Personally, I feel that that is the big problem with pulp.

It appears to me that the problem is due to the natural lumpiness of the paper fiber, plus the way the adhesive works with it.  You can add a spoonful of paper pulp to two cups (.5 l), put it in a blender (liquidiser) and run it on high for ten minutes. Pour it into a bowl, and you'll see the paper fibers grabbing onto each other, already forming clumps.  You can take paper fibers that have never BEEN formed into paper, and they will do the same thing.

The more paper pulp you add to that water, the worse it gets, no matter how long or how fast you mix it.  Drain it, strain it... as you remove some of the water, the lumpier it gets.

Then you add the adhesive and start forming it.  It feels okay, even smooth (depending on your adhesive), and then you set it aside and let it dry.

As it dries, all the moisture disappears from the gaps between the lumps, and it looks like asphalt when it dries. (What is asphalt in Britain... bitumen?)

As far as I've been able to tell (and I haven't done a lot of work with it for this very reason), you only have two choices:  sand it down or build the surface up a bit.

I HATE sanding.  A little is okay, but the WHOLE THING?  Blech!

Building it up seems to offer two choices: 

Cover it with the strip method of papier mache, enough so the pebbly surface is disguised. You have to be careful. The pieces of paper have to be fairly small, because you don't want wrinkles. Pieces that are too large for the curves produce wrinkles. You have to press all of them down firmly so they blend with each other. Using a thin paper, the bumpy surface may show through unless you add a couple of layers of paper.  Time-consuming?  Well, yes.

The next choice is filling in the cracks with gesso or a good, thick primer (don't waste time and money with the cheap stuff). It may take several coats.  Some people will use Spackle or other type of paste filler.

I would do two small, similar objects, maybe medallions or something, and try both ways, and see which you prefer.  Your preference may vary with the project.  Or you may want to do both.

But if you think of a better way to get around this problem, please post IMMEDIATELY!  Sainthood may be a possibility....

Sue

Its a great discovery..I really like the artistic designs of that..I want to know more about it.

Last edited by carlyse_09 (2012-10-23 05:56:27)

We are waiting with baited breath to learn how you get on.  We all learn from our successes and failures and from each other.
Did Carlyse_90 mean the two ideas I offered . . . . where did I find them?   I just found them by experimenting.  Or was it my guardian angel?
DavidO

My advice is. if you don't want lumps, invest in some  celluclay...it dries much smoother.