You are not logged in.
Hi
I am making furniture from papier mache and my plan is to do a mould made from MDF lined with plastic and then to use the method on this site of making pulp and pouring the mixture into the mould.the mould is basically a 300 x 300 x 300mm box with a smaller box inside leaving a u-shape space.
I am wondering how long I should leave it to dry in the mould, is there a recommended maximum/minimum wall thickness I should use.
hope you can help
ps I do not have facilities to fire anything.
Hi,
You'd probably be best building it up in layers of no more than 1/2 an inch thick. Wait for each layer to dry thoroughly before adding the next one. If you do it all in one go it will take a lifetime to dry. If you put an electric fan on it this will speed up the drying time.
Hope the furniture turns out well. Come back and tell us about it later on.
Jackie
thanks for the advice Jackie
I have just a few more questions
will the structure be weakened if I do it in layers rather than in one go? Would the layers be susceptible to breaking off, when it is complete or would the join bettween layers be ok?How long should I leave it to dry, should i leave it only half dry?
I'll definately let you know how i get on.
thanks again
Monique
No, the structure won't be weakened if you do it in layers, and they won't come apart. But do let each layer dry thoroughly - that's very important. Pulp shrinks when it dries so it will be a slow process. Hope you are not in a hurry for your furniture! 
)
Incidently, unless you are making dolls furniture or full size furniture for display purposes, you are almost certainly going to need some sort of reinforcement. Very strong cardboard tubes, pieces of wood or metal - anything you can easily get hold of. It would be awful to see all your hard work going to waste!
Hope this helps.
Jackie
thanks Jackie
I'll put in some plastic reinforcement(acrylic) as i want to keep the weight down and it won't rust.
Monique