Tip for just that problem:  First, never use a dry brush when you start applying paste, always wet it down first, and shake off the excess.  Even better, add a bit of natural soap (like Ivory bar soap) to the brush when you wet it down, and work it into the tight part of the bristles, then shake or wipe out the excess, but don't rinse.  It helps to keep the glue from sticking to the bristles, like putting a little grease in a frying pan to prevent sticking.

Stop and clean the brush every so often.  Glue is glue, after all.

But I like using my fingers best:  When I'm first starting, say applying strips to a balloon or a plastic bottle, I apply the adhesive to one side of the strip, then apply it to the bottle.  When the whole bottle is covered, I start smearing glue on the strip-covered bottle, and then smoothing dry strips onto the wet adhesive.  If this isn't possible for some reason, like I'm fitting "custom torn"    pieces of paper on a form with an irregular surface, I brush the adhesive onto one side of the paper and then apply it to the form.

But to tell the truth, there are no hard-and-fast rules.  Try any way that seems like it might work best for you.  The Papier Mache Police aren't lurking in your bushes, waiting to pounce on you if you to do something strange.

I have even (checking over both shoulders to see if anyone is near) smeared adhesive over a goodsized piece of paper, laid it gently onto an irregular surface, and then mashed it down with the eraser on the end of a pencil.  It didn't work so well for what I was doing, but it did show me that it's a way to get paper to cover the edge of fairly small depressions (a bit smaller than fingertip size), even though the eraser punched holes in the paper.  I'm not explaining it very well.... it was one of those you-had-to-be-there moments...  :shock:

My point is that you don't know what will work until you try.  If it doesn't work and ruins your project, well............. that's what burn barrels and garbage cans are for, right?

Sue :twisted:

"I have definitely had a problem with everything being over wet "

Been there, definitely done that!  But that's the way we were taught as kids.

I am slowly discovering that many of the 'olde' ways of working with PM (for the last 40-50 years) aren't really the best ways.  When PM was in its heyday (the Victorian era), they used different materials than we've been using.  There was no PVA (white glue), for one thing. 

*PVA is a plastic glue; it's even used as a sealer.  But everything that was used as an adhesive in the more distant past allowed moisture to gradually work through the piece and disperse.  Pieces from 200 years ago can still be found.  For me, PVA = incomplete drying and mold. :x

*Dipping the strips of paper into a bowl of glue certainly does saturate the strips, doesn't it?  Keeping the piece moist for a while really does seem to help the strips to meld, unless it was that thick, gooey stuff that turned out to look like pasta-encrusted paper.  If you hit it with something, the pasta cracked and the paper sometimes started coming apart.  But you don't want everything you make to act like a pinata.

*Thick, globby adhesive (usually flour & water) was one thing we were shown as kids.  Well, thick glue doesn't hold very well, and it takes forever to dry.

So, if the Olde Ways that you were taught aren't working, try new ways. 

Sue

"One thing though, remember to leave all the doors in your house open. My family are starting to complain about gluey door handles."
Newmodeller,
My husband seems to sense when I have paper mache goop all over my hands, he thinks it is the perfect time to phone home. My solution to sticky phones and doorknobs is to put a plastic bag near my work station and if the phone rings I just slip my hand into it to answer the phone. It also helps when you pet the cat, he doesn't get nearly as sticky .--Moni

Well Sue (catperson) . . . you beat me.  I reckoned I could remember back quite a long way, but Victorian era . . . no, I just can't match you on that!!
I use fingers most of the time but I guess a brush is best if it troubles your skin.
I have used PVA for yonks and never have any problems with drying, mould (US mold) or anything like that.
So there!! :shock:
DavidO

I actually use vinyl gloves when making my papier-mache because I worry about the long-term effects of having fungicide from the wallpaper paste on my hands.  I know that I am a huge worry wort though and I figure better safe than sorry.


newmodeller: You are right though. I find the lost sense of touch very frustrating sometimes.

I am posting this on behalf of Julie Tretakoff, who hasn't found her way into Forum membership yet but is an avid follower of the discussions . . .

"The only gloves to work with PM and have them feel like your second skin
are latex examining gloves that are used in clinical settings. I buy mine
from a medical supply house. They do come in large  quantities, but worth
the investment. You can use them over and over until they finally rip.
The artist that recommended them to me said they fit like a condom, and
she was right."


Personally, I only wear them on my hands
DavidO