Kintsugi style repair

[halffriedchicken]

I had a Parker 21 with a cracked barrel. The crack was long but not very wide. I didn't have the space to sand the edges to give the glue a better bond on the roughed up parts. I glued the barrel with a cyanoacrylate glue, or CA glue, also commonly known as super glue. The crack was still visible but it was sealed shut, at least for a few weeks until it started to open up from the stress of being used and handled. I used a different approach with my second attempt to fix the barrel. I wanted to create a stronger bond but this time I wanted to accentuate the fact that it was repaired. Kintsugi is a Japanese method of repairing broken pottery that embraces cracks and imperfections. Typically it uses maki-e to mend the broken pieces and gold powder to accent the scars. 

 

I know that CA glue can form a very strong bond when you add a powder to it, like rebar to cement, and the glue will dry almost instantly as it bonds with the powder. Sometimes people use baking soda with CA glue while making models as a filler or to add details. I didn't go through the trouble of using a dremel tool to widen the crack and fill it with glue, and I didn't go through the trouble of sanding down the glue to make it less noticeable but to add texture for the color. I used CA glue to mend the crack and applied a dusting of the fine mica powder on top. I chose a bronze colored powder because I wanted something that looked a little more tarnished than a bright gold. The mica powder and glue created a very strong bond almost instantly and even with significant pressure the barrel feels solid. 

 

I also had a broken Jinhao 992 where the break was on the barrel, right next to the threads for the cap. I roughed up the two pieces and glued them together. I then added the mica powder on top and the joint feels very strong even if I crank the cap on tight to stress the joint. I have been using the pen with a Noodler's rollerball feed from a Konrad rollerball pen and I like how that turned out too. It kind of looks like a gold ring from far away but close up it's a repair. The section is from another broken 992. That one has a broken cap but that didn't glue well because I added the glue, then the powder, and then tried to attach the broken pieces. The powder acts like an accelerator and I didn't work fast enough so the pieces didn't bond. I don't think that black cap can be repaired now since the crack was on the threads and now it'll take work to get the threads to align but it's not worth the effort.

 

I wanted to put this up so if people are into repairing their own things, and have a cracked pen, if you may want to give this a shot to embrace imperfections. Sometimes scars are beautiful in the story they tell. 

[SillySollie]

Beautiful! Kintsugi is such a lovely art form. I love the philosophy and use sashiko mending on some of my clothes.

[Bo Bo Olson]

It was very interesting ; your repair trials.

 

Mostly advice I read here, was not to use superglue.

 

My alternative to damage that couldn't be polished out was to buy another cheap vintage pen.

[mizgeorge]

I like that very much. 

[halffriedchicken]

Thank you! I never heard about sashiko mending so I looked it up. That definitely reminds me of the philosophy of kintsugi. My mom used to be a tailor before she retired so she used to do all the alterations for our family. I learned how to sew buttons but never really tried stitching by hand. Definitely something to keep in mind for the future. I feel sashiko mending would look especially charming on children’s clothes. 

[halffriedchicken]

5 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

It was very interesting ; your repair trials.

 

Mostly advice I read here, was not to use superglue.

 

My alternative to damage that couldn't be polished out was to buy another cheap vintage pen.

Superglue is not the easiest to work with and I ruined two caps trying to fix them with superglue. I did learn from my mistakes so it was worth the effort. The pens I am trying to fix are fairly cheap. I would have thrown away if the repairs didn’t work, and thankfully I actually like how they turned out more than before they were cracked. 

 

I wish I could find more cheap vintage pens where I am. I have been able to find a handful from some thrift stores or from online but nothing near the level that I see you are able to find. 

[halffriedchicken]

4 hours ago, mizgeorge said:

I like that very much. 

Thank you!

[Bo Bo Olson]

Mainly one strives not to buy busted pens....there are certain folks...that give you old broken  pens (oddly mostly pens I've never heard of)  or watches in you 'collect' them.

 

I do have broken pens I should try to sort, repair or not. I've some nice caps I'll have to make a Frankenpen with.

 

[Bristol24]

That is strikingly unique as a repair, giving the Parker 21 a look and character that makes it one of a kind.  Great job!

 

I, too, generally have not had good experiences with superglue...stuck fingers come to mind.  However, I did learn that humidity in the proximity of the glue hastens and strengthens the bond.  I have a Parker 45 frankenpen that was in three pieces before I repaired it with superglue.  It is my rough duty pen and it has held up so well and the glued seams so hidden (for the most part) that I tend to forget it is a glue job.  You can read more about it and see photos here.

 

Cliff

[halffriedchicken]

@Bristol24 Thank you! Superglue is definitely not the easiest medium to use. I was following the idea from a video on YT by Grandmia pens where superglue was used to build up the resin so that the crack was seamless and almost invisible after the repair. 

 

Your pen looks like it came out great after the repair and from the photos it looks like nothing happened.

 

@Bo Bo Olson Actually I received the Parker 21 from someone like you mentioned. I originally was trying to buy 25 Parker cartridges and a Sheaffer desk set with a fountain pen and ballpoint, but the nib on the fountain pen was sprung. I thought the 25 cartridges was worth the price of $5 so I bought the set and was going to try and see if I could get the Sheaffer to write. Well along with the Parker cartridges and Sheaffer desk set, the person gave me this cracked Parker 21, a Parker 45 in good condition with a few scratches, and a Sheaffer Fashion II all for $5. The pens belonged to her late husband and she wanted someone who would want to use the pens and she didn't want the pens to go to some landfill. So I liked the idea of trying to have a kintsugi style repair and proudly honor the fact that it is now a second hand pen. Normally I wouldn't have bought a cracked pen, but now I actually would consider trying more of these kinds of kintsugi style repairs. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Good, sometimes when I have 3 cents in my pocket instead of the normal two, I get philosophical, and think every pen needs it's repair. Even if the repair is worth more than it's worth.

 

What I really got to do is buy a needle and some thread, to repair all those holes in my pockets.