A piece I was working on in my old Tacoma studio cracked right at the punty mark

It was a big vase I had spent maybe four hours on, and the pop sounded like a gunshot in the quiet shop. I just stood there for a second, totally gutted. I ended up using the cracked base to make a series of smaller, solid sculptural pieces instead of just trashing it. Anyone ever salvage a major crack into something you actually liked more?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron8451mo ago

Man that pop sound is the worst, isn't it? I wonder if the stress from cooling too fast actually makes those cracks more interesting to look at under a light. @valw69 has the right idea about repurposing, but going smaller like you did is genius because you can highlight the broken edge as a design feature. It turns a total accident into the whole point of the new piece.

valw691mo ago

Read about a guy who turned a cracked bowl into a lamp base. Smart move making those smaller pieces.

baker.mary24d ago

Honestly I used to just see a total loss, but turning a crack into the main feature like that is actually way cooler.