Using Super Glue to Repair Pottery —
Not a Good Idea

Using Super Glue to Repair Pottery —
Not a Good Idea

I do not use super glue (cyanoacrylate, Krazy Glue, Gorilla Glue, etc.) to repair pottery for several reasons.

First, though, why you may want to repair your own ceramics using super glue

  • Super glue makes for a clear seam (at least at first; see below).
  • It’s fast and easy.
  • No mixing is required.
  • Waterproof and supposedly dishwasher safe.

Downsides of using super glue for ceramics repair

  • Super glue changes colour over time. This makes the repair obvious and ugly.
  • It seals super fast. This makes lining up the pieces properly very difficult.
  • Superglue has low shear strength. In other words, if you push or twist the pieces, they can come apart.
  • It doesn’t fill in spaces. So, if not applied perfectly, there could be spaces between the pieces.
  • It’s not food safe.

I can remove the old glue if you have repaired pottery or ceramics that has been repaired with super glue (or any other glue) before effecting a proper pottery repair.

 
Google Reviews for Dave’s Ceramic Art (Scroll down the left-hand column.)