Top 5 'Golden-Joinery' Kintsugi Projects to try for Mending Your Favorite Ceramics on weekends - Goh Ling Yong
There’s a unique kind of heartache that comes from the sharp, echoing sound of your favorite ceramic piece hitting the floor. Whether it's the coffee mug that fits perfectly in your hands, a serving bowl inherited from a grandparent, or a vase that was the centerpiece of your living room, the immediate sense of loss can be surprisingly sharp. Our first instinct is often to sweep up the pieces and discard them, mourning the loss of a perfect object.
But what if we could change that narrative? What if the break wasn't an end, but a new beginning? This is the beautiful philosophy behind Kintsugi (金継ぎ), the centuries-old Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The term literally translates to "golden joinery," and it treats the breakage and repair as part of the object's history, rather than something to disguise. It celebrates the scars, making the piece even more beautiful and resilient than it was before.
This weekend, instead of hiding your broken treasures, why not transform them? Kintsugi is a mindful, meditative practice that’s surprisingly accessible for beginners. With a simple DIY Kintsugi kit, you can embark on a journey of restoration that’s as much about mending your spirit as it is about mending your ceramics. Here are five perfect "golden-joinery" projects you can tackle to bring new life to your cherished items.
1. The Beloved Coffee Mug Revival
The Project: We all have one—the perfect mug. The one with the right weight, the handle that your fingers curl around just so. When it breaks, it feels like losing a dear friend. This makes it the ideal first Kintsugi project. The emotional connection provides the motivation, and the typical break—a clean snap of the handle or a crack into two or three large pieces—is a manageable starting point for any aspiring ceramic mender.
The Process: Repairing a mug is a fantastic introduction to the fundamental steps of Kintsugi. Begin by carefully cleaning all the broken edges with isopropyl alcohol to remove any dust, oils, or residues that could interfere with the adhesive. Then, conduct a "dry fit" by piecing the mug back together without any adhesive to ensure you understand how the pieces align. This is a crucial step that prevents confusion when you’re working with the fast-setting epoxy.
Tips for Success:
- The Right Adhesive: For an item that will come into contact with liquids, it is essential to use a food-safe epoxy. Many modern DIY Kintsugi kits come with this. While traditional Kintsugi uses urushi lacquer (which is a skin irritant and takes weeks to cure), modern alternatives are safer and faster for beginners.
- Hold It Steady: Once you've applied the epoxy mixed with gold powder to the edges and joined the pieces, use masking tape or painter's tape on the exterior to hold everything securely in place while it cures. This ensures a tight, seamless bond.
- Celebrate the Seam: Don't obsess over creating a perfectly thin line. The beauty of Kintsugi lies in the visibility of the repair. After joining the pieces, you can use a fine brush to trace over the exterior crack with a little more of the gold mixture, accentuating the golden seam that now tells your mug’s new story.
2. The Chipped Plate or Serving Bowl Restoration
The Project: Chipped dinnerware is a common household casualty. A small nick on the rim of a beautiful plate or a chunk missing from your favorite serving bowl can relegate it to the back of the cupboard. This project focuses not on joining two separate pieces, but on the art of filling a void—a technique that is central to the Kintsugi philosophy of embracing imperfection and loss.
The Process: This method, sometimes called Makienaoshi, is about creating something new where something was lost. Instead of joining two edges, you'll be creating a putty from your epoxy and gold powder. The consistency should be like thick peanut butter. Carefully apply this mixture into the chip, building it up slightly higher than the original surface of the plate. This gives you material to work with for the finishing stage.
Tips for Success:
- Layering is Key: For deeper chips, it's better to build up the filler in a few thin layers rather than one thick one. Allow each layer to partially cure before adding the next. This prevents sagging and ensures a stronger, more stable fill.
- Sculpt and Smooth: Use a small palette knife, a craft stick, or even a toothpick to apply and sculpt the golden putty. Once it has fully cured (check your kit's instructions, but usually 24-48 hours), the real artistry begins. Use a fine-grit sandpaper or a small file to gently sand the filled area down until it is perfectly flush with the surrounding ceramic. The result is a smooth, golden patch that feels integral to the piece.
- Creative Contrast: Don't be afraid to use a contrasting powder. While gold is classic, some kits offer silver, copper, or even colored powders. A silver repair on a dark stoneware bowl can be absolutely stunning. Here at the Goh Ling Yong blog, we believe that this contrast is what gives the piece its unique character.
3. The "Yobitsugi" Inspired Saucer or Small Dish
The Project: Ready for a creative challenge? Yobitsugi (呼び継ぎ), or "calling forth and joining," is a fascinating Kintsugi technique where you replace a missing piece with a fragment from a completely different ceramic. This is the ultimate form of upcycling and a truly beautiful way to create a one-of-a-kind art object. It’s perfect for a piece that has been shattered with a large missing gap, or for simply experimenting with pattern and texture. A small saucer or decorative dish is an excellent canvas for your first Yobitsugi attempt.
