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I have read that in the Victorian era, Linseed oil was added to paper mache in some way to make it more durable and robust. They made furniture out of paper mache!
I am very curious about this.
I used to use a lot of pink or blue extruded foam as a craft material. This foam is now expensive and getting hard to find. I would like to substitute paper mache in a variety of projects.
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Much of the furniture and other durable objects made from papier mache in earlier days also included machine pressure, which produced PM almost as solid as wood.
Linseed oil is usually used as a component of oil paints, and if you've used them, you know the issues.
Linseed oil was and still is used for PM, but many people get frustrated at its long drying time, esp if they use raw linseed oil. Boiled linseed oil has had drying agents added, which speed up the drying time, but most of the time it is used for surface treatment, rather than being buried in something like PM that could be fairly thick. I don't have the patience.
However, if you do include linseed oil, it should offer a bit more protection against moisture, although maybe more in relation to ambient moisture than rain or submersion.
Sue
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To add to Sue's explanation, I believe that the Victorian process usually involved baking the articles after they had been soaked in linseed and then, as she says, pressure moulded. I really do not recommend trying this at home, as it creates a terrific pong (not particularly unpleasant but overwhelming) and probably gives off fumes as well. In the early stages of my p-m experiments I tried this out - at a fairly low temperature - and couldn't get rid of the smell for weeks!
The other problem was that it made it very difficult to use water-based paints on the pieces so as I prefer to use non-solvent materials I eventually stopped adding linseed oil.
Antonia
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Thanks for the information. I might try the linseed oil for some projects. I have used oil paints. (I got rid of them to use acrylic, so one point is made.)
I have likewise been very curious about how they make the "drink trays" from Fast food places and the paper egg crates. I know this is done with a vacuum process.
I have also noted that one step in the process of making a surf board involves wrapping the board in a plastic bag and putting a vacuum in the bag.
Vacuum jars are used for a number of things, including infusing porous materials with liquid. A vacuum bag might be within my grasp.
My agenda is that Foam, an oil based product, is probably going to get ever more expensive. I also have (delusions?) of marketing some of my projects, and eco-friendly is a good idea from this point of view.
I also have a bit of future floor wax about. This is basically raw acrylic. I may try some of this. IF (the biggest word in English, I will let you know.
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I've used Future as a finish sealer, but I wouldn't use it prior to decorating as not many things will stick to it.
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