Repair Tricks and Tips

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    Jennifer
    Keymaster

      Sadly Windstone cannot offer an official repair service! But if you’d like to attempt repairs on your own, go for it! Standard disclaimer: This information is provided in an effort to help collectors if they wish to attempt repairs. I’m providing the following for informational purposes only: it’s understood that any repair efforts are at your own risk and that you will not use this information to hold Windstone accountable for any problems or damages.

      Here are some facts that might make help those that want to try home repairs:

      • With exception of the Rock Dragons, Windstones are cast in Gypsum Hydrostone. Gypsum is great stuff but it hates two things in particular: It hates high heat, and it hates not being able to breathe. In your repair efforts, it is best never to expose it to high heat (such as a kiln, oven, fire, or the surface of the sun) and don’t coat it in something that won’t allow it to breathe (Such as oil paints, enamel based paints, etc).
      • Windstone eyes, glass globes, and horns (when applicable) are glued in place with an epoxy cement. While not impossible to remove, the risk of causing further damage by removal is high. This is not something to be attempted lightly. If possible, masking the area off is preferable to outright removal if you are doing a repair near the horns/eyes/globe.
      • If you have a Windstone with a badly bent or damaged horn that is impossible to repair, consider contacting Melody directly to see if she can help with a replacement horn. Warning: even if a replacement can be acquired, remember that removal of a damaged horn can damage the Windstone even further! Please be careful. We don’t recommend trying this unless you’re desperate or skilled at this process.
      • Missing gemstones might be possible to replace. Please contact Windstone.
      • With great apologies, we regret that we (Windstone) CANNOT replace missing/damaged felt pads.
      • If the gold accents / details on your Normal Production Windstone need to be touched up, you can buy a Broad Tip Gold Decocolor Paint Pen (We are not endorsing this brand, just letting you know what matches) and touch it up. Exception: Emerald Windstones seem to have copper colored accents, and some special eBay pieces have different color accents.
      • Matching colors when doing repairs can be hard. For metallic Windstones, usually a black base coat starts the piece and layers of special paints are applied (often Interference type paints). In the past, Windstone has used Golden brand paints often but not exclusively. If you are unsure or frustrated by matching a paint color, please post a new topic so that we and other collectors can try to help you match your color.
      • Be extra careful when dealing with Ruby or Red Fire sculptures! These colors have been known to rub off with moisture. Try not to get a Ruby or Red Fire Windstone wet, and be gentle if using a cloth to clean them.
      • Many materials can be used to repair missing parts of Windstones. Users have tried many methods with varying results! Technically, we cannot endorse any given product, but I can offer ideas:

        Epoxy (Apoxie) Sculpt: A very versatile material. It is a two-part epoxy type clay that when mixed together it starts to harden immediately. Luckily it takes a while. It will be firm in 20 minutes and very hard within hours. The drawback is that once it has hardened, it’s SET and you can’t work with it any longer. The upside is that it’s very strong and hard. It will accept sanding (wear a mask) and can be worked with tools to any texture.

        Plaster: This is the closest thing to gypsum, but it doesn’t always work out super well. There are many variables when working with Plaster in terms of chemistry, temperature, and so forth and sometimes it does not form a strong bond to existing gypsum. It can work with some skill though, and can be used in instances where entire new parts of a Windstone might need to be cast.

        Polymer Clays: One of our collectors has done fantastic repairs with polymer clay. Polymer clay must be heated to be set, however, and you should never heat your Windstone to high temperature (it could crumble or weaken the gypsum!). In this case a heat gun with very localized heat must be used. Polymer clay can also be brittle.


        If you have tips or tricks that you’d like to offer, please feel free to share them!

      Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
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