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Glass and Ceramic Repair

How to Save a Garden Gnome in a Single Afternoon

By Glass and Ceramic Repair, Uncategorized

Hey folks, remember gnomes have feelings too… or at least they look like they might. Garden angels, bird baths, gargoyles, and statues of the Holy Mother all deserve a little tender care and respect; after all, they spent a harsh cold winter exposed to the nasty elements. Cracks happen, chips happen… and suddenly things don’t look so brand new or cared for. So, do you need to toss your backyard treasures? We say NAH! Here’s how to fix them.

Photo by visagency

Concrete repair is simple

Don’t believe it? A bold first attempt to repair a garden gnome may have been a difficult experience for a noob in the past, but Protective Coating Company has formulated some fabulous and high-tech epoxies that eliminate “difficult” from many DIY projects. We stake our honor on it! So, grab a pair of gloves and get ready to bring your gnome back to life.

Items you will need

  • A garden hose
  • A stiff bristled brush
  • PC-11® or PC-Crete™ epoxy

Save the gnome in 5 simple steps

1. Dampen the cement statue with your garden hose until all surfaces are wet. Scrub the statue gently with a soft-bristled brush to remove all dirt and grime that may interfere with the pc epoxy bond.

2. Allow the area to dry completely before continuing. This is the only part that will take some extra time if you are using PC-Crete™, but you don’t have to actually do anything. Have a drink. Relax.

3. Mix your PC-11® or PC-Crete™ as instructed on the package. PC-Crete™ is a putty formula that can be used to build up and replace any missing pieces. PC-11® is an excellent product as well due to its longer working time and ability to hold up under damp, cold, and wet conditions.

PC-Crete™ is formulated with real aggregate to look and feel like concrete. Cut, mix and apply. PC-Crete™ allows a working time of about 3 minutes and cures for service in 60 minutes. It’s a “quick fix” product that’s super easy to use.

PC-11® is formulated to provide an extended working time, for larger concrete repairs, which allows the user to reposition work or make changes as they go. The great thing about PC-11® is that it bonds to both wet and dry substrate. No wait time after hosing down.

 

 

4. Apply your pc epoxy of choice to the cement cracks or chips by squeezing it on, or applying it with a putty knife. To reattach part of the statue, apply a 1/4-inch layer of epoxy to both the broken piece and the statue and press them together for two to three minutes.

5. Wait 15 minutes and scrape off all excess epoxy with a putty knife to prevent it from hardening and developing ridges or bumps. Then allow appropriate curing time as per the package label.

What next, you wonder? Not much. The simplicity lies in the fact that PC-Crete™ epoxy looks and feels like concrete. If you need to make corrections to the paint on your gnome or statue, that counts as another project!

Lakeside Pottery – Genius Ceramic Repair

By Glass and Ceramic Repair, Uncategorized

Lakeside Pottery is much more than a ceramic art and craft studio. Owned by Patty Storms and Morty Buchar of Stanton, Connecticut, this husband and wife duo takes the old adage “Say No to Crack” to a whole new level!!! Check out these pictures for example:

Yes, Patty and Morty have some amazing skills and some mad techniques for repair and restoration of broken ceramics and glass. They can take a broken, delicate piece that appears beyond hope, and work a special kind of miracle to bring it back to life. It’s truly incredible.

If you want to see more of their work, check out their pottery repair before and after pictures.

Don’t want someone else messing around with your precious ceramic art? If you feel adventurous enough to try ceramic repair on your own, Patty and Morty also offer a wide variety of tutorials on their website. Much like Protective Coating Company, Lakeside is very much about fixing your things!

Oh, did we mention? Patty and Morty use PC-7 and PC 11 epoxies as part of the solution to their ceramic repair projects. We love that!

The Lakeside story

In 2002, Morty Bachar chose to leave the corporate world behind and walk a different path in life. He and Patty took their mutual love for pottery and turned it into a successful small business that they run together in Connecticut. Since Lakeside Pottery opened its doors, the growing studio has had thousands of class enrollments for ceramic art, workshops, summer camps, children’s series, corporate team building activities, sculpting seminars, and teacher development and training courses. Lakeside Pottery is a busy place!

“Everybody’s success is our personal challenge,” says Morty of Lakeside’s goals. The growth of their business is buoyed by the many community relationships they forge along the way. “We really have a family here,” adds Patty. “Everybody who comes in joins the family. It’s very nice.”

So what are you waiting for? Get creative and FIX YOUR POTTERY!

Does Anyone Remember This Slogan…. “Made In America?”

