# repairing gingerbber bottles



## gingerbeerjay (Dec 22, 2007)

i am just getting into collecting ginger beers and was wondering if anyone could tell me how to go about repairing broken bottles? what type of potters clay, glazes etc... are used , i have repaired a francis drake that had the top almost completely missing using durobond and it looks o.k. but it is hard to get a good color match.


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## digger mcdirt (Dec 22, 2007)

I have always used water putty with good results. I have not done many Ginger Beers but I have done a lot of jugs and stoneware .


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## idigjars (Dec 23, 2007)

Hey Digger, on the jugs you fix with the putty do you stain the putty before adding or do you add the putty and let it harden and then stain it or what?  Thanks for the information.  Paul []


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## digger mcdirt (Dec 23, 2007)

I have done it both ways but It seems to do better if just mixed with water.I ususally repaint the tops and then clear coat so it works out good. I will post a couple of pics of some I have done when I can locate them. I have tried a lot of different things but water putty has worked best for me as it sands and takes a better top finish than most.


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## Bixel (Dec 23, 2007)

There is a guy up here in Ontario that does professional ginger beer repairs, and let me tell you, they are INSANE! If you want his contact info let me know.

 Kyle


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## gingerbeerjay (Dec 27, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

thanks for the replys everyone , i will look into trying the water putty. I don't think i would be interested in professional repairs unless i get a really rare bottle , most of the gingerbeers i have are bottom to mid range and i would really like to do it myself just for the fun of it. as i said i did an ok job on the bottle i did repair...if i could figure out how to upload pics i would post it. thanx for the info.


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## otgb (Dec 27, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

The guy Kyle is tallking about is my digging partner steve redman and he is one of the best for repairing stoneware
 here are a couple of ginger beers he fixed 1 1/2'' of the tops were gone and remade them and painted to mach you have to 
 use a black light to see the repair


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## tigue710 (Dec 27, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

wow very nice!  He does excellent work.

 I've actually been thinking about posting the same question.  I have a mustard glaze stone beer that has 1/4 of the lip all around chipped off very unevenly.  Would water putty work for this repair, and then how would anyone recomend matching the glaze?  Thanks everyone...


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## idigjars (Dec 28, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

Nice work.  Thanks for sharing those pics.  And you mentioned a good point, if anybody collects any kind of stoneware and even when it comes to expensive bottles you need to have a black light to check for damage/repairs.   Paul


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## idigjars (Dec 28, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

Another question........................ how did you get all three of those pics in one post?   I thought you could only upload one pic at a time?    Paul


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## tigue710 (Dec 28, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

Paul, if you use an online image hosting site such as photo bucket, you can add as many pictures as you wish.  To add the picture click the add a picture icon,  







 then copy and paste the URL from photo bucket into the field and hit o.k..  You can repeat the process as many times as you would like.  If using photo bucket you want to use the second or direct link option shown below...

*click to add title*                                                                                                    cancel         [/align]                                                move             |                         tag             |                                          edit                         |             share             |             delete


 
 233_3315.jpg                                              [/align]                                                                           
 1 -Email & IM                                                               
 2 -Direct Link        ------                                                                 you want to copy and paste the html code provided in the box next to this option
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## idigjars (Dec 28, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

Thank you Matt!    How's the digging coming along?       Paul


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## tigue710 (Dec 28, 2007)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

Paul, picking away a little at a time!  Dug a nice light emerald green piso yesterday... got er in the soup, should clean up nice.    Gonna do some more digging tomorrow...  maybe get a rare ketchup! lol...


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## gingerbeerjay (Feb 1, 2009)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

wow , what an amazing job!
 how does he do such a good job of blending the paint? or is it over painted?
 is there any tips on material to use , like what type of paint?
 what would a repair like this cost, and why do you need a black light to see the repairs?
 thanks for posting these pics and responding to my post!


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## Bixel (Feb 1, 2009)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

I may be able to answer some of your questions about that. I believe that he airbrushes the colour in, and then blends it in with the rest of the colour. He uses a putty of some sort to build what he needs to and if he has a top to put on it, he does. When I had a couple repaired I sent a few tops from him to choose from, lets just say this, you cannot tell it has been touched. The reason you need a blacklight to see that it has been repaired is because he uses a different material then porcelain to make the repair. I believe the repaired area is the part that glows under the black light. Maybe OTGB can post something and tell me if I am just horrifically wrong or not.......?


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## Bixel (Feb 1, 2009)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

Forgot to add price. To repair/replace a top I had a couple done, so he gave me a deal, and he charged me around 150-200 dollars each.Prices can go up from that depending if their is an associated crack/s or not. Is it cheap? No, but if you have a super rare bottle that needs repair, I think it is well worth it.


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## Bixel (Feb 1, 2009)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

Thought I better show a before/after shot of these bottles I had repaired. Steve Redman from Toronto, Ontario did this work. He also repairs crocks, jugs, porcelain enamel signs as well as these ginger beers and who knows what else the guy can do.

 This picture is the obvious before. The one on the left had the top broken off, and the one on the right had the top broken off as well as it was cleanly broken around the shoulder, so it was in 2 pieces. That one cost me a little more due to the extra work.


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## Bixel (Feb 1, 2009)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

After photo, as you can see, they look a little healthier!


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## gingerbeerjay (Feb 3, 2009)

*RE: repairing gingerbeer bottles*

WOW, this is truely amazing work, i did not think that repairs could be done that well.
 I am new to collecting and I am so glad i found this forum, you have answered my questions quite well 
 much appreciated!!
 I like I have to redo all of the repairs I have done though lol. That is truely something to aspire to.
 I have done a few repairs on jugs that have turned out quite well, but i do not know how to post pics....any one walk me through it?
 cheers!! And thanks again for posting those picks Insulators rule!


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