dutchbarge Posted 19 April Share Posted 19 April I have a Lübeck Hanseatenkreuz in need of repair. Any ideas? PS: Survived two world wars but succumbed to careless handling by myself. Mea Culpa. Mea Maxima Culpa!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchbarge Posted 19 April Author Share Posted 19 April PS: Have thought about using low viscosity jeweler's glue to reattach the piece in the photos (the rest vaporized when it hit the floor) and then use burgundy color translucent nail gel enamel to fill in the missing bits........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Posted 19 April Share Posted 19 April Gluing the broken pieces you have back on is probably not going to make the damage look any better. In principle, you could send off the medal to have the damaged section re-enamelled but getting a good enough colour match would be very difficult. The same would apply if you tried to do the repair using a coloured epoxy resin. I'm someone who always tries hard to restore damaged objects but, in this case, making damaged glass enamelling look better is probably impossible, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interested Posted 19 April Share Posted 19 April You have a bit of a dilemma there, I think. If originality is most important, then putting the pieces back in using a weak removable glue would be my choice. If restoration is most important then you'd probably need to re-enamel all the panels afresh, to get colour uniformity. But of course, originality, once lost, can never be restored... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchbarge Posted 20 April Author Share Posted 20 April Thank you for your thoughts. As it was originally manufactured the Lübeck Cross wore unblemished glass enamel. In that sense it can never again be considered truly original now that it is damaged. Some collectors might prefer it be left alone (thinking it is slightly more original), while others would prefer it be repaired (reasoning it displays better). I think there can be little doubt that the soldier to whom the cross was awarded would never have worn it in the state it is in now. He would have either replaced or repaired it. The medal is neither rare nor especially valuable and many of the surviving examples that turn up on the market have been repaired. Properly done I think the repaired medals display well, especially grouped with other medals on an Ordernspange and mounted on a uniform. I have also seen crosses where the copper backing exposed by the missing glass enamel has nicely patina'd and also looks attractive. It is likely that my attempt to repair it would be a disaster, so I think I will leave it as is. If nothing else it will be a painful reminder to me to be more careful in future. Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 20 April Share Posted 20 April On 19/04/2024 at 01:29, dutchbarge said: I have a Lübeck Hanseatenkreuz in need of repair. Any ideas? PS: Survived two world wars but succumbed to careless handling by myself. Mea Culpa. Mea Maxima Culpa!!!!!!!! No direct experience in such matters, but a brief Google search throws up various specialist restorers in this field - possibly worth sending a few emails? https://www.google.com/search?q=jewellery+enamel+restoration&sca_esv=a5add67506ee7398&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ACQVn08eGKF34F2pwie9T-Jvs1WPyVC-xw%3A1713618513408&ei=Ub4jZra8GOuqhbIP47Cq-As&ved=0ahUKEwj2qJa27tCFAxVrVUEAHWOYCr8Q4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=jewellery+enamel+restoration&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHGpld2VsbGVyeSBlbmFtZWwgcmVzdG9yYXRpb24yBhAAGAgYHjILEAAYgAQYhgMYigUyCxAAGIAEGIYDGIoFSP4iUMIZWMIZcAF4AJABAJgBsgGgAekBqgEDMS4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAICoAK6AcICChAAGLADGNYEGEeYAwDiAwUSATEgQIgGAZAGCJIHAzEuMaAH9gc&sclient=gws-wiz-serp http://www.keithseldon.co.uk/enamel_restoration.html#:~:text=Enamel is a wonderful material,but matching the original craftmanship. https://www.jewellery-repairs-london.co.uk/jewellery-enamelling.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchbarge Posted 20 April Author Share Posted 20 April Thank you, Andrew.....always helpful and straight to the point. Your links have inspired and motivated me. Off to enamel repair it will go............Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchbarge Posted 20 April Author Share Posted 20 April Hello again, I have gotten several online repair estimates.......with shipping, insurance and the actual repair itself (everything is unfortunately a la carte ) they add up to more than one could expect to pay for an original example that is undamaged. In fact, I have just purchased a replacement in rather pristine condition for less than the cost to repair. I'm going to place the damaged one in a prominent position on my desk as a reminder to take care not to drop the one winging its way to me from Germany. My wife can now relax knowing that I will not be spilling glue on the kitchen table nor abusing her nail varnish and varnish drying devise. Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now