By Glass and Ceramic Repair, Made in the USA, Uncategorized

Although we feel it is quite an important consideration when buying ANY product, many consumers just aren’t looking. They feel they have no choice. It’s beyond them. They can’t afford anything but the Chinese junk (sorry China, but it’s just true). There aren’t any alternatives. They would have to drive a mile farther down the road than the closest Wal-Mart.

Think About It for a Moment

Well, here at PC-Products (where everything we do IS STILL made in America), we beg to differ with these excuses. Think for a moment about the air conditioner or the old fridge you bought in the 70’s – the one that’s still chugging away today, some 40 years later. Now think about the new waffle iron you bought three weeks ago that broke after two uses. And that fancy blender. And that darn fan too, now that you think of it! Did you keep track of those receipts, your time and gas to drive back and stand in line and wait for the same crappy replacement – and that’s only if it’s in stock, of course. Do we even need to start a list of the clothing that has torn, frayed, or shrunk??? Chances are, you merely sighed and just tossed the inferior items in the trash (and your hard-earned dollars with it).

We know that you recognize the truth to this. But in honor of Labor Day, and all things American, let’s review the PC-Products philosophy on companies that manufacture in the United States, use components that are U.S.A. made, and directly hire citizens of the U.S.A. as their sole workforce.

Hey, it’s Not Exactly Easy For Us Either

We have had experiences with many of the “mass merchants,” where PC-Products epoxy repair products cannot compete simply because we opt NOT to outsource our products or the components of our epoxies. These large retailers have said outright, “You need to outsource or you cannot sell through us,” but PC-Products will remain, without a doubt, an All-American company. It is beyond us why these mass merchants will loudly profess to be American and in support of our nation’s economy, and yet will continue to sell (and even encourage the production of outsourced items). It’s one way or the other, people, so think hard – how do you stand?

The Time to Choose

Absolutely, we DO have a choice. Choice is as all-American as apple pie and the 4th of July. It only requires a tiny bit of extra label reading, a dab of NOT grabbing the cheapest one, or a pinch of opting to drive that extra mile to the local hardware store instead of the nearest “mass merchant.” Many new websites have sprung up from which to purchase any type of product that is 100% USA made – in any category.

If you like to fix things yourself, then it is also likely that you want your work to LAST. PC-Products epoxies are American produced and owned since 1954, and we are too long in the tooth to start outsourcing now! We feel that a consumer that truly values the quality of our varied line of epoxy products, and of our own pro-American philosophy will seek out the thousands of outlets that will support American-made items. Start today and don’t ever look back in regret again!

Need to Fix Broken Glass or Ceramics Without a Noticeable Crack? Get PC-Clear on This Subject!

By Glass and Ceramic Repair, Uncategorized

You can stop sweating in fear over the fallout from whatever you have just broken. Your life is not over, and you won’t be banished to the garage for a year if you cracked your wife’s prized knick knack, the “one that could never ever be replaced in a zillion years.” If the road to a subtle and sneaky repair is clear to us, then it should be clear to you as well, right?

PC Clear liquid epoxy is your path to absolution. It’s formulated expressly for the purpose of disguising a repair with the absence of color – even after the curing time is completed. That fact that it is very durable as well as flexible makes it quite superior to any of the other epoxies out there on the market.

But perhaps you’ve broken something that’s a little out of the ordinary? Something that is exposed to harsh weather, water, chemicals, or varying degrees of temperature? We still have your back! PC Clear liquid epoxy demonstrates excellent chemical resistance to mild acids, caustics, detergents, gasoline, fuel oil, salt, and fresh water. So bring it! (Exemption: PC Clear won’t bond to wax paper or Teflon. Sorry Martha.)

A Plethora of Uses

PC Clear is not only for use on glass, ceramic or crystal vases It’s a must have in everybody’s “fix it quick in a jam” drawer or cabinet for a variety of purposes. So whatever you have in your throw-away pile, take a quick look at our list of ideas before you toss it. You may be able to easily fix it yourself!

  • Granite countertop
  • Broken slate stone
  • Broken brick
  • Ceramic planter
  • Chipped plate or pottery (save the piece!)
  • Broken tile section
  • Glass figurine
  • Broken decorative metal gadget thingamabob geegaw

As you can see, the possibilities are really endless. If you want to have a seamless, clear, and unnoticeable repair, PC Clear is the liquid epoxy of choice. With a seven minute average cure time, you’re walk of shame to the garage might even make you skip!

For mixing instructions and application instructions, visit our website. Hurray for PC Clear!