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I have taken up paper mache mask making in a serious way, and hope to sell my work. I was inspired during my several trips to Venice, especially by the masks of the Boldrin brothers. My research has led me to believe that PVA glue and wool paper is used by many of the best mask makers. I have been using these materials, and always seem to have several loose or "bubbled" areas that I have to cut open and re-glue after I pull the mask from the mold. I thought I had carefully done each layer, eliminating air pockets. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am really enjoying the whole process.
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Since you said you're careful about eliminating pockets in your strips, my guess would be one of the following:
1. The papier mache isn't completely dry.
2. The paper is sticking to the mold a bit, so that, when you pull it out, its distending areas of the mask into pockets. Some mold release of some kind might solve that problem.
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Patraw: I appreciate the help. I've been using vaseline and haven't been having much of a sticking problem. It doesn't seem to matter if I allow more drying time between layers or not. It's just hard to understand how I can coat both sides with glue, firmly apply in the mold, check on it several times, and then when I cut the area open it looks like there was never any glue in that area. Perhaps I will have to return to Italy and try and see how it's done. Thanks.
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Hello, and welcome to the forums!
I've had the same problem, and it is one of the reasons I'm not thrilled with PVA glue. I've even done FLAT work, where I could press firmly all over, dried it thoroughly, cut through it, and found those unglued gaps.
But let me put forth a few possibilities...
1) If you are working quickly or the PVA glue hasn't been thinned 50/50 with water (although some cheap glues are 'pre-thinned' and watery, probably no need to thin those), bubbles may form on the surface; then, when two layers of paper are put together, the bubble bursts, leaving a spot on the paper that is not covered. Another relatively remote possibility is that certain sections of the paper have been coated more thinly and have started to dry before the next layer of paper is applied. These don't seem likely to me, but I'm just tossing them out there.
2) Your wool paper sounds extremely interesting, and I would like to hear more about it. Wool is naturally coated with lanolin, an oil. If all of the lanolin has not been removed from the fibers, I wonder if it is causing a 'greasy' spot that the glue is not sticking to properly?
3) If you are coating your molds with Vasoline/petroleum jelly, is there any chance at all that you are transferring some of that to the paper, via fingers or tools?
4) Are there particular spots on your masks where this is happening repeatedly? If so, try burnishing those areas particularly well, possibly with the back of a spoon (a baby spoon for small spots). A woman I knew eons ago had a clever husband with power tools who took old thrift shop spoons and ground them down to a series of graduating sizes for her, just for burnishing papier mache.
So, dry glue, bare paper, or grease are the only things that I can think of that would be a cause. Unless the problem lies solely with the PVA glue itself, which is plastic-based.
Please post more info about the wool paper if you have the time.
And it would be wonderful if you posted some photos of your masks in our gallery. Those Venetian masks are BEAUTIFUL!
Sue
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Cat Person. Wool paper is great. There are two weights, starting with the lighter weight, and then adding two layers of the heavier paper makes a sturdy yet flexible mask. Paper is absorbant and flexible. One source in the world, Squires Kitchens in UK. This paper is used by Boldrin brothers in Venice and Alice's Mask Shop in Florence.
As to my problem, perhaps I should not be letting any layer dry completely before applying the next layer. I am coating the paper evenly, don't have any bubbles, but at times may be adding too much water. Also, no vaseline on my hands when I am doing this. Best PVA glue seems to be Titebond, available at fine woodworking outlets.
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