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I have been molding model boats using resins and fiberglass for many years. Until the resins got to me.
My models range in length from 17 inches to 50 inches. Having abandoned FRG, for the past couple of years I have been building a male plug of the hulls and placing ribs around the plug and then planking the hull. This enable me to make several cloned hulls.
I am brand new to using paper mache. Currently I am trying PM as the hull material. Using a model hull as a plug I cover it with poly-food wrap. This stretches and conforms rather well to the hull shape. I tape over this with masking tape which holds the plastic covering in-place. Then I coat over with pre-mixed vinyl wall paper paste, layer on a layer of newsprint paper, brushing on paste to wet the paper and soften it so it loosens and conforms to the hull shape.
After that layer dries I lightly sand to get rid of any bumps or creases. This is followed by more layers of PM.
Question, is there a paste/glue/paint that will soften the paper and also make each layer waterproof. Anyone tried using one of the urethane glues. Classic PM looks as if it will be useful for display models, however the larger FRG models make fine radio-control models and need be in the water for hours.
I understand the diffference between water-resistant and waterproof, I need waterproof 
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I can't be a lot of help I'm afraid, but I can point you to a couple of relevant articles on the site that may be of interest if you haven't already come across them:
Chris Shilling's Narrowboat:
http://www.papiermache.co.uk/exec/cms-d … iew/id-45/
Jackie's Waterproofing papier mache:
http://www.papiermache.co.uk/exec/cms-d … iew/id-48/
Good luck!
Russ
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I read the article "Jackie's Waterproofing papier mache". Waterproofing, if I read it correctly waterproofing was achieved by applying a waterproof coating.
Thanks for pointing out Chris Shilling's Narrowboat article.
Over the years the experience I have had using PVA glues for RC models has been bad. Most of my RC models have been sailing models and water always finds it way into the inside of the models. Glues for wooden and fiberlass RC models is problematic. Most paints and coatings resist water but breath and allow moisture to migrate through and then (for example) PVA glues soften and release. With the time and effort put into building a model one hopes the model will last a lifetime:)
I am hoping someone on this board with experience with PM has found away to saturate the paper fibers with a waterproof binder. This plus a good wateproof coating might be an answer to having paper fibers as the reinforcement.
Chris has a nice looking model on his web site.
Russ, thanks for the prompt reply.
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Resorcinol is sold as powder to be mixed with water. What can be added as a filler to make it into paste for PM? Microballoons?
Anyone worked with Glass Microballoons, Glass microballoons are very small, essentially a fine powder, which are often used as thickeners for thixotropic mixes such as adhesives and castings. They are popular with ceramics conservators and with furniture conservators. Pigments may be added to the microballoons as well.
Do PM craftspeople add pigments to PM directly instead of painting?
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I have pulled my first papermache model boat hull off the mold. It came out better than expected. The process was poly sheeting (food wrap), followed by masking tape, followed by layers of strips of torn wet news print painted in place over the masking tape. The moldel has compound curves yet the paper mache hull pulled off OK. The poly film pulled off the masking tape adhesive, and the masking tape pulled off the papermache. This left me with a round bottom hull, 17 inches long and four layers thick.
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