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I need some advice please.
I have previously made a number of 5 inch trumpet mouths/bells out of layered papier mache. The layers were built up on a wooden former, turned in a lathe.
I tried several ways to make these easy to release when the paper was dry, but without success. I tried waxing the former, wrapping it in film, aluminium foil, dry tissue etc. but nothing made the dried papier mache easy to get off the wooden former. Bear in mind the shape of a trumpet bell, wide at one end and narrow, almost parallel, at the other. In the end I resorted to slitting the paper and re-glueing when it was off the former.
The paper was glued with diluted woodworkers PVA, which gave a very hard finish.
Does anyone have any advice they can give me about a suitable surface for the former and a suitable release agent, please?
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Your problem is that the paper will shrink and make a very tight fit. The steps to try to overcome this would be
1 for the first layers at least, use a paste that is about two thirds wallpaper paste (methylated cellulose) to one third PVA, consistency double cream. Use only a thin smear.
2 Over a separator of clingfilm, build only two layers and allow them to dry completely. Pull them off. You could at this point remove the plastic film if you want.
3 Put it back on the former and build two or three more layers at a time, drying at each stage. You can revert to the pure PVA if you want.
A combination of kraft, bond paper will build strength before using finer paper (rice?) for the last stage.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if it works to your satisfaction or whatever modification you find best.
DavidO 
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Thank you for the advice. I will try that and post my results.
Bob
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