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I’m interested in making paper mache birds and animals, starting with some between 1-2 feet, up to macaws which would be 4 feet including the tail. My original idea was to make them with additive methods, such as the classic paper strips, etc, but I saw this video and the end result is closer to what I am looking to make. Is this a recommended technique?
https://youtu.be/ULef3DJ_qmk
I kind of like it because I could make more than just one for myself or sell the extras if I wanted to. It’s just an idea for the time being, and I was looking for feedback.
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I haven't tried it but it is referred to in the article I wrote about the 1600 pandas -
Click the tab 'articles' and you will find it there.
Basically, it helps if you have a very warm, dry atmosphere. Remember that the drying process would process a lot of moisture.
DavidO
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dopapier wrote:
I haven't tried it but it is referred to in the article I wrote about the 1600 pandas -
Click the tab 'articles' and you will find it there.
Basically, it helps if you have a very warm, dry atmosphere. Remember that the drying process would process a lot of moisture.
DavidO
Thanks for pointing the way; it was an interesting read.
Last edited by Pachyrhinosaurus (2016-03-27 14:47:35)
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It's a great method for making multiples, and the molds last a long time, with care. But it's not simple, fast or cheap.
1. Make the original, lifesized.
2. Divide the original into sections to be cast.
3. Make the individual molds (I suspect that small giraffe in the video requires up to fourteen molds), and allow to cure.
4. NOW you can begin casting.
Plaster is expensive in small containers, much cheaper in large ones (50 lbs/22kg - approx. $20 USD w/o shipping). The fiberglass fibers are a specialty item, and can cost from $7.50 to $13 USD per pound.
The next problem, as David pointed out, is getting the paper to dry. If your projects are small, you could use an oven at low temperature to speed drying.
As with most things, there are benefits and drawbacks.
Sue
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One interesting thing about that Sermel video was the cardboard she was using. I've never seen any cardboard that coarse. They said it was recycled, but I wonder if they have it "processed" that way deliberately. It seemed to absorb water very quickly -- more quickly than the two kinds of cardboard that I have used: the corrugated kind and the "cereal box" type.
Has anyone seen anything like she was using?
Sue
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It's cardboard -- thick enough to have some substance, thin enough to mold to the curves.
Look at the 0:55 minute mark. It looks like rather coarsely chopped paper, formed just for the purpose.
Sue
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That's what I thought! It looks like recycled cardboard, but I've never seen anything like it. Of course, I may not be looking in the right places...
Sue
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A wiser man would fear to tread where Sue says cardboard and Jackie says heavy paper, but after searching far too many paper manufacturers web-sites I discovered that some refer to heavy paper as "board" or "paperboard", others categorize it as paper. So, yes, both right.
The paper in the video looks a lot like gray-bogus, a paper that I use sometimes. A recycled paper usually sold for packing. Very inexpensive & it is very absorbent because it has minimal surface sizing. It is rather coarse, containing small scraps of paper. Strong when wet, it can be pressed into detailed molds with wooden tools, and does not disintegrate under pressure.
Another video of the same shop shows a stack of the paper, and it is deckled on 4 edges - a clue that this is a handmade paper. The rough surface also indicates a lack of machine milling. The torn edges seen in the casting would indicate that these are single thick sheets, rather than multi-ply.
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You see, Jackie? You and I are ALWAYS on the same page!
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While it was raining yesterday (keeping me out of the garden), I tried a quick little experiment based on the video that Pachyrhinosaurus provided for us. I had never used cardboard for what I made in the past, just layers of paper. Cardboard could be a timesaver and make a piece stronger.
I had saved a few pieces of "cereal box cardboard". Everyone in the U.S. knows what I mean, but I'm not sure about other places. It's thin, non-corrugated cardboard. I ripped off a piece about 4x9" (102x229mm).
I put an inch or so of warm tapwater into the sink and added a few drops of dish detergent to break the surface tension (to help the cardboard absorb water faster), and let it sit for 10 minutes or so.
Then I pulled it out and looked at it. It was wet. 8-) I didn't know if the printed surface would affect the experiment, so I peeled it off (much easier when wet). Then I dropped the cardboard back into the water for another 5 minutes while I answered the phone.
Continuing, I lifted the cardboard from the water and let it drain for about 10 seconds. Then I laid it in the bottom of a small saucepan and up the sides a bit (more on one side than the other) to see how it fit the curves.
I pressed it down firmly. It formed wrinkles at the tighter curves, which was expected. I pressed them down with the top of my fingernail, but there were still noticeable lumps.
I lifted one fold and used an Exacto knife to cut into the fold so I could overlap one edge over the other. Blades don't cut wet cardboard -- they just tear it crosswise. I pressed that one down back into its lump and lifted the other side. This one I just tore, which worked far better. Then I laid the two 'flaps' down, one on top of the other. I didn't remove anything. I pressed it down, then burnished it with the top of my fingernail. MUCH BETTER. Much flatter, esp in comparison with the folded lump on the other side.
When it dried completely, it still looked good. There was still a slight lump, but not nearly as bad as the fold on the other edge.
This could work very well, esp inside of a mold. I think it could even do well on the outside of a simple form (a large plastic egg, for example). As long as you never laid one 'lump' over another, the surface should remain relatively smooth.
Using it on the outside of a form, you would also have the option of tearing away bits of the overlapping pieces so you would have a perfectly flat surface, which would be ideal. Even if you tore away a bit too much and the spot was a bit thin, it would be covered by the next layer of cardboard. Just be sure when you add the next layer of cardboard that you lay the new pieces to cover the seams of the previous layer, for strength. Creating one seam on top of another (running in the same direction) would be guaranteed to create a weak spot.
If your project was fairly small, you may not want more than one layer of cardboard, so you could add a few or several layers of regular paper strips to strengthen it.
This short, one-step experiment was just to find out how pliable and adaptable thin cardboard would be. I didn't use any glue, which would be necessary for a real project.
I did like the results, and will be trying it again on a real project.
Sue
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I wonder how it works as far as shrinkage is concerned. Wet cardboard, like wet paper, can shrink quite a lot as it dries. With an internal mold this shouldn't be too much of a problem because it would come away quite easily (though might distort).
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It might work all right if he doesn't try to cover the entire mold at once, or do it too thickly. I would try covering half with enough layers to keep it stable and let it dry, and then cover the over half. Then I woudl joint the two halves and start adding layers.
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