Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with porcelain

Ack! My do-it-myself bidet is not a feature...

Nanukthedog — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:33:21 -0800

[PlumbingFilter] Ack! The toilet sprang a leak and is now acting like an impromptu bidet when flushed! What is the proper way to fix this? (more inside) So. The toilet has a small chip on the flat part, just behind the seat and infront of the tank - you know - the solid part that collects crud. Unfortunately, this chip seems to be right above where the water comes out - meaning that when you flush the toilet, a small stream (not all) shoots out of this hole and soaks the seat for about 10-15 seconds. This is a tiny hole - I mean a really tiny tiny hole.

I don't know how this happened, but I would assume that a combination of something being dropped from the cabinet above, and perhaps some rusting or wear and tear from below caused the porcelain to give out. Either way, this is inconvenient, as toilet water (at least from the clean end) spews forth every time it is flushed.

We rent, no landlord in their right mind would replace a toilet over this, and realistically I know that I'm going to need to fix this myself if I want it done (at least partially) right. Obviously, home depot doesn't cover this sort of thing in their plumbing books, so I'm at a bit of a loss...

I can think of a few ways to fix this, but I don't know what really is the best way, or if it is the sign of something else... I need suggestions, help advice and some more advanced know-how..

My thoughts sofar:
1. clear silicone caulk from the inside, then smoothed to fill the hole on both sides. The problem with this is I would assume the drying time might make living in a 1-bathroom appartment a little rough. Plus this seems like a temporary solution that will just cause problems later.

2. Some sort of plumber's putty or epoxy. Plumbers putty seems like it would disintegrate, but I don't know of an epoxy that wouldn't besides the caulk.

3. Some sort of porcelain glaze. This seems ideal, except - I'll just state that the toilet is yellow - making finding a color match a bit difficult, as well as previously expressed time and prevention concerns expressed above.

I have a window of opportunitity for 8 hours on saturday for drying time... so ideally any solution dries in that time frame or we'll be spending a lot of time in other people's bathrooms.

Porcelain or MetalFilter

PhoBWanKenobi — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:43 -0800

How bad is tooth sensitivity from gold inlays? I just got the bad news from my dentist that, despite brushing and flossing daily (really, I'm a nerd about flossing!), I need a whole bunch of cavities filled. Several of these are on teeth with existing fillings, on which he wants to place inlays.

I have the option of either getting gold or porcelain inlays. I actually kind of like the idea of having gold in my teeth; I'm not terribly bothered by the aesthetic aspect, since they're back molars that already have silver amalgam fillings in them. And gold fillings would cost about fifty dollars less a tooth after insurance--which, considering the inlays are going to cost around five hundred dollars each, isn't a huge savings, but it's still a nice dinner out.

This previous ask.metafilter post suggests that gold fillings are superior in most aspects except for aesthetics (again, not a concern) and sensitivity. Back then, a mefite described a gold crown as "exquisitely cold-sensitive." I already have some sensitivity in these teeth because of the caries, but, well, I love a nice hot tea. And ice pops in the summer! Do you have any experiences with gold inlays and tooth sensitivity? Is it really so bad that I'd be better getting porcelain, despite issues with wear and fragility, and despite the fact that I find the idea of gold teeth to be sort of wickedly awesome?

What is the process that allows for long-lasting non-digital prints onto ceramics?

jedrek — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:15:55 -0800

What is the process that allows for long-lasting non-digital prints onto ceramics? I know that most printing on ceramics these days is digital, but I've seen thousands of examples of photographic-quality prints on ceramic or porcelain tiles made before anything like digital printing was around. Most notably, these are small, oval portraits on many graves here in Poland. They hold up remarkably well to being out in the sun for years at a time, I am intrigued.

I'm pretty competent in traditional darkroom photography, and I tried googling for the technique but came up empty - most of my results were tied to digital printing or painting on tiles.

Any info or links about the technique would be appreciated.

Help finding a certain type of bowl.

scarello — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:46:28 -0800

Help me find a certain type of bowl for my wife for Christmas. I hope I can describe the bowl properly here, as I do not have a photo. My wife absolutely loves the slanted bowls that some restaurants serve stir fry's in. They are plain white, ceramic or porcelain, sit flat on the table but are shaped at an angle and I cannot find them anywhere! Any chance someone out there would know where to find them?

Bathroom renovation project help, please.

longsleeves — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:27:48 -0800

How can I get paint off a porcelain bathtub? It's a non-latex flat interior paint that was applied to part of the surface, and it's very noticeable and ugly in an off-white color that does not match the original surface. Someone suggested scraping it off with a single edge razor blade but I worry that will scratch the finish, not to mention taking forever.

I don't think it was done to cover any stains or rust, it looks like somebody just started to paint it one day and didn't finish.

How to clean a burned porcelain teacup?

workerant — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:31:01 -0800

How to clean a fine porcelain teacup that found its way into a bonfire? A friend moved recently, and apparently missed a cup in one of the boxes. While burning the moving boxes, he found one of his good porcelain teacups roasting in the fire. He fished it out, but it's a bit charred. I've been able to get much of the black off by soaking it in hot water, but the painted pattern is starting to come off, so I'm afraid to use Bon Ami or baking soda.

