Papier-mâché recipe: paste preparation, material, recommendations for use

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

Today, there are many synthetic materials for creativity and modeling - plasticine, plastic, polymer clay and more. They have many advantages, but they do not always allow you to achieve the desired result, and their cost is often quite high. And just when the Muse has already arrived, and there is no opportunity to purchase the material yet, they remember the papier-mâché mixture, the recipe of which has been known for many centuries.

History

The papier-mâché technique has become widely known in Europe, and more precisely, in France. Back in the middle of the 17th century, it was actively used to make dolls, snuff boxes, figurines, decorative elements and masks. However, this type of creativity has deeper roots.

The ancestor of papier-mâché is the Chinese technique of making paper products (later called Hariko in Japan). Excavations of ancient burials have shown that helmets made of paper pulp, covered for rigidity with severallayers of lacquer, were actively used during the reign of the Han Dynasty (50-220 AD). Initially, pulp from cellulose was the main material, as for making paper. However, it was not rolled out, but on the contrary, it was filled with molds, dried, and then covered with paint and varnish. And only in Japan in the VIII century, not only ready-made scribbled paper was first used, but also its layer-by-layer application using glue.

In Russia, this technique was first used in 1795 by Moscow merchant Pyotr Ivanovich Korobov, who brought a papier-mâché recipe from Germany. The main products made from this material were lacquered visors for military uniforms and painted snuff boxes, which conquered the high society at the beginning of the 19th century.

Materials

What does papier-mâché consist of? Everything is quite simple. This is usually paper and glue. Water, wood ash, chalk, clay, drying oil and rosin can also be added, however, the more ingredients are involved in the manufacture of the mass, the less the finished material will be exactly papier-mâché. Therefore, it is necessary to dwell on the key components in more detail.

Paper

This is the basis of all the bases of this mixture. If you stick to the ancient Chinese technique, you will get a very simple papier-mâché recipe, which will include only paper and water. To do this, it is necessary to crush it, pour it with water and leave it to soak (from several minutes to several days, depending on the density of the raw material), then knead it with your hands or with a blender to formhomogeneous mass, squeeze out excess moisture through the cloth.

The material is ready. Now they need to fill the form very tightly and, if possible, send it under the press. After some time (from 1 to 5 days, depending on the thickness), the product will dry, and it will be possible to take it out, paint and varnish it. It must be remembered that the paint must dry well, like the product itself, so that the finish coating does not crack in the future. To give it rigidity, it is better to cover it with several layers of varnish.

But what kind of paper to use? The answer is simple: any! Old newspapers, drafts, boxes, unwanted wallpaper and other products from the pulp industry. The difference will be only in the soaking time. This is if we talk specifically about the mass of papier-mâché.

If we are talking about layer-by-layer application and subsequent bonding with a binder, then the selected material plays a big role. For the manufacture of dense products, a simple newspaper or drafts (A4 paper) is suitable, but for the manufacture of airy openwork items, it is better to choose thin paper, for example, paper towels, napkins or toilet paper. The recipe for papier-mache from the above types of material is almost the same, but each master chooses which composition is right for him.

Binders

Since it is not always possible to use the mold method using a press, a variety of binders are actively added to the paper. Their choice depends on the preference of the master, the purpose of the product, the availability of the necessary material, as well asfinancial opportunities. It can be both purchased at the store and cooked at home.

Glue

The most affordable ingredient is PVA glue, you can buy it at any stationery store, and it has many advantages. For example, even children can work with this substance, it is easy to apply, there is no need to pre-cook it, when it dries it becomes transparent and stretches a little, due to which cracks on the finished product can be easily avoided. Among the shortcomings - it is not very convenient to cook a lot of papier-mâché from it, since paper does not soak well in the glue itself. And in order to add it later, it is necessary to get rid of the liquid as much as possible, otherwise it will either turn out to be too liquid and will not hold its shape, or there will not be enough glue, and the product will begin to crumble during the drying process.

Simple transparent stationery glue should not be used at all, because when it dries it becomes brittle, due to which the outer layer of the product turns out to be sloppy, and unnecessary chips may occur during further processing.

Instead of stationery, it is better to use professional wood glue. It allows you to significantly increase the strength of the finished product. And the manufacture of objects from layers of thick cardboard and such glue under pressure makes it possible to achieve such great rigidity that this method was actively used in factories for the manufacture of backs of chairs and armchairs.

Wallpaper glue is ideal for making paper pulp for modeling. In this case, there is no needadditionally squeeze out excess moisture from the water-paper mixture, but it is enough to add dry glue, which will absorb excess liquid. If it is necessary that the product be more durable, then you can use the composition for vinyl wallpaper, since it was originally designed for more weight. And accordingly, it will withstand a greater load than glue for paper or non-woven wallpaper.

Flour paste

This type of binder is easily accessible to everyone, even if the Muse came unexpectedly and at night. It is completely eco-friendly, suitable for working with young children, easy to rinse with water.

The recipe for papier-mâché flour paste is practically no different from any other, for example, wallpaper mixes. The only difference is that it is better to make it thicker.

Ingredients:

• Water - 1 liter.
• Flour - 100 grams.

Cooking:

1. Pour flour into a cup, mix with 1 cup (250 ml) of cold water, mix gently until smooth.
2. Pour the remaining water into the pot.
3. Pour in flour and water mixture, stir.
4. Cook over medium heat until desired consistency is achieved. Cool before use.

This composition can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a week.

This is a classic papier-mâché flour paste recipe. Its only drawback is that it is not moisture resistant. However, given that the main material is paper, and accordingly,this product is unlikely to be subject to active contact with water without pre-coating with a moisture-resistant varnish, this drawback can be considered insignificant.

To achieve better stickiness, it is better to choose white flour of the first grade (not premium).

