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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.
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.
HOURS: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10 am - 5 pm
Wednesday - good day for appraisals 10 am - 6:30 pm - appraisals by appt.
Friday - call for Appointment 10 am - 5 pm - usually open. Call
Saturday - By Appointment 12 pm - 4:30 pm - occasionally open by appointment only!Usually open Fridays and Saturday afternoons, we suggest you call and make an appointment as we are occasionally closed.
SHIPPING: usually UPS. The shipping cost is added to the purchase price.
Click here for more on shippingPAYMENT: We prefer cash (in person), check, or money order, Visa or MasterCard.
LOCATION: 2010 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19103
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
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