it be stabilized through restoration and prevent further damage?

The cost of restoring your piece depends on a number of variables--the nature of the problem, the number of colors used in the glaze, whether you want a complete restoration or not, etc. This makes it difficult to make general statements about costs. One of the Web sites recommended sending a photograph of the piece to receive a ballpark estimate. The Hoppes say pricing is competitive so you likely won't see much variation between businesses. And don't forget to consider the cost of shipping and insurance. I encourage you to visit the Web sites listed above to gather more information to help you make a decision.