Kintsugi ("golden joinery") repairs a broken pot by gluing the pieces back together with lacquer and then covering the seams with gold, silver or another metal powder. The break is left visible on purpose. For a potter, it is a way to keep a favorite mug that hit the floor, a bowl that cracked in the kiln, or a gift piece someone else made and dropped.
This guide is written for people who make pottery, not for art history. It covers the two kinds of kintsugi kit, what the "gold" really is, which of your pots are worth mending, the steps in outline, kits as gifts and the food-safety question. It is research-based: we compared kit makers' instructions, a US restoration studio's published answers and reference sources, and we did not mend pots ourselves.
What kintsugi is, in practical terms
Traditional kintsugi uses urushi, the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree, as the glue, the filler and the base for the gold. Reference sources describe several mixtures: raw urushi on its own, urushi mixed with wheat flour (mugi urushi) as an adhesive, and urushi mixed with fine clay powder (sabi urushi) as a filler. The gold powder is dusted onto the last coat of lacquer, a finishing method related to the Japanese lacquer art of maki-e.
There are three common repair styles:
- Crack repair. The pieces fit back together and only the seam line is gilded.
- Piece repair. A missing chip or section is filled with lacquer putty and covered entirely in gold.
- Joint-call (yobitsugi). A fragment from a different pot fills the gap, giving a patchwork look.
Modern "new kintsugi" kits swap urushi for two-part epoxy and a metallic powder. The look is similar; the materials, timing and safety are not. For the wider tradition behind it, see our Japanese pottery guide.
Epoxy vs urushi: the two kinds of kintsugi kit
Every kit you will find falls into one of these two groups. Read the contents list before you buy, because product titles rarely say which one it is.
| Epoxy kintsugi kit | Urushi kintsugi kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Adhesive | Two-part epoxy glue, often with epoxy putty for chips | Raw urushi lacquer mixed with flour and clay powders |
| Time | About 48 hours to set, per the kit listings we checked | Days to a week per layer; a full repair often takes 2 to 3 months (TSUGUKIT guide) |
| Curing conditions | Room temperature | Warm, humid box: 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C) and 70 to 80% humidity (TSUGUKIT guide) |
| Skin risk | Epoxy can irritate skin; gloves are usually included | Raw urushi is a strong skin sensitizer; gloves and long sleeves required |
| Powder | Usually brass, mica or "metallic" powder | Real gold or silver in some kits, imitation gold in others |
| Typical price band | Roughly $25 to $60 at US retailers, October 2026 | Roughly $250 to $300 for the Japanese kits we checked, October 2026 |
| Food use | Kit makers we checked say decorative or gentle use only | Some makers allow careful hand-washed use; never a guarantee |
Epoxy kits
Epoxy kits are what most people buy first. A typical kit holds a two-part glue, a putty for small missing pieces, a few grams of gold-colored powder, a brush, mixing sticks and gloves. You glue, wait, paint a thin line of fresh epoxy or lacquer over the seam and dust the powder onto it. One US retailer's epoxy kit lists heat resistance up to 212°F (100°C) and says to keep mended pieces out of the dishwasher and microwave.
They are fast and forgiving, which suits a first try or a gift. The trade-off is that epoxy is a plastic: it is not the traditional material and kit makers generally do not present it for food contact.
Urushi kits
Urushi kits use real lacquer, and the process is slow by design. Each layer has to harden in a humid box (a home version of the Japanese furo) before you sand and add the next. The TSUGUKIT beginner guide says each layer takes a few days to a week to dry and that a full restoration often takes two to three months.
Raw urushi contains urushiol, the same kind of allergen as poison ivy, and it is a skin sensitizer. TSUGUKIT warns that in rare cases simply opening the tube can trigger a severe reaction. Wear the gloves and long sleeves the maker specifies, work in a ventilated room, keep it away from children and pets, and follow the kit maker's instructions for skin contact. Stop and see a doctor if you get a rash. Fully cured urushi is described by the maker as not causing reactions, but the raw material does.
Real gold, brass or mica: what the gold line is made of
The word kintsugi suggests real gold, but most kits do not contain any. There are three common powders:
- Real gold powder. Traditional kits state the karat and weight. TSUGUKIT's gold kit, for example, lists 0.5 g of 23 kt gold powder with 30 g of raw urushi. Real gold does not tarnish, which is why it was used.
- Brass "gold effect" powder. Lakeside Pottery, a US restoration studio, explains that gold-effect powders are brass-based and must be sealed in lacquer or epoxy, or the brass will tarnish over time.
- Mica or "metallic" pigment. Many craft kits simply say "gold powder" or "metallic powder." If the kit does not name real gold and a karat, assume it is brass or a mica pigment.
Silver and copper powders are also sold. Lakeside notes that real 23.5 kt gold work costs about 2.5 times as much as gold-effect work, which gives a sense of the gap. For most home repairs on your own pots, sealed brass or mica looks right and costs far less; save real gold for a piece that matters.
Is a kintsugi-repaired pot food safe?
Treat any mended pot as decorative unless the kit maker clearly says otherwise, and even then, use it gently. This is the part of kintsugi where the claims online disagree the most.
