porcelain repair

[Jim Walsh]

Dicking about installing a light above my very recently installed bathroom basin and dropped my screwdriver. In fact, I had dropped it twice previously and thought "I'd better get a sheet to cover the sink or I'm going to damage it.". Needless to say, I couldn't be bothered getting the sheet and lo and behold, third time unlucky, screwdriver lands blade downwards in the basin and takes a chip out. What is the best way to repair? The basin is white and the chip is about a mm deep and 3mm wide. I tried a bit of radiator enamel, but the colour is too white. Maybe I should experiment by mixing the rad paint with a tiny amount of yellow? Any suggestions?

Regards, Jim.

[Andy Dingley]

A good grade of fresh epoxy (because you want it water-white, not old and yellow), mixed to the consistency of stiff peanut butter with either silica microballoon filler, or marble dust filler (if you can find it). Then apply it exactly to shape, because it's easier than trying to polish it afterwards.

If the shape is a simple curve, not compound, then you can apply it under a cover sheet of mylar / polyester, taped down firmly to the surrounding surface. This gives a good finish and an accurate shape, for minimal effort.

Years ago (early '70s) I remember my Dad doing a similar repair with a ready-filled epoxy (?) than came in two tins and required a furious amount of kneading. Anyone remember this / seen anything similar lately.