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Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone could help me out. 
I recently wanted to attempt adding some kind of "filler" to my pulp mache recipe. I normally do not do that because my pulp always works well just as is. However, my experiment led me to add about a half cup of plaster of paris powder into my pulp mache. The pulp mache consisted of my normal recipe, which is about a half a magazine and some toilet paper plus my water and flour mixture. I noticed one good thing about it andthat was that it starts to cure faster than pulp mache alone, but I noticed it cracks a little. Is there any way around this? Does anyone here use a filler that works well and in what quantities does it work best? I would appreciate any information. Thanks to all of you. Have a great day!
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Well in my experience adding plaster to your mix works well if you want to Pop out your piece in the few minutes after pourring it in ( like a plastic mold )..the down side of course is the cracking of the piece.. i usually used one small handfull of plaster for each Big one of pulp has a make it quick type recipe..mind you i dont use plaster of paris anymore because it weighs to much for the poor strenght it gives and cracks at nothing.. the good side to this is that it helps onmould a piece quickly even do you still have to wait for the pulp to dry properly..the down side is that to my knowledge you dont have a choice but to patch up the cracks later on with that kind of mix.
Has for fillers i usually use saw dust and ground chalk , the chalk adds mass and the saw dust make's it easier to sand and polish..plus it adds considerable strenght to the piece you make..coniferus chavings work best since they hold a high quantity of gum in them : ) it really just depends on what the final piece is suppose to be used for ( small , medium , large , interior , exterior...etc ).. ive added ciment , masonite , hydro stone , plastic wood , poly urethane..you name it ( mind you most of my work need to be water , snow and hail resistant since there mostly for medieval events and stay outside 24hrs/7 days a week )paper and white glue are just the base for the mix..mess around youll find something that fits your needs
p.s : sorry about the sloppy english im french so .. : )
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Hi Melf. Thanks you for trying to help me. I manged to understand most of it I did do away with the plaster of paris - that is, I am not going to use it in the pulp anymore. I have considered for some time time now using the ground chalk, but have not ventured to do so, yet. I have heard much a bout plastic wood, but sincerely, I have no idea what it is or what it looks like! Perhaps I will search some art suppliers and see what I find out. I have also wanted to add sawdust but I do not know what quantity would be ideal per batch of pulp. How much would you recommend for say 2 lbs of pulp? Thank you very much again Melf and have a great day!
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For saw dust i go 1/1 per size NOT weight ( one handfull of sawdust for one of pulp ) by the way plastic wood is basicaly just PVA glue mixed with ground wood shavings : )
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Hi Melf. Thanks a lot, once more. I will try to find that plastic wood stuff and I will definittel try out the texture that the sawdust will bring to the piece I am curently working on. Have a great day!
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I found Melf's advice helpful. Merci, mon brave. Pas de problème avec votre anglais!
As an alternative to plaster of paris, for smaller stuff, wall filler can be useful. It is slower setting and more malleable. In UK it is sold as Polyfilla, Tetrion or (best in my view) Mangers. Use about 20% by volume and mix in to make a fairly stiff mix. Add a little more water if necessary until the mache works smoothly.
I look forward to trying the sawdust, having 50 litres from a friendly joiner but guess it is best for larger work.
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