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Totally new to this, but I have broken a pretty Victorian black papier mache jewellery box with mother of pearl inlay,left to me by my late Mother. Any advice on how to mend it would be appreciated, ie glue? if so what sort and anything else I should be aware of.
Thanks
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Where is it broken? There will be a difference between a non-structural point and part that needs strength e.g. supporting a hinge. How large is the area needing repair? How deep?
You say it is black. Presumably that is lacquer? What colour is it below the broken bit?
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Its well broken, lots of pieces. The top of the lid (about 26cm square) used to have a 'lip' around it which fitted over the sides to hold it in position, but this has snapped off. Much of this 'rim' is now in one piee (but separate from the lid), but also a few annoying small pieces. Even if I could get it back to a useable state that would be nice, as it is pretty and was my late Mothers. Also a piece has come out of one of the corners. Yes. Black lacquer and really looks black (or grey) even in the middle of the broken, exposed pieces. Whole thing is quite think and seems otherwise sturdy. If it hadnt fallen off the top of the chest of drawers. Thank you for reading and potentially helping.
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It seems strange that it is papier mâché if it broke so easily into pieces. PM is usually very strong and not brittle, though that depends on age and the type of paper and adhesive used.
What to do? Oh gosh . . difficult without seeing it but thanks for such a careful description.
You could firstly see what you can put together, using either PVA (white glue) or spirit glue. Use it sparingly and immediately wipe off any that appears on the surface. If you have all the pieces, this might be enough.
If you need to do any filling-in you could try different methods. One would be a small mix of a wall filler (e.g. Polyfilla in UK), mixed with a strong black powder (i.e. water-based) pigment. If you have any worries about the mix sticking to the surrounding area, paint a very thin film of PVA in the hole first.
Another, for larger areas would be to take some toilet paper, soak it, squeeze it hard, mash it with a bit of PVA or thick wallpaper paste and black pigment until it is really malleable. Pull off small bits and press them into the cavities, smoothing off while it is still moist. Allow to dry thoroughly.
Finishing off with a coat of water based varnish will unify it all and make it sparkle again.
I hope someone else adds their ideas - the more thinking caps the better!
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Given conditions, a seamless restoration is unlikely. Dopapier's suggestion to unify the work with varnish is a good one; consider applying a number of layers sufficient to allow for sanding flat without touching any irregularities in the substrate. Test your technique on a mockup first, including any pigment.
Alternatively, instead of a full restoration, consider not matching material used for gaps or glue- rather, distinctly contrast them with relief and/or colour. The aimed is to present the object as a museum conservation might, with the damage and care of re-assembly becoming part of its history.
Do post pictures of your work.
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Thank you both for your helpful and considerate comments. I am amazed that anyone can be prepared to spend time like this over someone elses problem, much appreciated.
Yes, it is certainly old! I was told it is papier mache when I took it to a local antique expert, and I can sort of see that from the weight perhaps and feel of the material, also looking at pictures of similar things on the Web. I used to make thing in papier mache when I was little, made from newspaper and paste, but this is very different material it seems to me.
I am going to get together the materials you both suggest and try and make a start just to assemble everything and see if some the large pieces will indeed fix back as you suggest reasonably well onto the body of the box, and hopefully I will get a feel for the work then better.
I will try and post some pics!!
Thanks
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