Source conflict: one UK museum shop describes the Humade epoxy kit as "food-safe," while another retailer of the same kit quotes the care note that "tableware repaired with the new kintsugi kit is no longer food safe." Go by the instructions printed in your kit, not a shop description.
For urushi, the TSUGUKIT guide says cured urushi resists heat to about 203°F (95°C), that repaired pieces should be washed by hand, and that they must stay out of microwaves, dishwashers, ovens and open flames. It also asks you to wait at least a month after the repair before regular use. Lakeside describes cured urushi as food safe and waterproof but notes it has no FDA approval in the US.
We cannot tell you a repaired pot is food safe, and no kit can promise it for your piece. A crack also leaves a seam where liquid and bacteria can sit. If you want to keep using a mended mug or bowl, follow the kit maker's care rules exactly, keep it away from heat and acidic foods, and consider moving it to a pen pot, a planter liner or a shelf instead. Never put a mended pot back in the kiln: epoxy and lacquer burn off. For the glaze side of food safety, see our food safe glaze guide.
Which of your pots are worth mending
Kintsugi only works on fired ware. Good candidates are:
- Glazed or unglazed pots that broke cleanly into a few large pieces.
- Pots with chipped rims or feet, filled with putty and gilded.
- Pots that cracked in a glaze firing, as long as the crack is stable. Our glaze firing guide covers the causes, so you can stop it happening again.
- Pieces with meaning: a first wheel-thrown bowl, a gift or a pot by a potter you admire.
Poor candidates are pots shattered into dozens of tiny pieces, pieces that need to hold hot liquid every day, and anything still at the greenware or bisque stage. A crack in bisque can sometimes be filled before glazing with a kiln-safe product; see our AMACO Bisque Fix review. TSUGUKIT says its kits suit pottery and porcelain but not glass or metal; some epoxy kits list glass and other materials, so check yours.
How to mend a pot with an epoxy kintsugi kit
Every kit has its own manual and drying times, so treat this as an outline and follow the printed steps in yours.
- Clean and dry the pieces. Wash off dust, food and oil, then let the pot dry fully. Oil and salt stop lacquer and glue from bonding.
- Dry-fit first. Lay out the pieces and work out the order they go back in. On a multi-piece break, the last piece often will not fit if you glue them in the wrong order.
- Put on the gloves and mix the glue. Mix only as much two-part epoxy as you can use within its working time.
- Glue the pieces. Apply a thin coat to one edge, press the pieces together and hold or tape them. Wipe away squeeze-out with the method the kit gives before it sets.
- Fill chips. Press putty into missing areas and shape it flush with the surface.
- Let it set. The kits we checked ask for about 48 hours before the next step or before handling.
- Paint the seam. Brush a fine line of fresh epoxy or the kit's lacquer along the crack.
- Add the powder. Dust the gold, silver or copper powder onto the wet line, let it set, then brush away the loose powder.
How urushi kintsugi works, in outline
Urushi repair follows the same idea but in many more stages. The TSUGUKIT guide and kit list describe the main steps: join the pieces with mugi urushi (lacquer and flour), fill gaps with sabi urushi (lacquer and clay powder), sand smooth with waterproof sandpaper, apply thin coats of colored lacquer, then lay gold onto the final coat and polish it. Each stage cures in a box kept warm and humid with a damp towel.
Plan on weeks, not an afternoon, and let the kit maker's manual and videos guide timing and safety.
Kintsugi kits as gifts for potters
A kintsugi kit is a thoughtful gift for a potter, because every potter has a broken favorite somewhere. A few pointers:
- For a casual or first try: an epoxy kit with gold-colored powder. It is quick, cheap and results show the same weekend.
- For a patient potter who loves Japanese craft: an urushi kit, ideally with real gold. Check that the person is comfortable working with a skin sensitizer, and mention the allergy warning.
- Check the shipping. Urushi kits often ship from Japan. TSUGUKIT notes that customs may ask for an SDS or other paperwork.
- Add a practice piece. A cheap thrift-store plate lets them learn the seam line before mending a pot they care about.
For more ideas across budgets, see our gifts for potters guide.
Common mistakes
- Gluing pieces in the wrong order and leaving a final piece that will not fit.
- Using too much glue, which leaves thick, lumpy seams that are hard to gild neatly.
- Using a mended mug in the microwave, dishwasher or with boiling liquid.
- Assuming "gold powder" means real gold.
- Handling raw urushi with bare hands or without long sleeves.
- Putting a repaired piece back in the kiln to "fix" the glaze.
What you need
You need a kit (epoxy or urushi), gloves, a clean work surface, masking tape and patience. If you only want a strong, invisible repair rather than a gold seam, our best glue for pottery guide compares adhesives for ceramics. For a gold surface that is fired on in the kiln, see gold glaze for ceramics.
Sources: TSUGUKIT (Tsugu Tsugu) beginner guide and TSUGUKIT Gold product page (contents, drying times, humidity, heat resistance, care and allergy warnings); Musubi Kiln kintsugi craft kit page; Humade kit listings at Made in Japan UK and V&A Dundee shop; Brooklyn Haberdashery epoxy kintsugi kit listing; Lakeside Pottery kintsugi questions and answers (epoxy vs urushi, gold vs gold effect, food use); Wikipedia entry on kintsugi (urushi types, repair styles). Specs checked October 2026.