Any suggestions about how to get the remaining black crud off without further damaging the cup?

Bathtub modification help needed

Listener — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:33:55 -0800

Bathtub modification in cheap apartment Can't have a deep soak in the tub now because the landlord says the overflow drain in the side wall leaks into the downstairs apartment. So, I want to do a modification that can be removed when I go. I've had success in the past removing those nonslip flowers from an old tub with a razor tool for scraping paint off glass, so I'm thinking that if I epoxy a patch of something, not sure what, some plastic sheet of some kind, over the large 9-cm square metal drain cover, then I'll be able to get that off with said scraper later.

Does that seem reasonable? And what would be a good sheet material for covering. Or is there a better way? Some sort of box to epoxy over it? I already took the disgusting metal cover off and it doesn't look easy to cover the hole from within and I don't think epoxy will stick to that filth at all. I'm getting sick just thinking of that mess. Help! A relaxing *deep* bath is one of the few pleasures in this temporary one-year living situation.

I am going to decorate my own dishes, ostensibly

InstantSanitizer — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:56:15 -0800

Ceramics filter: What sort of medium is the gold paint (?) that is used to decorate fine china/ tableware? I am guessing it's some sort of porcelain paint- but of higher quality (contains actual gold?) than the craft paint I might see at the local store. Does anyone know where I can purchase this? And: can I apply it/ bake it on with regular brushes and a conventional oven?

In short: What is it, where can I get it, how do I use it? (and it needs to be food safe)

thanks

Waterproofing craft porcelain?

nobody — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:51:03 -0800

I'm trying to waterproof tiny objects made out of air-drying craft porcelain, but I've had little success. Suggestions for a translucent waterproofing material, or, perhaps, an alternate sculpting material? Craft porcelain is perfect for what we're doing because it's translucent and doesn't need to be baked. The tiny objects (a touch wider than a pinky finger, but not quite as long) are being molded around a couple LEDs, so I don't think heating is an option.

They need to be waterproofed to such an extent that they can be submerged in liquid.

We've tried dipping them in polyurethane, spraying them with silicone, spraying them with clear acrylic, and dipping them in shellac.

It's possible that one of these methods would work but that our execution was imperfect. In each case the waterproofing would work for no more than a couple of hours, the porcelain eventually taking on water and growing bulbous and distended. It's possible that the craft porcelain is absorbing the waterproofing material over time. It's also possible that we're not waiting long enough between coats. (The polyurethane can says it's quick-dry, drying in a couple of hours, but maybe that's not to be trusted?).

Any ideas? Is one of those waterproofing materials worth trying again? Is there another translucent sculptable material that would waterproof better (and that doesn't require high heat to set)?

Our backup plan is to make molds and to pour the tiny objects out of silicone, but it would be much, much more convenient if we didn't have to go that route.

Removing metallic stain from sink

beniamino — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:01:22 -0800

Our white porcelain enamel sink has a stain on it. The stain is silver/grey and seems to have resulted from dropping a steel cup into the sink (probably repeatedly). Two related questions: Is it possible to stain a sink in this way? And how can we remove the stain?

How could I make the same (cleaning) mistake twice?

Ookseer — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:29:39 -0800

How do I get rid of the brown stain that bleach left on my old porcelain tub? I can't believe I did this again. In my old place one of the first things I did was use bleach on my old (1940's) porcelain tub. And it left an almost impossible nasty brown stain.

Years later, new place, different old porcelain tub... and I got a little aggressive with the spring cleaning, used a bleach based cleaner near it, and have the brown stain again.

Looking for personal experience on what has successfully removed (or significantly diminished) these brown bleach stains for you. Last time I followed the advice of paper towels soaked in CLR which ended up etching the tub. Something I'd like to avoid.

Making a Bathtub Shiny Again

mcstayinskool — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:38:27 -0800

What are your experiences with bathtub refinishing/reglazing? I have a porcelain bathtub that is dull and stained, and I'm thinking about having it reglazed/refinished/rewhatever to have it white and shiny again. I'm looking for input from people that have had this done and whether they were happy with the results.

Googling comes up with lots of information on this, but I'm finding everything is written by companies that provide the service, who obviously have a vested interest in convincing me it work and is worthwhile.

Finding a Crow On A Teacup

crw — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 20:15:32 -0800

Back in the early 90's, I saw a color magazine ad for a piece of art I've been unable to locate since. It was a crow poised on the edge of a teacup. Teacup and crow were beautifully lifelike. I think I remember that it was Victoria Magazine. I've purchased old issues of this now out-of print magazine in an effort to find the crow again. I think the price was 200.00. I cannot remember if the piece was porcelain - could have been carved, but I really think porcelain. I'd love to find him. At the time I saw the ad, I suggested it to my husband as a Christmas gift but he was sure I didn't really want it. All these years later, I still do!