Paper mache

1461 Views 8 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Rigormortor, Nov 22, 2015

moosecat

Discussion Starter · Aug 4, 2015

Has anyone come up with a better recipe for paper mache glue besides white glue and water?.

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Well, I don't know about better, but I use Stolloween's flour based recipe which you can find here.

Jonni Good uses a flour and water paste. Here recipe is here She doesn't actually give measurements, so the consistency is up to you.

I came across a video where liquid starch was used as paste. I haven't tried this myself so I cant say how good it works.

Some people don't like flour recipes because of mold. It gets pretty humid here in the summer and I've always added a little bit of salt to my paste and have yet to have a problem with mold. Of course the key is to make sure your paper mache dries completely.

Basically do a few searches and try different recipes until you find one you like. I even make my own liquid starch and glue which takes more time but saves money.

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kakugori

· #3 · Aug 4, 2015

I'm working quite a bit of paper mache right now, and my basic recipe is either thinned out white glue OR thinned out white glue with some flour in. I don't measure.

Then I am using home made paper clay to make nice, smooth finished surfaces.

Here's a tutorial on making paper mache armor, that contains the details of the paper clay:
http://testyourmight.com/threads/im-going-to-show-folks-how-to-make-armor-cheaply.35413/

The Gourmet Paper Mache guy has some interesting techniques too: http://papermacheblog.com/

Glue-All is supposed to be better than school glue for mache, because school glue continues to be water soluble after it's dry. But glue-all is harder to find, at least around here. I've used both without issue. Mold isn't something I'd worry about in a finished piece - if the mache is applied thinly, one layer at a time, and allowed to dry then it will be dry and there won't be enough moisture for mold to form. Mouse or insect damage during storage might be more likely.

Ever noticed how fast a loaf of sourdough bread dries out and gets hard? Same kind of thing with the flour pastes, I think.

Something like wheat paste, used for applying wallpaper, is another option. There's a lot of ways to do paper mache, and it's mostly just finding what works for you.

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moosecat

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 4, 2015

kakugori said:
I'm working quite a bit of paper mache right now, and my basic recipe is either thinned out white glue OR thinned out white glue with some flour in. I don't measure.

Then I am using home made paper clay to make nice, smooth finished surfaces.

Here's a tutorial on making paper mache armor, that contains the details of the paper clay:
http://testyourmight.com/threads/im-going-to-show-folks-how-to-make-armor-cheaply.35413/

The Gourmet Paper Mache guy has some interesting techniques too: http://papermacheblog.com/

Glue-All is supposed to be better than school glue for mache, because school glue continues to be water soluble after it's dry. But glue-all is harder to find, at least around here. I've used both without issue. Mold isn't something I'd worry about in a finished piece - if the mache is applied thinly, one layer at a time, and allowed to dry then it will be dry and there won't be enough moisture for mold to form. Mouse or insect damage during storage might be more likely.

Ever noticed how fast a loaf of sourdough bread dries out and gets hard? Same kind of thing with the flour pastes, I think.

Something like wheat paste, used for applying wallpaper, is another option. There's a lot of ways to do paper mache, and it's mostly just finding what works for you.

Thanks you two for your help. I really appreciate it.

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Screaming Demons

· #5 · Aug 5, 2015

A common problem with using flour is bugs and rodents eating your hard-built props during the off season when they are in storage. I would hate to put all that work into something and then pull it out next year to find almost nothing left.

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TheFletch

· #6 · Aug 5, 2015

Add salt or vinegar to the paste. This will kill the mold. I also add joint compound to my paste. dries rock hard.

Screaming Demons said:
A common problem with using flour is bugs and rodents eating your hard-built props during the off season when they are in storage. I would hate to put all that work into something and then pull it out next year to find almost nothing left.

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guttercat33

· #7 · Aug 18, 2015

Carving Calabaza Pumpkin Orange Winter squash

My jack head made out of paper mâché

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Pumpkinhead625

· #8 · Nov 21, 2015

TheFletch said:
Add salt or vinegar to the paste. This will kill the mold. I also add joint compound to my paste. dries rock hard.

I don't know about bugs, but adding cayenne pepper to your mixture will keep rodents from eating your props.

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Rigormortor

· #9 · Nov 22, 2015

Im going to add white glue to the flour water mixture I have been using. Thats a pretty good idea. Im going to make
some paper mache skulls this wninter/spring......

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Paper mache

moosecat

lizzyborden

kakugori

moosecat

Screaming Demons

TheFletch

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Pumpkinhead625

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