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Has anyone found the use of shredded paper a benefit in making papier mache sculptures? - are there any special techniques to employ?
On a further point does anyone make use of a hardener on the completed model to aid, in my case, the slicing into rigid cross-sections for use in the design of sculptures with other materials? - What is the name of a good paper hardener?
Thanks in advance
douglas
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What kind of hardener do you mean? Plaster? Some kind of polyurethane?
Sue
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Hi Sue
Thanks for your reply.
All I can say is I need a suitable hardener which would render the papier mache model rigid enough to enable me to then slice them into thin sections, without these sections becoming so loose that I couldn't then use them as a drawing aid template.
Hope that makes sense?
Best wishes
douglas
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How thick does it have to be before you saw it? The problem I'm visualizing is the adhesive binding with the saw so you don't get a clean cut. I think this would happen with any plastic type of adhesive, like the PVAs, as even when dry they still have a certain amount of flex.
You can make a pretty rigid piece using layered paper and an organic adhesive like methyl cellulose (MC), but making it thick would be very time-consuming. Using shredded paper (as you mentioned) with the MC would probably be faster, but again, if it's very thick, it will probably take quite a while to dry all the way through. And if it wasn't dry in the middle, the saw blade would pull it apart.
I don't know enough about the polyurethanes (PUs) to know if they harden through a drying action or a chemical reaction. If the latter, you might be able to mix shredded paper with straight polyurethane, using the PU as the only adhesive, and I am imagining this might be fairly tricky, and messy.
You might be better off buying one of the commercial mixes of ground paper/plaster like Celluclay, let it set up, harden and dry thoroughly, and try slicing that. Please keep in mind that the hardening of plaster is a chemical action, and the drying of the paper part is a physical one, and for what you are attempting, both would need to have completed their 'cycles'.
Sue
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Thank you again Sue
My slices will need to be 6.5mm thick, so they will have to be fairly robust to cope with the cutting process.
I will digest the rest of your advise, and possibly ask for some further help.
Regards
douglas
Last edited by connelsey (2008-12-07 21:18:29)
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Douglas, if you're using paper strips in layers, you can make your sculpture almost as hard as wood by using carpenter's glue mixed in with a flour and water paste. You need to let each layer dry before adding another layer. You can then sand, drill and saw your sculpture, even if it is only a few layers thick.
Here in the states we can get a carpenter's glue called Titebond II at the hardware store that is extremely good. I think you could add some to a paper mush, if that's how you make your sculptures, but the layers would have to be very thin, and then built up to the needed thickness. Otherwise, it would take far too long to dry all the way through.
I hope this is what you were looking for.
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Ooh, that's a tricky one. I must admit that I don't have an answer - only thoughts. Sawing pm is difficult because it is so fibrous. You would need a very fine saw blade. A knife would be useless.
You say 6.5mm slices but what size could the cross section be? If you were to make a pulp (see the recipes on this site) it can take a long time to dry, preferably building up from the centre with no more than 1.2mm at a time.
Shredded paper is not good, in my experience. The pulp it produces can be very lumpy.
Sorry not to be of more help. Which part of the world are you in?
DavidO
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Thank you David and Jonni for your messages.
Seasons Greetings
from Scotland
douglas
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what about a carpet cuttters knife? would that work?
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Hiya Connie
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Unfortunately with an my abstract sculpture, I think only a hacksaw or possibly a bandsaw is going to do the job, although I do appreciate the need for the tender touch, otherwise a nice little mess is going to result! - the glue-ing route is likely to be my best bet, and obtain a good hard finish.
Take care
douglas
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Douglas,
I use shredded office paper in a pulp, i boil the shredded paper, blend it, then squeeze out the water, crumble it into small pea size pieces, let them dry then run them through a coffee grinder. David O does this process as well, but with newspaper. I then mix the fluff resulting from the grinding with a home made glue. My glue is 4 cups flour, 1 cup sugar and 4 quarts water, cook over medium heat stirring until thick, remove from heat, then add one quart of cold water and a few drops of tea tree oil ( for preserving) I also add a few drops of oil of wintergreen because I don't like the smell of the tea tree oil. I sometimes press this into a mold which can result in thickness of 2cm. Drying is aided with a fan. This process dries very hard, I have used a small power rotary saw to slice/cut it. I also use a dremel with assorted attachements to sand and cut. I hope this helps you in your quest for your sculptures.
Joanne
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I agree with Jonni, I have tried it. Well not on very thin surfaces.
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You can try "tempering" your PM with relatively high heat to harden it. The idea is similar to what native people used to do with the tips of their wooden arrows--cooking them a bit in fire hardens it. Now, I'm not suggesting you throw your PM project into the wood stove--I used a woodburner (800 degrees Fahrenheit), running the tip over the surface of the sculpt. Don't over scorch things or you'll get the opposite effect and your PM will become brittle and start flaking. You want it lightly browned, but not black. I regularly work on a small scale (my figures are usually between 1-3 inches tall) and regularly cut thin PM cylinders, that have a diameter only slightly larger than the thickness of a paperclip, into small sections.
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This is so cute and nature-friendly. I'll try to make use of it with my shredded papers left in the office.
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spotted garden
Last edited by dawnzky05 (2009-02-06 03:15:21)
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