The best first kintsugi project is a piece that broke cleanly into two or three parts, that you like the look of but do not need for eating or drinking, and that you would not be heartbroken to make a mess of. A chunky stoneware bowl, a side plate, a small ornament or a wooden trinket box are all ideal. The worst first project is the thing you care most about in the house, and the second worst is anything that has to hold water or go in the dishwasher, because a home repair cannot do either.
So before you open the adhesive, go and look in the back of the cupboard with this list in your head.
What makes a good candidate?
- A clean break. Crisp edges that meet properly, with no crumbling and nothing missing. Two or three pieces is the sweet spot for a first go.
- A bit of thickness. Stoneware and everyday pottery give you a decent broken edge to bond, which is more forgiving than the paper thin wall of a bone china saucer.
- A shape that will sit still. A bowl, a plate or a block shape can be nested in a box of dry rice while the join cures. Something tall and awkward will fight you.
- A life after repair that is decorative. A bowl for keys and rings, a dish for tea lights, a plate for the wall, an ornament for a shelf. If the piece already had a display job, nothing is lost.
- A story worth showing. The gold makes the break the most noticeable thing about the object, so the best candidates are pieces whose history you want visible.
And before any of them, the two practice bowls. Our kintsugi kit includes a pair for exactly this reason: your first join teaches you how little adhesive an edge needs and how firm the 30 to 60 second hold has to be, and it is far better to learn that on a bowl that came to be practised on.
What should you leave alone?
Some pieces are a poor first project, and a few are a poor project full stop.
- Anything you eat or drink from. The adhesive is not food grade, so a repaired piece becomes decorative. Mend the mug by all means, then fill it with pens.
- Anything that must hold water. A vase, a plant pot, a water jug. The repair is not waterproof and it is not guaranteed watertight, so do not ask it to be.
- Dishwasher regulars. A mended piece is dusted or wiped gently by hand from now on.
- Anything that gets hot. Ovenware, a casserole lid, a teapot that takes boiling water. No heat is involved in making the repair and none should be involved afterwards.
- Pieces already glued with something else. Old adhesive residue on a broken edge stops a new bond forming, and you cannot reliably get it off.
- Genuinely valuable antiques. If a piece has real monetary value, take advice before anything permanent happens to it, because a cured epoxy join cannot be undone.
- Dustpan casualties. Fragments swept up off a hard floor and ground against grit often have softened edges that will never meet cleanly again.
What if nothing in the house is broken?
A common and slightly funny problem: people buy a kintsugi kit and then discover their crockery is stubbornly intact. There are two easy answers.
The first is the practice bowls, which are there to be broken and mended, and which will absorb a whole first session happily. The second is a charity shop or a car boot sale, where a plate or bowl you like the look of costs very little. Wrap it in a tea towel, tap it once with something heavy, and open the towel carefully: what you want is a couple of big pieces, not a mosaic. Working through a towel keeps the fragments contained and stops them scattering.
Once you have the technique, start asking around. Most households contain at least one broken thing that somebody could not face throwing away, and the offer to mend it is usually taken up on the spot.
Are handles and small parts worth attempting?
They can be, with realistic expectations. A small join carries more load per centimetre than a long one, so anything that gets gripped, lifted or leaned on is asking more of the repair than a bowl sitting on a shelf. Make sure the edges are scrupulously clean and dry, spread a thin even layer, hold it for the full 30 to 60 seconds and let it cure properly undisturbed before you touch it again. Then treat the finished piece as decorative rather than as a working handle.
The same logic applies to lids, spouts and feet. Mend them for looks, not for service.
Other materials worth raiding the house for
The kit is not only for pottery. It works on glass, wood and metal too, which widens the hunt considerably.
Wooden things are excellent first projects: a split trinket box lid, a carved ornament, a picture frame corner. The grain absorbs a little adhesive, so press firmly, and a gold seam across wood reads like an inlay. Metal needs a scrupulously clean, grease free surface but takes the gold beautifully. Glass works, though save it for later: the shards are sharper and harder to see than pottery, and the gold line behaves differently when you can see through the object either side of it.
Whatever you choose, work in a ventilated room with the gloves on, keep the kit away from children, and give the finished piece a proper full cure before it goes back on the shelf.
Choosing a first kintsugi project FAQs
What is the best thing to repair first with kintsugi?
A clean break in two or three pieces on something reasonably thick, like a stoneware bowl or a side plate, that will live on a shelf afterwards rather than on the table. Start with the two practice bowls in the kit before that.
Can I repair a mug I drink from?
You can mend it, but not go back to drinking from it. The adhesive is not food grade, so a repaired mug becomes a pen pot, a plant holder or an ornament.
Can I mend a vase?
Only as a decorative object. The repair is not meant to hold water, so it should not be filled, and a dried arrangement is the safer use for it.
Should I break something on purpose to practise?
Plenty of people do, and a cheap charity shop plate is ideal. Wrap it in a tea towel first so the fragments stay contained and you end up with a few large pieces rather than a mosaic.
Is it worth repairing a valuable antique?
Take advice first. A cured epoxy join is permanent, so anything with real monetary value should be looked at by someone who restores professionally before you commit.
What can I do with a repaired bowl?
Tea lights, keys, rings, hairpins, a plant in its own pot, or simply a shelf. The kit turns a broken bowl into a decorative one, and the gold seam is the point of it.
Found something in the cupboard worth saving? Browse our craft kits.
