We offer courses and lessons in pottery and porcelain restoration, tailored to your needs, on a friendly and relaxed basis.
Obviously learning to restore ceramics to a high standard takes time, patience and practice, and we're not promising to turn you
into a master professional in a weekend! However, we aim to equip you with all of the knowledge and techniques you require to be
able to perfect your skills at home.
Please note: although on 5 day courses we aim to send you home with at least one fully completed item we cannot guarantee that you
will achieve this - that depends on the complexity of the repair and how quickly you pick up the techniques. However, we DO
guarantee that you will know how to finish all your pieces, and we are available by email or phone if you have any problems.
Weekend and 3 day courses are mainly "taster" courses, and it is very unlikely that you will actually complete a piece right
through to painting and glazing, although if you're bitten by the restoration bug a further 2 or 3 day course would continue
from where you left off.
Our weekend courses are for people who wish to see if they will find ceramics restoration interesting and also for those who cannot
come during the week. On your first weekend you will be able to learn some of the skills needed for the first stages of repairing
whatever pieces you bring with you. If you come for subsequent weekends you would develop your knowledge and skills from what you
had already learned. Similarly, if you decided to come back for a full week or more, you would carry on from where you left off.
Weekend courses are mostly for 2 days (Saturday and Sunday), and we also offer occasional 3-day courses covering a Bank Holiday
Monday. Please consult our Calendar Page to see which weekends are
included.
It is also possible to attend for 2 or 3 days, Monday to Tuesday or Wednesday - subject to availability. Please
contact us if you
interested in this particular option.
Our 5 day courses are aimed primarily at collectors who want to learn ceramics restoration and those looking to start a new hobby.
There is no strictly set structure to these courses, as we tailor your course to meet your interest and needs.
We will work with you on restoring the pieces you bring, concentrating on the specific faults found most often in your area of
interest - for example a Beswick collector will certainly need to be able to model a missing ear will but have very little interest
in learning to make a missing flower, which collectors of Lladro and Capodimonte would find invaluable!
The course will teach you how to deal with the most common problems which occur within your chosen area, but is likely to include
some or all of the following elements:-
Beswick Horse and Jockey, After Restoration
Dismantling and cleaning old repairs
Reattaching broken pieces
Modelling a small missing piece (e.g. an ear or a flower)
Filling small chips
Stabilising hairlines and cracks
Colour matching
Handpainting
Airbrushing Demonstration
Airbrushing practice (time permittting)
Glazing and finishing
German KPM Figurine, Before Restoration
Please note, the above is offered as a guide only. We will work with you, your interests and the pieces you fetch to provide a
course that suits you.
Weekdays the course runs from 10:00 to 4:30 – or thereabouts, as you’re bound to be in the middle of something which can’t be left
when it’s time to finish!
The weekend courses comprise Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, with Monday 10:00 to 4.30 on 3-day Bank Holiday courses.
The course price includes all the material and equipment you’ll use, lunch and a constant supply of tea, coffee and biscuits!
For those wishing to move into restoration on a professional basis, longer, all-encompassing courses are available.
To complete this course would take a minimum of 3 weeks, either taken in one block or split into smaller sections to suit your
needs – please contact us for more details.
Any students who would like to come back for further tuition, whether for a full week or just for a day or two will always be
welcome (subject to availability, of course!). We always try to meet any particular wishes that our students may have, and we
are always happy to discuss how we can help you and offer advice with any projects you are undertaking.
For further information, please phone us on 01704 547114, we are very friendly and would love to hear from you.
Alternatively you can email us at:-enquiries@whitesrestorations.co.uk
