Repairing 1950s Italian Pottery

[rp2813]

A friend is looking for advice on repairing a vintage Raffaellesco/Majollica creamer from Deruta.  The handle broke off cleanly.   I had great success repairing one of my Frank Lloyd Wright coffee mugs from the H.F. Coors factory outlet in Tucson using JB Weld, but it seems like this Italian pottery just absorbs it and refuses to bond.  I washed it off as well as I could and then let the two pieces soak in a mild dishwashing liquid solution, but the exposed clay has taken on a grayish color now.

 

Now I'm thinking about Krazy Glue even though it won't be as durable as JB Weld (my mug has been through the dishwasher on more or less a weekly basis since being repaired).  I've made repairs to ceramics with Krazy Glue in the past and some have held and others haven't.  Is there any other adhesive that works well on pottery?

 

[petek]

Take a look at using baking soda with the super glue. It causes it to harden almost immediately. There are numerous youtube videos on the subject. Caveat: practice first on gluing bits and bobs together.

 

[vacerator]

I use Milliput

superfine white two part epoxy porcelain/ceramic repair putty. It's from the UK. Hobby Lobby carries it. Amazon may now too. It is a bit toxic to skin. Wash hands well after use.
A bit goes a long way. You roll a tiny ball of each togather and form over the chip or break. When dry you can sand smooth, and paint, then seal with a Skulpey gloss glaze. It also comes in yellow, etc.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Pete!  After checking out the linked site, I think two-part epoxy makes more sense.  The repair advice reminded me that I used two-part epoxy to mend a couple pottery items I brought home from Mexico in 1980 that Mexicana Airlines' baggage handlers broke into pieces, and they are still solid.