Starch paste

There are quite a few recipes for papier-mâché starch paste, but the following are the most popular.

Starch with PVA. Ingredients:

• Potato starch - 60 grams (3 tablespoons).
• Water - 1 liter.
• PVA glue - 15 ml.

Cooking:

1. Pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil.
2. Introduce starch into boiling water in parts, stirring constantly. Make sure no lumps form. Bring the resulting solution to the desired consistency.
3. Add PVA glue, mix thoroughly, cool, strain through gauze if necessary.

This papier-mâché starch paste recipe is free from the only drawback of the previous version of the binder due to the presence of PVA, however, it is no longer environmentally friendly and unsuitable for working with children under 3 years old.

Starch with sugar. Ingredients:

• Potato starch - 40 grams.
• Water - 100 ml.
• Sugar - 10 g (1 tsp).

Cooking:

1. Pour potato starch onto a baking sheet (on parchment paper), heat in the oven to 400 ° C, until a brownish mass with bubbles forms.
2. Cool, crumble the starch layer, mix withwater and bring to a boil.
3. Add sugar, boil until desired consistency, cool.

According to this recipe, papier-mâché glue is prepared not only by amateurs at home, but also at work. Such a paste is highly sticky, but the products will definitely need to be varnished, since the sugar in the composition can attract various insects, including cockroaches.

Recipes

There are a great many papier-mâché recipes ranging from simple, two-component ones to very complex ones, where paper is practically no longer the main material, and sometimes it is not even there anymore. But these are more industrial options. For home use, a few of the most popular are enough:

• Layer classic. Even a child can make papier-mâché according to this recipe with his own hands, because as such there is no recipe at all. The whole technique lies in the fact that on a pre-prepared form, for example, a plate, it is necessary to lay out a layer of wet pieces of paper, grease them with glue, then apply the next one and grease with glue again. Repeat steps required number of times. The more layers, the stronger the product will be, and the longer it will dry (from 1 to 5 days). Remove the resulting blank from the base, cut off the excess, sand, after which you can start decorating. Cover the finished product with moisture-resistant water-based varnish.
• Papier-mâché toilet paper recipe. The manufacturing principle here is almost the same as inclassic version. However, using a very thin material (napkins or paper towels will do) will allow you to make more elegant products, as well as form framed and frameless sculptures that will be almost indistinguishable from those made directly from paper-glue mass.
• The egg tray papier-mâché recipe is becoming less and less popular due to the active use of plastic containers by poultry farms. However, pots for seedlings have the same structure, so you can still find material. What for? The fact is that during the production of these products, just this technique is used. Accordingly, it can be said to be a semi-finished product for making papier-mâché. This recipe is relatively simple, although it takes a lot of time to make. First you need to tear the paper into small pieces, pour hot water over it, leave it to swell for several hours, then drain the excess water, grind until smooth, add glue. The mass should keep its shape well, not crumble and not flow.
• Papier-mâché recipe from the newspaper. Unlike egg trays, the newspaper has a denser structure, so it takes more time and effort to prepare mass for modeling from it. Firstly, the newspaper soaks longer, and secondly, to get a uniform consistency, it will not be enough to knead it with your hands. Here you will need additional tools, for example, a meat grinder, a blender or a sieve, otherwise the recipe is similar to the previous one.

Proportions

As a rule, at home, papier-mâché recipes are followed very approximately, bringing the mass to a comfortable consistency. However, when adding other components, it is still better to observe certain proportions.

Ingredients	Like plaster	Casting	Casting/Forming	Shaping
Water	0.5 l	1 l	1 l	1 l
Wood glue dry	0, 25kg	up to 0.5kg	0, 2kg	0, 35kg
Paper	0, 175kg	-	-	0.05kg
Olifa	0.05kg	0.03kg	-	-
Rosin	0, 1 kg	-	-	-
Chalk	1, 5-2kg	2.5kg	1, 7 kg	3 kg
Wheat flour	-	0.4kg	-	-

The recipes presented in this table are mostly industrial, but they can also be used at home.

Helpful tips

To make the idea a success, follow these recommendations:

1. Before starting work, the mold must be lubricated so that the finished dried product can be easily separated. For this, it is better to use vaseline or vegetable oil.
2. For some items such as bottles or vases,the dried workpiece will need to be cut into 2 parts. It is better to do this with a clerical knife. It is worth remembering that this can scratch the base.
3. You can use dishes, clay or plaster blanks, wire, metal mesh, balloons, cardboard boxes and more as a mold.
4. For layering technique, it is better to tear the paper, not cut it. Thus, the edges of the pieces will fit better to the previous layer, and the structure of the product will be more uniform.
5. If the mass for modeling turned out to be too dry, then you can add glue (not water), but if it is too liquid, then either crushed chalk (gypsum) or dry wallpaper paste should be added.
6. When looking for the best papier-mâché recipe, don't be afraid to experiment, but at the same time, don't deviate too much from the original proportions.
7. Starch paste is suitable for light products, as it becomes transparent when dry.
8. The dried workpiece is easily mechanically affected, so existing irregularities can be cut off with a knife, as well as sanded with sandpaper to achieve maximum smoothness.
9. Before painting, it is better to prime the product, so it will be possible to even out both the color and the relief, as well as protect the workpiece from the effects of water and paints, which will allow not only correcting, but also redrawing the ornament if necessary.

The recipe for the perfect papier-mâché is different for each master, someone finds it right away, someone - after a lot of crafts, trial and error. However, a large numberof all kinds of cooking options makes it possible not only to choose the only one for yourself, but also to continue experimenting and delight loved ones with your new works of art.

In addition, it is worth remembering that making papier-mâché, like other types of applied art, allows you to develop attentiveness, perseverance, as well as fine motor skills and artistic skills.