Many times my friends ask me the same question: my coffee cup has lost it’s shine. What can I do?
Let me explain how the precious metal is applied to ceramic surfaces.
gold leaf,
applied mechanically
This is real gold in extremely fine sheets. Almost always this metal is applied to unglazed surfaces in ceramics. When dishes, for example, are glazed on all the surfaces inside and out, then there would be no spot where this object can be placed in the kiln. Glasze, as you know, fuses to the kilnshelves in the fiire. so in order to avoid this, we can put them on setters. The cup is then fired upside down. But what happens is, that the same cup would then fuse to the firing setter. ATo prevent that from happening,, there is no glaze applied to the top ring of the cup. The upper ring is left unglazed, which equals a rough edge where it should not be. So the smart historic potters came up with the idea to seal this important part with the finest material that meets the needing of thermic expansion and retractions. Gold is compatible with swift and extreme changes in temperature. It has only one weakness- it is soft. It is easily scraped. Pressure is dangerous for it.
Burnish gold
very shiny glaze that looks like gold- It is in fact a glaze containig finely ground glazes, mostely Wismuth, Bor, and lead. It comes out looking like gold but is a bit shinier. It looks brighter, harder. To me personnally it looks lifeles
What to do when the gold flakes off
accept and let go
repair
take it off
In many cases it would require big lifestyle changes in order to handle your cup like you should. Like not putting it in the dishwasher, and washing it with a soft sponge instead of a real scratcher. We are so used to saving time by using chemicals, that it requires even a reevaluation of all the products you use cleaning your dishes, that this would mean substantial reflection. If you choose this, let go. Take the slightly damaged cup, and put it away. Or give it to someone who is willing to take the time to care for this cup. I love this solution, because it also means accepting the difference in lifestyles. Don’t stress about the time it would take you to prpoperly clean this coffeecup. Let it be a most valuable gift to someone who uses their time differently.
If you decide that you love this little fellow so much that you want to keep it, you can ask a nearby ceramicist to repair it for you. Not all of them are actually using gold in their work, so try to adress one that does. Not only will you find out how kind these craftspeople are, but you might find someone really competent . and yes, maybe you will also discover a new range of contemporary ceramics.
If those do not appeal to you, take a very fine mesh sandpaper. for metal. I suggest wet and dry, which can be used under running water, so that you don’t produce potentially hazardous fine dust in your living environment.
This is my new work created as a reaction to the rageing war between two neighboring countries on European soil. The concept was to create a Pandoras box, in which its last gift remains: hope.
The minutely carved surface has been polished, bisk fired, painted and glazed, following using an electric kiln for ceramics. After finishing the sanding of the refired surface, I applied gold leaf guilding, which comes off easily when physical force is applied. The object remains fragile but solid, just as does hope. The hope for love and compassion that I wish all of you!