Shanks Cracked Sink Restoration

Cracked sinks have presented quite a problem as far as repairs are concerned. Repairing a cracked sink was very hit and miss. If the crack was stable then possibly repairing the crack and resurfacing the whole sink would be a solution. There was no telling if the crack would grow or not however.So this work could not be warranted. If the cracking was really extensive and also on the underside it was impossible to say the repair would last for any length of time.

With antique sinks, cracks are fairly common so this presented a big problem. Also if we did resurface the sink completely the logo or makers stamp would be lost. Many clients felt this was unacceptable and were unhappy at losing the stamp. So this was another problem we would have to resolve in restoring the old wash hand basins.

The Bath Business have restored old sinks for many years now. Over the last 18 months we have been piloting a new technique to sort out the basins with cracks. We can even sort out bits of the sink that have come off or broken off completely. We can now restore these sinks. Whats more we can also retain the manufacturers logo or mark. As we have been doing this service successfully for 18 months we feel we have tested the techniques enough to warranty this restoration work.

Below is a lovely Shanks sink we restored in our workshop. The sink is a great example of a classic large Shanks sink. It had manged to get damaged quite badly in the inside and underside. Normally this sink would not be repairable. Certainly it would not be repaired with any confidence that the repair would last.

We repaired the inside and outside of the sink. We restored this sink before we had developed a method of preserving the makers stamp or logo. As Shanks sinks are so distinctive in style and shape it was not viewed as a problem at all by the client. As you can see it has come up beautifully.

In addition to repairing and re enamelling the sink we also refurbished the basins taps. This involved taking them apart completely to refurbish the workings of the tap. We also had the basin taps silver nickel plated. Finally we found an original plug and stay for the basin and had the chain stay and chain silver nickel plated also so it was in keeping with the age and style of the basin and taps.

Now the basin takes pride of place in the clients bathroom.

If you are looking at getting your antique basin, Art Deco basin or any fine sanitary ware restored then do contact The Bath Business. We can help repair damage or restore taps or both.

Also if you are looking to source an antique Victorian washstand or taps then do contact us. We frequently have these in stock or indeed we can source them for you.

SAMUEL HEATH BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE!

A couple from Norfolk had us resurface their old bath. They were delighted with the results.

They also wanted a badly damaged Bath Shower Mixer Tap restored by us. They just weren’t sure it was going to be possible due to the condition of the taps. As you can see they are badly worn and affected by limescale.

The couple was doubtful we could restore the mixer for them but they sent the mixer to our workshop to see what we could do. Once the bath/shower mixer had been opened up it was very clear that it was badly damaged by lime scale deposits and did not work at all. A lot of work was required to bring them up to a point where not only would they look great but also they would be a functioning bath/shower mixer tap. Our tap reconditioning service is second to none and we knew had faith in our specialist technician to sort these taps out in the workshop- despite their condition. As it was a Samuel Heath Mixer Tap it was well worth restoring. It was an exact copy of an even older Aston mixer tap. At around 60 years old and clearly being used in a lime-scale area it definitely was in need of some restoration work.

This Mixer was completely disassembled. Then all the limescale had to be taken of every part, inside and out. Then broken parts had to be repaired . Once restored in the workshop the parts were all polished by machine and then put back together again. Finally the mixer was fully tested for efficiency and given a final polish. It’s quite a transformation.

If you have taps, whether globe taps, Art Deco taps, Victorian basin or bath taps. Bath fillers or, as in the above case above, bath/shower mixer taps and you would love to have them refurbished, then let The Bath Business have a look at them for you. Even if you think the taps may not be salvageable it is worth asking us. We’ve surprised many a client with our restoration work. All we need is some pictures emailed over to thebathbusinessuk@hotmail.co.uk

If the taps are not a viable refurbishment project we will let you know and may even be able to provide a suitable replacement set of taps.  If they are worth restoring however we will let you know and get the refurbishment works completed as soon as possible. We work miracles on an almost daily basis. We’ll do our utmost to give you back a lovely set of taps.

If you have lovely old Victorian or Edwardian Bath taps or a fine set of Art Deco bath filler taps or any lovely old taps that require restoring please let us know and we will provide you with a quote and then hopefully get you a set of taps that will continue to work for another 100 years to come.

VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!

We got a call quite a few weeks ago from a lady in Woking whom our services had been recommended to.

She had just moved into a fantastic new home and inherited some amazing Antique roll top baths and French basins. She had some lovely antique French wash-hand basins which required full restoration work. One had a large crack, the taps needed reconditioning and nickel plating etc. Have a look. You’ll see they are quite special basins but definitely in need of some TLC.

French sink prior to restoration

It took around about 12 days to do all the work required on the basins. We had to re-condition the taps and silver nickel plate them, replace a set of taps withoriginal antique French lever taps, silver nickel plate the wastes, covers etc and we also had to rectify the cracked sink after which point we could then re enamel both wash-hand basins whilst retaining the logo in one of the basins. It was quite a lot of work but we were quite pleased with the end result as was the owner.

Above is the basin with the crack rectified, new taps, new old style plug and chain and re plated waste. It’s a very unusual French basin. Finding the taps was a minor miracle. We think this particular set of taps are actually the original taps that the basin had on it when it was made. There is a special fitting for the tap that would have been made specifically for the basin they were being attached to and this particular set of taps fitted perfectly! So somehow we brought them back together again after many years apart.

Here is the basin with the logo “SUPERBUS  Patent” retained after the re enamelling work. The basin also has the waste replaced & the cover, plug and chain stay nickel plated as well as the taps reconditioned and then also plated. Quite lovely.

If you have any antique sinks with cracks or taps needing restored please contact us. If we can’t do the work in situ we will more than likely be able to do the restoration work at our workshop.

Do let us know what you think of these little beauties. If you would like updated on any of our special offers or new items for sale please follow us on Facebook.