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AMERICA'S
OLDEST, MOST EXPERIENCED Ceramic Repair and Restoration |
Broken antique porcelain, china, ceramic, crystal, glass, and metalware; Objects d'art repaired and restored, at Eberhardt's Restoration Studio.
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HOME What to do and NOT to do if a piece gets broken ABOUT REPAIRS REPAIR STEPS COST & PRICES REFERENCES CONTACT METALWARE REPAIR |
130+
years |
Estimates are free - Minimum repair charge
$40
Average time: 2 months for simple assembly, 4 - 6 months
restoration
What TO
DO and NOT
TO DO when something gets
broken.
1. Most
importantly, Save
ALL the pieces. A lost piece can be
reconstructed but this is more difficult and costly than simple
assembly. Some surfaces are very difficult or impossible to
reproduce exactly; so it it best to save every piece. When
something breaks often a small but important piece can fly across the
room, or several yards to the side. Do everything possible to
locate all the pieces. If something has broken in shipment look
in the box or container very carefully. It is important
to wrap large pieces individually - see below.
2. Do
NOT glue it yourself.
Some glues are impossible to remove and make re-repair difficult or
impossible.
Different materials require different mending
materials. There is one best material for each type of repair,
situation, and use. Eberhardts uses numerous materials,
equipment and techniques, depending upon the repair. Internet
gateways and others have recommended glues which Eberhardts would not
use as suggested. Some popular glues lose strength over time.
To remove and redo substandard repairs adds significantly to the time
and difficulty of repair.
3. Call Eberhardts to discuss the repair. 215-568-4144 Decision guidelines: Inexpensive pieces with many colors and many breaks are not worth fixing. The repairs would be worth more than the piece is worth. In the case of rare and expensive items with few, clean breaks, repairs reclaim much of the value of the item. For family heirlooms and sentimental items it is the owners decision. See also About Eberhardts Repairs. A minimum repair fee of $40 per item is standard.
4. If
you ship, Pack the Pieces VERY carefully.
One must be careful not to make the problem much worse. It is
best to hand carry things to the shop, but if not, below are some
packing guidelines.
Wrap
individually! Each broken piece should
be wrapped separately so that the sharp edges cannot rub against the
good pieces and cause more chips on good portions. This minor
damage is more costly to repair than the original break because it
requires filling chips and matching colors. It is important to
wrap the pieces separately even if you are hand carrying the pieces
or driving them to the shop. To the
largest piece Attach
A Note (our checklist)
listing the contents and number of
pieces in the box and the owner or sender's name, address, and
telephone number. We will not be responsible for pieces not listed
and lost.(note this list of contents
in every one of multiple boxes).
Double Box! Items should be double boxed with 2 inches of packing all around in both boxes. UPS and other shippers say pack the item with two inches or more of packing between it and the box. Put that box into another box with two inches of insulation at least around the inside box. Even this will not guarantee that the pieces will not break, but at least there will be a better chance to collect from insurance. If a special treasure is further broken in shipment, even if well packed, it may be difficult or impossible to conceal the extra damage and return the piece to perfect condition. Secondly, it may be difficult or impossible to collect insurance from shipping damage if an item is not double boxed.
Extra Fragile Pieces! Some
pieces are very prone to breakage due to their fragile shape and
construction. These require specially designed packing or
special shipping. Some porcelain and glass artists specialize
in making especially fragile designs for petals, feathers, wings,
leaves, etc. These must be especially well packed. Also
some pieces have heavy portions connected by a thin, fragile
section. Just the free weight mass of such items makes
fast movement of the unsupported weight a cause for breakage.
These also need special packing and handling.
Special
Shippers! There are special shippers
available which will handle the task of shipping especially fragile
items but these are very
expensive. Fortunately, most porcelain and glass pieces like
cups, dishes, and most
figurines do not require such extreme measures like a professional
fragile shipper, but we do get pieces every year which should have
special handling, special packing, or better
insulation.
Questions?Call
us 215-568-4144 and we will try to answer any questions.
Some things Eberhardts has repaired, and restored and also buys and sells.
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MAKERS &
TYPES |
CATEGORIES |
CATEGORIES |
MATERIALS |
1. "Repair
Estimate", - items
are brought in or shipped to us.
Estimates, Deposits, Free Advice, Customer Contact & Internal
Item Tracking.
You will receive a free written estimate !
We will await
your instructions before proceeding with repairs.
We can even do partial repairs depending upon your budget.
We serve many happy people, interior decorators, insurance
companies,
cleaners, collectors,
museums, antique dealers, and large retailers.
2."Cleaning"
- Removes Dirt, Glue, old repairs as
necessary.
(only needed for
some pieces) Several materials and steps are used in this
stage.
3."Assembly"
of the piece. Gluing or fastening the
pieces together only.
May
include sealing
cracks so they do not progress.
The Assembly step does not remake lost pieces. That may
come later.
3a. Contact
customer if necessary - Finished or more work?
4."Touch
up" - colors a chip (the
porcelain is white where it is broken)
"touching up" colors the white chip back to
the original surface color.
(for some pieces only) - makes chips much less
noticeable.
4a. We
contact the customer here if that is the arrangement from step
1.
5."Restoration"
Filling
- Replace and fill lost chips and pieces. see
pics
Remake
missing hands, fingers, leaves, petals etc.
Not necessary for all pieces. Usually a piece must
be assembled first
to
determine the amount of restoration required.
6.Concealing,
- Conceales hairlines at break. Gives unbroken appearance.
Optional step on more valuable items.
7."Decoration",
- color and finish (shine) matching of the surface appearance.
This step returns the Assembled and filled surface to the original
color and shine.
We do not promise invisible repairs but they are often very
close.
We
have many happy customers and are recommended by many antiques
dealers and porcelain retailers which we can reference in
person.
8.Customer
Contact, - final payment,
Shipping
SHIPPING normally
is by UPS. Click
here for more shipping information.
REFERENCES:
eBay
CUSTOMERS' AND DEALERS' FEEDBACK - enter:
"Eberhardt"
PHILADELPHIA
CLEAN AIR COUNCIL- Use it Again - China & Glass
Repair
Ellsworth
Air Force Base Figurines & Glassware Resources
World
of Art and Antiques - Phila.
KOVELS
ON LINE - Conservators & Restorers
We are recommended by major porcelain and ceramic retailers and associations like the Lladro Society, the Hummel Society, etc.
Eberhardt's original firm around160 years after Meissen & 120 years after Sevres, at least 3 years before Goebel/Hummel,100 years before Lladro/Nao.
Lladro Marketing requests:
** We are an
independent company. Our services have been recommended to Lladro by
other consumers and presented to you as a courtesy only. We do not
work for Lladro nor do they bear any liability for work performed by
us.
Please call for specifics.
FREE CUSTOMER PARKING: Available behind our store off Chancelor St. Call for directions. OR CLICK HERE TO SEE A MAP TO PARKING
H.A. Eberhardt
& Son Inc.
2010
WALNUT STREET, PHILADELPHIA PA 19103
Phone: 215-568-4144
contact
Please
click contact above and manually insert above address in email 'To:'
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