Handle

[clevermanka]

Ages and ages ago, back when I still lived in my beloved first-floor on Tennessee, a roommate broke off the handle from my nana's Brown Betty teapot. I repaired it and the glue has held for, well, over ten years now.

I use the teapot at work, with the charming tea cozy that I purchased from radcliffe, so I can make multiple cups of tea with one tea bag. It's a nice combination solution for being cheap and needing to drink more liquids at work.

This week when I went to rinse out the pot, the handle broke along the old seam lines. Luckily I was at the sink and managed to catch the pot before it fell. If I'd been carrying it to the bathroom or if I'd been pouring a cuppa, can you imagine the mess? I brought some Gorilla Glue to work with me to attempt a second mend, but now I'm paranoid about it breaking at a particularly inopportune time.

Spilling scalding tea water all over my desk does not sound like a good time. But this is/was Nana's teapot that she used for years. I'm loathe to just throw it away. Poor little Betty deserves better than that. She has a slightly different shaped body than the Brown Bettys I've seen in stores, and it's pleasant and familiar to me. I don't want a new one.

What to do?

Comments

[curieuse.livejournal.com]

If you go by the classic stuff-accruing adage "Own nothing that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful," maybe this teapot is graduating from the first category to the second.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

The problem is, I am not a sentimental person, but I am a creature of habit. It's not so much a matter of me not wanting to throw away Nana's broken teapot. It's a matter of me not wanting a different teapot.

Does that make sense?

Edit: In my post, I do sound a little sentimental, but trust me, that will pass in about a day or two. =D

[curieuse.livejournal.com]

Ahh. Okay then. The teapot you have is more fragile than your ideal version of itself, though... so you *do* want a different teapot.

[nataliesee.livejournal.com]

Plant a flower in it!

Use it to store tea bags!

Put a candle in it!

Burn incense in it?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Come, now. You know me. Can you seriously see me doing any of those things?

[nataliesee.livejournal.com]

That would be why I suggested them.

[tessagratton.livejournal.com]

LOL - Lydia, you went to a two-day, all-day journal making workshop last weekend. I'm pretty sure that solidifies your status as a Crafty Person.

[bestill.livejournal.com]

I wonder if you can glue it again, but before you do, out some sort of a reinforcer on the handle that will slip up over both "seams" . . . so that if it breaks again, the reinforcer will help hold.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Hm. That sounds like a good idea. Got any ideas? It has to be waterproof...

[bestill.livejournal.com]

The thing that first came to mind was a little piece of metal tubing--like copper or aluminum--maybe something that could be molded or squeezed to fit. I wonder if wrapping some adhesive copper (or silver) tape around would help any.

[radcliffe.livejournal.com]

Hmm- glue it again?

Post a photo of the teapot? I have a brown betty that I was given while working at the Teacup, because the lid was broken. I glued the lid back together. If it is the same/close enough I would donate mine!

or look on ebay:

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=brown+betty+teapot&_sacat=See-All-Categories

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Good idea on eBay. Mine's kind of like this one (http://cgi.ebay.com/SADLER-BROWN-BETTY-LUSTRE-TEAPOT-6-CUP-SIZE-VGC_W0QQitemZ380097764490QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_PotteryPorcelain_Glass_PotteryPorcelain_China_SM?hash=item380097764490&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50). See how the lid doesn't look quite so much like a weird nipple sitting on top of the pot?

[radcliffe.livejournal.com]

You know I am going to have to go check out the nipple- looking qualities of my teapot now, right? ha ha ha ha ha!

[cskippy2000.livejournal.com]

Epoxy. VERY strong, permanent, and WAY better than gorilla glue, which is already awesome enough. I don't think you'll have to worry.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure Epoxy is what I used last time. Epoxy is better? Why did I think G.Glue would be better? Hm. Maybe because I already had the G.Glue...

[cskippy2000.livejournal.com]

epoxy has a more stable bond, but yes, there are a lot of different kinds and it all depends on the mix, but honestly, I think what you have will be just fine. It's a great product. (I went to a seminar on adhesives a while back. lol.)

[rougewench.livejournal.com]

You might ask femfataleatron what particular blend of epoxy would work best for your teapot, considering the parameters needed for its use.


D.

[stuology.livejournal.com]

The glue held for over 10 years. See if you can get some of the old glue off, and then re-glue it. If it holds for another 10 years, then you have awhile before you have to worry about it. (I'd be paranoid too.)

Or tell yourself that while the new teapot looks a little different, it is functionally better in that the handle will stay on. Unless you use your Nail Polish Death Grip on it.

You don't want a new one, but you also don't want to be scalded. I guess you have to decide which want is more important.

And Freecycle the old one. While you have no use for it beyond tea, maybe somebody else will.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

You don't want a new one, but you also don't want to be scalded. I guess you have to decide which want is more important.

I know! I've been pondering this issue all week. Talk about an existential crisis...that whole "Goals" thing has got nothing on this.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Well, speaking from the experience of having Rand bring me a lovely pot of tea in bed once when I was sick...

You see where this is going?

Lovely favorite teapot, full pot of tea. White comforter.

I picked it up off the tray, and blam! Hot tea all over me, the bed, my hand, my lap.

Pitch the pot. It's not worth it. You have other things of Nana's to treasure.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

See, yeah, this is what I'm worried about. Maybe I'll see if the lid on this one fits the ones they sell at Brit's. It's really only the lid that I dislike so much on those.

[renniemom.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest JB Weld (http://jbweld.net/index.php) but I don't know if comes in anything other than gray. pastmagic used it to fix the gas tank on the van almost 3 years ago and it's still holding fine.

I used to use 527 glue when I worked at the Home Interiors office and needed to repair broken tchotchkes. Worked like a charm and is clear.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. I'm still debating if I want to risk a possible repair-failure.

[cba1282zyx.livejournal.com]

JB Weld. Used it to glue a fairing onto Matt's sister's car. I'll talk to him to see if he still has some left.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks. I'm still pondering if I want to fix or buy a new one. Fixing it appeals to my frugal nature and the fact that I like this pot. But I'm very worried about Fixative Failure.