So I have took a few bowls to a art studio this week to be sold on consignment. I recieved a call tonight and it was from one of the employees. She told me while she was setting the bowls up on display she knocked one of the bowls to the floor chipping off section of the rim. She greatly apoligized and offered to pay for it, but could I try and fix it. I think I can but it will change the look somewhat. Have any of you ever had this happen to you.
Yep. Had two of my boxes get broken at the Va. Museum of fine Arts. They buy my works up front so the pieces were theirs. I called the gift shop manager and arranged to pick the up and repair them. They had marked the boxes down but I did not want them going out the door with my name on the bottom.
I did the repairs and returned them at no coast to the Museum. They were very happy and I now have the reputation of standing behind my work.
It was a plus for all parties, they got their pieces fixed and I know they will order more of my pieces.
I had a beautiful natural-edged Mulberry Burl hollow form that a customer picked up that was ruined. It was thin-walled, so it weighed much less than she thought, and it had a pretty shiny (read: slippery) finish on it so it squirted out of her hands and landed on the bark edge. I have it somewhere, but don't have a photo of it. Might be in the archives here. If I find it, someday I might be able to repair or re-work it. Serious bummer, but life happens. NOw I try to guard my stuff a little better, but you can never tell what will happen.
Yup, happened to me as well. But per the agreement I signed, I was out the money. It was a small keep sake box, so didn't turn it into my insurance company.
Hard to make an invisible repair. For one like that, I would put the glue on both pieces, use the blue painter's tape, and stretch it out a bit over the broken piece and down the sides. Start in the center with tape on top, and stretch it down both inside and outside at the same time. Work your way from the center out to both sides equally. Pretty much impossible to clamp it any other way.
If you want to clamp it. Flip it over, put a 2x4 across the bottom, and clamp it to a bench. If the rim or bench isn't dead flat, use a piece of 1/8" hardboard under the broken section to direct more load on the glue joint.
My expectation is that there is a flat spot on the rim edge where the broken piece hit the floor. No reason not to try gluing back in place as Reed suggested, then turn as Lyle suggested if the repair isn't acceptable.
I don't sell but just how does one market this repaired bowl?
1. Repaired bowl 30% off?
2. Has a special feature on rim?
3. Hope nobody notices repair?
If it were my reputation and the store's, I don't think I'd be happy with #3. I can see selling bowls with knot-holes filled, CA on natural edge bark but I don't see selling a bowl with a rim repair like that without disclosure and I think I'd sooner re-turn the affected area off.
Now, I'll await the "#3 is done all the time" responses.
I have broken one myself. What I did was carve away 4 areas leaving the other 4 areas full. It gave it a nice affect and was able to sell it higher than my normal bowls.
So this is my 1st try at fixing the bowl. I have told her she does not have to buy it. But she wants to see the fix. I am still thinking of turning the lip down.
At one of her demos, many years ago, she told a story of someone breaking a finial on one of her beautiful pieces. She told a man not to handle the piece. He did, dropped it, and broke it. She didn't say what she said, but any old sailor could assume how the conversation went. Events like yours do go with the territory, happens to all of us sometime or another.
That's a decent functional repair, but even so, I would not sell the bowl or even give it away. Your name is on the bottom. I would turn it away and then judge the result.
