That one comment about my thrift store lamp repair still stings

Someone on a restoration forum pointed out I used the wrong type of glue on a 1940s ceramic lamp base I found at a Goodwill in Des Moines. They said I ruined the patina by covering the hairline crack with epoxy instead of using a conservation-safe adhesive. I switched to a reversible acrylic resin after that and now I test every glue on a hidden spot first before touching the main repair. Has anyone else gotten roasted online for a fix that seemed fine at the time?

2 comments

2 Comments

fox.jesse23d ago

3M makes a great epoxy that I've used on vintage radios and nobody's ever complained. That "irreversible" argument is overblown when you're talking about a $12 Goodwill lamp that was already cracked. If the epoxy holds and looks clean, you saved the piece from the trash which is more than the patina purists have done. Most of these people with their conservation-safe acrylics have never actually restored anything that gets used daily. Your lamp was already damaged when you found it, you didn't ruin anything.

lily39423d ago

Wait, hold on - did you just say you used that epoxy on vintage radios? Like the old tube ones with all that heat buildup inside? I mean, I've seen those things get pretty toasty after a few hours, and that epoxy might hold but what about the heat cycling? That stuff gets brittle over time with temperature changes, especially in a radio that's actually being used. Not to mention if someone ever needs to fix the wiring underneath later, they're gonna have a real bad time trying to undo that mess. I'm just saying, maybe pick and choose where you use the permanent stuff instead of slapping it on everything.