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Hi,
I'm new to papier mache so please be patient with me!
I'm wanting to make bricks that are breeze block size (approx 440mm x 215 mm x 200mm) for an art installation/ sculpture. The bricks will make up a wall that is approx 11m long , 3m height. So approx 350 bricks!!
I will be making these bricks myself and had the idea that making them from paier mache would be inexpensive and the simplest way of producing them. Am I right?
What would be the best way of producing the bricks - to make them solid/ making a box inner and creating a papier mache coating/ to make a mould? And what mixture would be best? (The sculpture is for inside a gallery on an upper floor and I have to move them so I'd like them to be quite light iin weight). They don't need to be that durable - the installation will be up for one month (I guess I'll be having a big bonfire after that!)
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks.
Last edited by snailspace (2011-02-15 14:06:13)
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If you need a ton of them, I imagine several molds would be the most time effective method for papier mache.
However, my recommendation would be to instead make them hollow, and out of cardboard. All you need to do is layout the form of the six-sided brick on the cardboard, cut it out, fold it (scoring the lines will probably help), and glue the flaps together (hot glue would probably be the most expedient). To save time, you might want to print out many copies of said layout, rather than drawing/measuring it each time. If you wish, you could apply some paper pulp to the exterior of the bricks' surface to give them a rough look, but it'd be even faster to just coat them with glue and sprinkle some sand on top of that.
350 bricks . . . you have my sympathies--I hope you're being paid well for such monotonous labor.
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My suggestion is almost identical to Mark's (Patraw) but I would do the cardboard slightly differently that would be more economic in use. Cut 1400 (OMG that's a lot) of the side shape, 700 of the end shape.
To join edges, dribble PVA along the edge, leaving a space at the ends and middle. Drop hot glue into these spaces and immediately press the two pieces of card together. The hot glue holds it, the PVA dries slowly and makes a really firm join.
Yes, a pulp for the coating will look realistic. You could mix in a terra cotta paint or paint it when dry. A problem may be that making the pulp is a learned technique and you will need a lot. Ask again if you need advice on this.
I don't envy you the task but admire your intention.
DavidO
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Styrofoam is the only way to go- fabricating that many units is nuts. Let's say it took you an amazingly short 20 minutes to fabricate and finish each piece -that's 117 hours. No, you need a process that puts a premium on time. If you have a styrofoam supplier, they can cut lengths to the height and width of your finished bricks- then all you need to do is hot wire cut sections to length (make a jig- at 350, even if you could position and cut stock in 20 seconds, that still amounts to over an hour and a half). If the design requires paper mache, you still don't have time for strips- you'll have to wet out and wrap whole sheets of paper, dry, and paint as necessary. Better yet would be to brush a skin directly on the foam.
Last edited by mavigogun (2011-02-15 20:42:41)
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You've heard the term, "a glutton for punishment"?
IF (big IF) you had a place to dry them... do you know anyone with a large pottery kiln? You could set them on racks outside the hot kiln, with a judicious space between.
Find or make some metal mesh baskets the size you need. They would have to tolerate quite a bit of abuse, pressure and slamming.
Soak newspaper in a tub of water with a very light dose of adhesive in it. I would go with cellulose wallpaper paste, or other organic, NOT PVA/white glue.
Remove when wet, drain excess water. You could probably drain it for a day or more with no problem.
Press wet paper (not much neatness required) into wire baskets, then lay a flat block of solid wood on top, and stand on it to press out as much water as possible. If you've got a friend who weighs about 180 kg, so much the better... offer him a nice lunch.
Slam basket upside down on hard surface to remove brick.
Dry.
Sue
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just a thought - see if your local shops/supermarkets have suitable boxes you could use as bases. they often come in standard sizes so you should be able to build up a collection over a few weeks. You might have to compromise on the size a bit but it could speed things up.
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Patraw wrote:
350 bricks . . . you have my sympathies--I hope you're being paid well for such monotonous labor.
Ha ha ...it's a labour of love and I'll be out of pocket exhibiting.
Thanks for all of your very useful responses. It looks like making bricks, unless they're made from foam (expensive) or from larger cardboard boxes, isn't really feasible (n.b. my username)!
So back to the drawing board for me.
thanks all.
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