The Process: The heart of Yobitsugi is the joyful hunt for the "guest" piece. Look through other broken ceramics you might have, or take a trip to a thrift store to find an inexpensive plate with a pattern or color you love. The key is contrast. You are not trying to match the original; you are trying to complement it. Once you have your donor piece, you’ll need to carefully shape a fragment to fit the gap in your primary object.
Tips for Success:
- Shaping the Guest Piece: This is the most delicate part. To shape the new fragment, you can gently break a larger piece (wearing safety glasses!) or use a tile nipper for more control. Refine the shape by sanding the edges with wet/dry sandpaper or a small file until it fits snugly into the gap.
- A Double-Golden Seam: When you apply your golden epoxy, you'll be applying it to both the edges of the original item and the edges of the new fragment. This creates a beautiful golden frame around the "guest" piece, highlighting its inclusion and celebrating the union of two different histories.
- Tell a Story: Think about the combination. A fragment of a floral English teacup set into a minimalist Japanese bowl. A piece of rustic terracotta embedded in fine white porcelain. The final object becomes a collage, a conversation between two different origins, beautifully unified by the golden seam.
4. The Resilient Outdoor Planter Pot
The Project: Terracotta and ceramic planter pots live a hard life outdoors and are prone to cracks and breaks. But a broken planter is far from useless! Because these items are not used for food, you have more freedom with your choice of adhesives, and the rustic, earthy nature of the material provides a stunning backdrop for the brilliance of the golden repair. Mending a planter is a deeply satisfying project that brings beauty to your garden or balcony.
The Process: The fundamentals are the same—clean, mix, apply, and cure—but the scale might be larger. The porous, often unglazed surface of a terracotta pot requires a thorough cleaning with a stiff brush and water to remove any dirt or mineral deposits. Allow it to dry completely for at least 24 hours before starting your repair, as any moisture in the ceramic can weaken the adhesive bond.
Tips for Success:
- Embrace the Texture: Unglazed pottery will absorb a little of the epoxy, which can create a slightly different effect. Lean into it! The way the gold line interacts with the raw texture of the pot is part of its unique charm.
- Structural Soundness: For a large planter that will hold the weight of soil and plants, structural integrity is key. Use a strong, waterproof epoxy. When piecing it together, use plenty of masking tape or even ratchet straps wrapped around the pot to hold large, heavy pieces together firmly while the epoxy cures.
- Weatherproofing: While most epoxies are waterproof, you can add an extra layer of protection. After your Kintsugi repair is fully cured, you can paint a thin layer of clear, waterproof sealant over the golden seams on the pot's exterior to protect them from the elements and ensure your beautiful repair lasts for years to come.
5. Creating Kintsugi-Inspired Jewelry from Shards
The Project: Sometimes, a piece is shattered beyond recognition. A complete repair just isn't possible. But this is not an end! The most shattered pieces can be reborn as entirely new objects. This project is about taking the most beautiful fragments—those with an interesting curve, a remnant of a pattern, or a lovely color—and transforming them into unique pieces of jewelry or small ornaments. It is the ultimate expression of the Kintsugi spirit: creating beauty directly from the brokenness.
The Process: First, select your shards. Look for pieces that have an innate beauty and are a manageable size for a pendant, a pair of earrings, or a keychain fob. The most important initial step is safety. The broken edges will be incredibly sharp. You must smooth them down before doing anything else. Once your pieces are safe to handle, you can get creative by joining two complementary shards together with a golden seam, or by simply tracing a gold line over an existing crackle pattern.
Tips for Success:
- Making it Safe: To smooth the sharp edges, you can use a Dremel with a grinding stone attachment (wear a mask and safety glasses) or the more meditative method of using wet/dry sandpaper. Submerge the shard and the sandpaper in water and gently grind the edges down until they are completely smooth to the touch.
- Design and Composition: Lay your smoothed shards out and play with arrangements. Maybe two curved blue pieces from a willow pattern plate fit together to form a heart shape. Perhaps a simple, single shard is beautiful enough on its own, with a golden line added to accentuate a fracture. As the great artist and designer Goh Ling Yong might say, the composition finds itself when you honor the material.
- Finishing Touches: To turn your creation into jewelry, you can use a strong epoxy to attach a jewelry bail to the back of the piece. Let it cure completely, then thread a chain or cord through it. For ornaments, a simple loop of ribbon glued to the back is all you need. These small, personal creations make incredibly meaningful gifts, each one a testament to resilience and transformation.
Kintsugi teaches us a powerful lesson that extends far beyond our broken ceramics. It reminds us that our histories, our flaws, and our "scars" are not things to be hidden. They are proof of our journey, evidence of our resilience, and the very things that make us uniquely beautiful.
So, look around your home. That chipped plate, that cracked vase, that shattered mug—they aren't garbage. They are canvases waiting for their next chapter. They are opportunities to slow down, create with your hands, and turn something broken into a masterpiece.
Which project will you try first? Share your Kintsugi creations with us in the comments below or tag us on social media! We’d love to see how you’re turning your broken treasures into beautiful works of art.
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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