Repairing broken bottles/glass

MagnoliaSouth

I am trying to find how to repair broken glass or bottles. I'm not an antique collector, nor do I ever intend to become one. I recently visited my great-grandfather's homestead, abandoned since he died, and found a variety of bottles and some in fragments. For purely sentimental purposes, I want to put them together again, not professionally. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated and I'd love to see an article on this at your site.

Thank you!

historic

Excellent question.

The answer depends on your objective.

If it is just to assemble the pieces quickly, a variety of glues will work. The quick "Crazy Glue" options work on glass if the fit is good and without gaps. Clear silicone caulk (often sold in little tubes as an all-purpose adhesive but it is the same thing) will easily fill gaps but takes hours to dry. It is very works well if you are patient.

If you want a more professional solution, then epoxy or tinted epoxy is the way to go. There are a few folks in the glass and bottle world who create molds and have special dyes and pigments who can tint epoxy so it is really hard to see the repairs. This requires skill and practice, and you have to use quality materials. My understanding is that basic epoxy from the local hardware store or Home Depot will yellow over time. Pigments also need to be chosen so they do not fade with exposure to UV / sunlight.

Hope this helps.

KancerCarma

i thought this was an interesting subject and thought i would just comment that some glassware can actually be melted and formed in any shape or design that u have the skill and patience for but it also requires a decent torch to melt it and a kiln to slow down the cooling process so that the materials don't cool too quick and crack