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I was looking through my bookmarked links and found this information about papier mache by a Canadian puppeteer - Ronnie Burkett.Sorry if this has been posted already.I found the information very interesting to read and also there are recipes for papier mache.I think he quite nicely speaks which are the important things from where you can experiment in different directions.
http://home.eol.ca/~props/papier.html
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His marionettes are amazing, a friend from another forum was lucky enough to meet him at Puppet Rampage this year and said his puppets really are incredible.
I have not tried the recipe yet but plan to as soon as I have time to PM again.
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When I was surfing I did found his recipes a few weeks ago.
Thanks for pointing us to the article.I did'nt find it at that time.
I just read he is collecting dryerlint to use as filler.
A month ago I started to do the same.It is funny that at the other part of the world someone thinks the same,although it is very logical to try dryerlint,because in the past paper was made of rags.May be nowadays too,I don't know actually.
Dorine
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I tried the dryerlint ,but it did not work well.It gave lumps and does not feel good.
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I tried the dryer lint with poor results. Of course, all the animal hair probably didn't help. It looked a little 'bristly' when mixed.... :-)
Sue
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Hi:
I have tried to translate the Ronnie Burkett article by Google but, unfortunately, many words and expressions were not transleted and the sense of the text was not good.
Because of this, I'd like to know if the difference from Celluclay and homemade papier mache is that the first one you buy and the second you make by yourself.
I'd also like to know what dryer lint has to do with the article. I have translated these words but they didn't make sense to me in this case.
Thank you
Shali
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I don't know about dryer lint, in fact I am not exactly sure what it is, but there are 5 recipes there.I haven't looked thoroughly through them.For now I just read the article which I kind of like because it summarizes all the information I had read here and there previously.
Also I see he includes glossy magazine paper which has been discussed here.I am now trying to make some pulp just from glossy magazines to see what will happen(of course with a binder). For now it seems to behave just right 
.
Anyway, I read stuff for papier mache in english or russian in internet so it is always a challenge to understand what exactly some product is.For example I was looking so long for a pva glue here and the people were telling me what is this.I know it is Polyvinyl acetate but it wouldn't help.At the end I find a firm making it and found it.I had my suspicions one of the glues here which is called C200 is the same but wasn't sure .Now I think they are the same.
One question about pva glue I have is-on the label it is written to avoid contact with your skin,what are you doing,are you using gloves?
So now that I found pva, the next battle will be to understand what whiting(ground chalk or all the other names) is ?
But meanwhile I am trying with what I have which is interesting enough, to see how different papers work.
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Hi Shali,as for dryer lint - it seems to be the fibers that stay in the filter from clothes that have been run through the dryer.I don't think to try this for now.
And yes Celluclay is kind of papier mache which is sold in the stores.I don't know what does it consist of.
Last edited by Mir (2007-11-25 22:59:33)
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Hi Mir:
I think we have similar problems with "words"!!!!
The PVA glue or white glue I use is a low-toxic one and in the label is only wrote that you need to be careful with eyes and not to swallow it. I dont't use gloves but I don't know if all PVA glues are the same.
In the other hand, I'd like to know if someone has tried to mix clay with PM pulp and the result. I've tried once. The piece has been very hard but I can't remember if it was good to work with. I'd tried a long time ago.
I'd also like to know if someone knows if there is an advantage to mix both.
Shali
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Maybe this will help:
Yes, dryer lint is the mat of fine dry material that you remove from the mesh in the dryer. You don't need it for regular papier mache. It is one of many additives that people like to try.
Celluclay is a brand name of a papier mache pulp mixed with plaster, you just add water. It hardens quickly due to chemical action instead of just drying in air like regular homemade papier mache.
PVA glue is plain, cheap white craft glue that is clear when it dries. It is not toxic and you do not have to wear gloves. A common brand in the U.S. is Elmer's. Many people mix it with water, 50% each, when they use it for papier mache.
Mixing a little clay with papier mache is all right, but a lot will not. Clay is weak and brittle when it is not heated in a furnace. It makes papier mache heavy and it will be brittle and crack.
High-quality magazine paper contains a little bit of clay.
There is a modeling compound called Creative Paperclay, but it is neither papier mache nor clay, but a mix of sawdust, volcanic ash, and other ingredients.
Paperclay (without the 'Creative' in front of it) is for ceramic artists. They mix plain paper with regular clay that is fired in a furnace. The paper fiber burns out and the ceramic that is left has tiny holes in it that makes it lighter. It doesn't have anything to do with papier mache.
Whiting and ground chalk and calcium carbonate are all the same thing. It is a finely ground white powder that is added to many things as a filler. In papier mache, it helps to fill small holes and low places in the surface.
Sue
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Thank you CatPerson. Now it's much better than before!
Shali
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Mir, I asked a guy I know who works with a Russian what PVA/white glue is called there.
He said it's called PolyVinyl Acetate. In Cryllic (which I can't reproduce here) it looks something like this:
IIBA KJIEH But the II has a line across the top, and the H has a small U over it.
I hope you can decipher what I mean!
Sue
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Sue, I think russian is more difficult than portuguese, isn't it?
Anyway, you are always trying to help us. Great.
Shali
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Any language you don't know is difficult! And that means ALL of them for me!
But I read somewhere that Portuguese is one of the most difficult to learn.
Sue
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Yes, Sue, you are right.
Shali
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CatPerson, thank you very much for taking the time to help .I think I mislead you, I am not russian I just know a little russian and that's why I was reading some russian forums.
I think I found out what is the common PolyVinyl Acetate glue here in my country.I can't find ground chalk for now,but I will search more and let you know.
I appreciate your help.
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Mir - so which country are you in? And what is your preferred language.
Sue - If we're stuck on languages, I can offer French and Welsh!!!
DavidO
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Hi, (sharing our thoughts, skills, talents and ideas).
I am an artist who has used paper mache many times over the past 10 years.
Until quite recently I have avoided making any real effort to contact other artists and peoples using paper mache. But I had an itch to see what would come up under the title of 'paper mache' last month and bingo!!! more reading and images than I would ever have time for! Frightening!
However the Paper Mache Recourse Centre site seemed simple to use and loaded with images of people and there work. This has quickly lead me into some fascinating contacts and very interesting people from all over the world who have shared time with me discussing what we do and where and why and when etc.
Now i have to be careful not to spend too much time in this area because I love to make, but I have also now decided that's it's extremely worth while talking with others and sharing successes and our disappointments.
A really big thank you to all those people, amazing professionals and gifted amateurs that have taken time to reply. To those few people who have been too busy I sincerely hope you still might. Big up Spencer.
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