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I am interested largely in papier mache as a serious construction material. I have built a few pieces of furniture with it and quite enjoyed it. I am wondering about using p-m to create a textured environment for some of my animals -- specificaly some of my snakes. My major concern is in waterproofing, as I need to be able to spray water into the enclosures.
Will coating with a couple layers of paint followed by several layers of polyurethane create enough of a protective surface to prevent problems in the mache? Is it possible to modify the paste mix in some way to help prevent problems should some water make its way through the protective layer? Any input or experiences with protecting p-m from humid conditions would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Dave
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Hi Dave,
I can well understand you wanting to make an interesting environment for your snakes, and agree that it would look great, but I would never recommend papier mache for use with any pets. Apart from what is in the paper and adhesives that you would use in making the papier mache, whatever you used to seal it would almost certainly be harmful.
One idea would be to make the outside of their enclosure out of papier mache, and then line the inside with glass so that you could see it, but it wouldn't come into contact with the snakes.
For the inside I would have thought the best solution would be branches made of reinforced concrete and sealed with pond sealer. I did this with a mosaic pond I made. I've never had any problems, and the fish are thriving.
Very interested to hear about your furniture making. You could probably help a lot of us on that topic! 
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The polyurethane itself is not bad if you give it adequate time to dry. It is a standard sealant for use with exotic animal enclosures. The catch is that it is always used on wood, so I have no idea as to its permeability (except for exceptionaly humid enviornments, you aren't going to get wood warpage anyways.)
I have considered concrete, but may end up working with FRP instead. For the moment, I am thinking of going with OSB to make a stack of utilitarian enclosures and then work on more decorative ones later.
I don't know how much use I'd be with the furniture thing. I'm not much of an artist, but more of a practical person. I thus tend to go for structural soundness without much concern for aesthetics.
Cheers,
Dave
Boy Dave, we sure COULD USE your practical, down-to-earth basics regarding furniture development with PM. Such basics as -- how to avoid warp (particularly on LARGE flat surfaces), etc. Have had success with some free standing pieces that employ corrugate tubing, but large flat surfaces continue to elude me. Sure others have specific furniture-making posers that may be a snap for you!
Any suggestions?
Karen
www.farroutart.com
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Karen,
Well, as I don't feel limited to p-m, if I want a large, flat surface, I use a plank of wood. Now, if you wanted the p-m look, you could always cover it. You would just have to be sure to do it quite dry to minimize cracking. Alternatley, running thin strips of wood through might help (think rebar in concrete or batons in ship sails). Keep in mind, I haven't tried either of these things. What I have done which has mimized warping in one dimension is to use p-m ribs. Using a cardboard sheet as a base, I've attached strips of cardboard along their edge to the base and then bent them to form projections at 90 degrees from the base. I've used right-angle triangle bits to maintain the angle.
Then, just p-m over the whole thing. There is nothing preventing curling perpendicular to the ribs, but there should be minimal warping along the ribs. Surface irregularities are to be expected, but if you try to avoid too much inconsistency in wetness and thickness of each layer, you can minimize these problems. It also adds strength, which is what I was going for at the time.
Cheers,
Dave
This may sound like a betrayal to the papier mache, but for these projects what you really need to learn about is papercrete. It has been referred to so many times as "The Industrial Papier Mache" and it really is!
Just "Google" it and a whole new world of possibilities will open up for you!
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hello i'm micheline
i'd like to do furniture in pm
cupboard or chairs can you help me
how solidify them ?
Hello, just like the last message writer I'm really interested in getting more info about papermache furniture construction. We are hoping to build sets of chairs for seminar events for our project, papermache is obviously an incredibly versatile material and could produce some great pieces. The big issue is making sure they are functional - please tell me where to look for more info or send me some tips!
Cheers
Morag
morag.mcguire@playingwithwords.org