How to repair salt dough ?

You can try a clear glue, then seal the whole thing when done. I have learned that salt dough may be easy to working with, but its difficult to preserve. I used to make a lot of projects from salt dough, but sadly, it just doesn't withstand the years well.

On the cracked part away from the print, try moistening it and blending it in. If it's already too hard, or has been baked, I would glue it back together as tightly as possible with a clear drying glue and then seal it. Good luck. I know this must mean a lot to you.

What a treasure this is, even cracked. I googled "how to repair salt dough" and there is a lot of reading that showed up. I am not a crafts person, but am trying to think of a way to repair and preserve this. Will the edges of the crack crumble off under slight pressure? If not, I wonder if you could wrap a sheet of "stretch" plastic food wrap around it, bunching the folds on the backside and then mount it on a wooden frame. Another thought - I wonder if you could glue it onto a piece of sturdy, but thin, cardboard. The cardboard could be pre-cut in a circular pattern. Glue the large piece on and let it dry thoroughly, then glue the second piece on, pressing it against the large piece as tightly as possible until the glue will hold it there. Another thought - is there any resin type material you could use to cast a mold for it? The crack might show, but perhaps you could disguise it with a textured finish. Like I said, I am not a crafts person, so these could be ridiculous ideas, but also might lead to more ideas. Even if the crack forever shows, it is a treasure I wish I had thought of through the years. Good luck and I hope you will share a photo of the results of whatever you decide to do with it.

I'd fill it with mold maker once it's glued. Let that dry and make a second imprint from that with a better medium that would last. Plaster works well for the final copy. I have a plaster cast of my own dog's paw that's about 10 years old now and it hasn't shown any signs of giving up yet.

Sorry to hear about Piglet, that's nice that you have the paw print. Call a craft store like Michael's, A.C.Moore, or Hobby Lobby, and see if they can help you. Maybe you can soften up with water between the crack and push it together, and find something to hold it together until it dries. Call them. Good Luck!

Actually, rewetting or reworking salt dough usually breaks it down more. It has a 'granular' texture from the salt in the dough that will cause it to break, leaving a lumpy texture on the broken edges that should be an exact fit to the other pieces (like puzzle pieces), so glueing together is your most likely solution. Please DO NOT USE regular white glue/school glue for long-term projects like this. It does NOT hold up. A good quality wood glue should work. Carefully brush the glue in a thin layer across both broken edges, the let the two edges set for 30 seconds to a minute to let the glue 'set' (get slightly tacky) before pressing the broken pieces back together. You may need to apply just a little pressure to prevent a permanent gap forming between the pieces as they dry. You may also need to seal the broken edges to give the glue something to lock on to. Use a light coat of matte/ flat clear finish spray polyurethane for this. When you are done, SEAL the whole piece so that bugs don't eat the dough. Do NOT use corrugated cardboard as a backer, it will draw atmospheric moisture to the piece, making it deteriorate faster. I would consider using a paint finish on it, both to give an additional seal against moisture and bugs, as well as to disguise the crack. After that, I glue the piece to a wood plaque to provide stability & give something sturdy to hang in from. You might want to finish by using something decorative to make sure it cannot fall off the wood if the glue fails in the future, as salt dough won't handle falling off the wall...

I’m sorry to read of your predicament but I find the glue - E6000 - REALLY works well on nearly everything! It worked terrific on a small table I had that had a loose leg. I wouldn’t use Gorilla Glue (even though it’s good and strong too) because if you use too much, it bubbles up and would then be visible on the mold. When you feel better, you could try taking another mold of the paw print using Plaster of Paris once it’s all glued together again.

I'm so very sorry to read about your Lil guy. Mine is 13, if something good has come out of you posting this YOU have given me the idea of how also to keep a piece of him with me when he passes. Thank you for posting your question. Now I too have little handprints of my last grandchild that has done the very same as yours. Yes it was painted. Being the chicken that I am, I put mine in a Zip lock bag after it cracked. Don't try to push it back together or it will break. You need this maybe the Zip lock will work for now, it has for me. I wish you well, heal from your loss, and get well soon.....Gigi

jpeggy, That pain in your heart is heavy I can tell, and I'm so sorry for you. As for your kids wanting to get their tattoos, if they promise you, lol to be very careful with the lil print that you have they can take it to their tattoo artist and if the artist is any good at all the artist can copy it. Tell the kids to wait there while the artist is making the copy to guard it. Have you thought of getting one also??? My kids keep teasing me that I don't know my lil guy is a dog and not a child. And when the next person says that she was JUST a dog, you might want to remember that your Piglet was ALWAYS there for you when so many humans don't seem to be. Those people have never known the special love that our 4 legged babies give to us. GOOD LUCK SWEETY........Gigi

Find an artist who who works with clay and ask him/her to make an impression of it. They can get rid of the crack in the impression. Then, to make it even more permanent, ask them to bake it in their kiln.