Jigsaw kintsugi repair
I had two jigsaw puzzles that I finished over 25 years ago when I was a kid which were then stored. I wanted to frame them but I realized that in those many years a couple pieces went missing. Needed some way to repair them and remembered that there is this concept of making the broken parts more noticeable in order to make them pretty. I had no previous knowledge on how to achieve this so I had to figure out things every step of the way.
- Got this cardboard binder board material (not from the u.s but this is a thick cardboard[more than 2mm thick]). But when cutting it the border of the piece became frayed which looked awful. So I had an idea, drenching this cardboard piece in some glue I had laying around. It wasn't Elmer's glue since it was trans lucid, just a random glue. The piece was inside a small bag in order to not use much glue. After a day in there I removed it, put it between two sheets of plastic and put weight on top. Getting it out and turning it over every day or so. I wanted it to be dry and not warped at all. This made the material really hard and the borders do not become frayed when cut.
- I drew the shape of the missing piece on top and then used a coping saw(this saw uses a thin wire in order to cut as much excess material as possible). As you can see on the first image that is how much material I managed to remove. Then with some small files(also in the first image) I painstakingly filed the remaining excess. Checking from time to time if the new piece fit witch each of its neighbours.
- Once it fit perfectly well I had to fix the next problem. The piece was too thick. When filing the piece, it being thick prevented me from bending it. But once the shape is fine I sanded down the piece, at first with a more abrasive one and then with a really soft sandpaper to make it as soft and as flat as possible. I cant give you numbers because the numbering system might be quite different from what it is used in other parts of the world. Once the thickness was good, filing the borders of the piece to make it like other pieces was necessary. I didn't like a piece that had really harsh edges. I am not sure if I am explaining this last part correctly.
- I used some special glue used for gluing gold foil. Added a thin layer of it trying to make sure it was as even as possible. Then waiting until it was tacky to the touch and applied a bit of the gold foil. With a really soft brush I removed the excess gold foil until it was as in the picture. I let it dry for a couple of hours. Was that necessary? Not sure but after such a detailed process I could afford the wait.
- Finally I added some transparent lacquer to the piece. Used some painters tape to hold the piece inside a shoe box and sprayed a layer on top of it. I might have used a bit more than I expected(it was my first time doing something like that). Why a shoe box? Because after applying the lacquer I could close the box to prevent dust from settling on it. I might have applied two coats of it.
- I ended up with a perfectly matching piece and the puzzle was complete at last. I repeated this for 2 more pieces and then got the puzzles framed and are now in my family's home.
I don't think I have ever seen someone doing something like this before. What I was wondering is what should I have done if there were more pieces missing in an area. Should I have made multiple puzzle pieces or should I have made a single mega piece? I can see arguments for both options. I felt at peace once the puzzles were complete and was incredibly glad and proud with the result.
I hope you find this weird little repair interesting. :3
