Enamel repair?

[George L]

Any suggestions on how to remove light scuffing to an enamel badge?

[Don D.]

Or how about fixing/replacing chipped and missing enamel. Sorry George, don't mean to hijack your thread- just figured the info was the same.

[Stahlhelm]

Well, since 47 other members have so far looked at this thread without responding, I'll go ahead and say something. I admit I don't know how to fix the enamel problems you've mentioned. However, I would guess that most people will advise you not to even try to repair such things, as this would only alter the piece, making it somewhat less authentic due to its repairs and changes. Anytime you repair something like that, you also run the risk of damaging it and/or somehow making it look worse than it did before--or making it look obviously repaired, which is also not good. I know that anytime I ever sought advice on how to clean, repair, or fix anything earlier in my collecting, I was always quickly told to "just leave it alone." That's just my opinion which I couldn't help but politely mention.

However, I also realize that, in any case, you obviously do want to repair these pieces, so hopefully someone can help you.

Respectfully,

Chris

[wh014d4394]

lets be having a gander. my good sir

[Paul R.]

Chris advise is good! leave it as is! There is no way to safely remove surface scratches. Polishing will weaken the enamel around the scratches. By polishing you are removing very small amounts of enamel and leaving behind smaller scratches on the surface. You may also run the risk of cracking the surface. There are a few professional emamel repair people in europe who specialize in repairs. These people work on priceless treasures and are paided alot of money to do this work. No matter how good the repair person is most of the time you can still see the old crazing, or cracks or chipped original surface below. Paul

[bobcam1]

You should post pictures of the item for Doctor Love...His enamel repairs are without peer.....Since he's already asked to have a gander at it (above) you already have his interest.....

Cheers,
Bob.

[BryanD]

The enamel starts out as a fine dust that has the desired color. It is applied to the metal and heated till it melts to a glass finish either translucent or opaque. The original color is almost impossible to match. So you have to remove ALL the enamel and redo it from scratch. This entails a lot of intensive SKILLED labor. If the enamel is translucent there is a good chance of screwing up the metal underlay (YOUR SCREWED) If it is opaque not so much worry but you CANNOT MATCH COLORS EXACTLY. Each time you are vitrifying a colored powder to glass and it will only be an accident if the color matches.
Damned if you do. Damned if you don't. There isn't an experienced enamel artist in the world that would guarantee a repair job like that.

[Stahlhelm]

What I gather from the "gander" above is that, if such repairs must be done, then do have them done by a highly-skilled professional, who you must pay lots of money, with ironically no guarantee of any particular and/or satisfying results in the end...

The bottom line, of course, is that when you are the owner, you may do whatever you like. I only think it is best to also advise anyone of the drawbacks of which they may not be aware. That way, they may have the full spectrum of options and possible results to consider. If I ever ask to do anything, please, please, let me know first if what I am considering might not be the best thing to do. I will always appreciate the cautions as much as anything else...

Chris

[rjordan]

Best advise is don't repair,
there are restorers who can
do things well - they are conservators -

they do not - EVER- refire enamel

they may use a reversible plastic compound
that can be tinted for a good match
this patch will show up under black light

it is possible to gently polish light scuffing
out of fired enamel pieces
but if you don't know what you are doing
you can polish right through
so I would not recommend trying

instead - call it patina, tell people
it adds value, because it was actually used

[Stahlhelm]

Best advise is don't repair,
there are restorers who can
do things well - they are conservators -

they do not - EVER- refire enamel

they may use a reversible plastic compound
that can be tinted for a good match
this patch will show up under black light

it is possible to gently polish light scuffing
out of fired enamel pieces
but if you don't know what you are doing
you can polish right through
so I would not recommend trying

instead - call it patina, tell people
it adds value, because it was actually used

Good advice, indeed!

Chris

[Jareth]

I am a ceramic restorer working in N.Y.C. & I frequently repair enamel. As someone said above I would not attempt to polish surface scratches. I also do not work on translucent enamels. I can match opaque enamels. No restorer refires! We work with acrylic/epoxy based mediums that require a catalyst to air harden. My clear coat is black light proof. Still I often advise clients to leave well enough alone.