How to Mend a Glass Ornament

There is always at least one ornament hanging on the Christmas tree that is a treasured keepsake. It seems that every year brings a broken ornament as well. Treasured ornaments are not easily replaced. With a little TLC and a few tricks up your sleeve, you can repair broken glass ornaments with just a few steps.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Super glue
• All broken pieces
• Egg crate
• Ornament hanger

1. Gather all of the broken pieces. Be careful not to cut yourself on the sharp, rough edges.

2. Carefully put the pieces back together to verify that all broken pieces are accounted for. Lay the pieces down in the order that you will need to replace them.

3. Use superglue to put each piece in place. Glue along the edge of the largest piece of the ornament. Place the first piece in place and hold it still for one minute.

4. Continue to replace the pieces of the ornament until all pieces are in place. Always apply the glue to the largest piece in order to avoid getting glue on your fingers.

5. Place the repaired ornament on an empty egg crate. Make sure that no glue touches the egg crate, or it will stick to the ornament.

6. Send ornaments that are broken into many small pieces to an ornament repair shop. Do not attempt to repair ornaments shattered into many pieces.

7. Replace broken ornament hangers with hangers from inexpensive ornaments. Glue any broken pieces back to the neck of the ornament. Allow to dry. Replace the hanger, gluing into place if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Super glue quickly bonds skin to most all materials. Follow manufacturer instructions for unbonding skin.

Resources

• For ornament restoration, visit Facets Glass.
• For more information on ornament repair, visit Life in Italy.

[dvail]

on 12/13/2007 Do you know any ornament repair shops? I haven't been able to find one. Thank you!