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Anyone have any tips for non-toxic paper mache? These items are not as advanced as most of you do, and are to be given as "toys" to animals. The only approved ingredients are flour and water and minimal paper tape. We can use any non-toxic paper, but we've been using newsprint.
We have made a few things, but our main problems have been that they items do not hold up to painting very well (because the flour absorbs moisture from the paint, so the items sag no matter how long they are dried) and the items are not very smooth, so they suck up paint if we want to cover the newsprint.
When we try multiple layers to get more strength, the items don't ever really dry and we're concerned about mold.
Anyone have any advice?
Last edited by amandagal (2011-11-24 16:54:00)
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I have never come across papier mache pet toys before...this is a first for me. (Although our pets often think what we have spent hours creating, is produced solely for their amusement!)
What kind of animals are we talking about here?
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I realize I'm starting to sound like I only speak on one subject ... : ) But methyl cellulose is non-toxic, and would hold and not mold better than flour. Or you could forgo adhesive altogether and form the toy out of handmade paper pulp.
What non-toxic paint are you using that won't come off on a pet?
I guess I'm thinking of pets as dog and cat toys -- so they're going to be chewed and scratched. What are your pets doing to the toys?
Is painting necessary?
-- b
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What form do these toys take? Are they formed into shapes like bones or rats or something? How thick are they?
A few things come to mind:
Try baking at low temps (about 200F/93C or less) to dry them thoroughly. They might warp, but what does the animal care?
Add food color to the pulp before forming into shapes. A dense type of color is provided by the paste color used for cake decorating. Wilton is a common brand here in the U.S., and it comes in jars. The common liquid types usually won't be dense enough.
If you're using newspaper, contact a newspaper printing office and ask if they have roll ends of paper -- the roll ends often contain quite a bit, and it's pre-printing, so it's blank.
Sue
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I have never heard that newspaper is toxic. American newsprint is paper with soy-based inks. For other countries, call your local newspaper and ask. Just tell them you're making PM for children who might chew on it.
All the food-based adhesives are okay, as they're... well... food.
Methyl cellulose (MC) isn't recommended for ingestion and can irritate the eyes.
White PVA Glue may cause gastric irritation.
If there are other additives you wonder about, google the name of it and MSDS, and a Material Safety and Data Sheet should come up with info.
Sue
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interesting. I saw a couple of articles talking about zoo programs using papier mache to create 'enrichment pinatas' ... : ) Basically papier mache shapes stuffed with appropriate treats.
http://www.folsom.ca.us/depts/parks_n_r … ecipes.asp
http://www.kidscare.org/henry-school-ki … ouis-zoo-1
http://www.zoosociety.org/MultiMedia/St … r/Toys.php
They seem to recommend only using flour paste since it's meant to be devoured. Makes sense.
As for MC being toxic or non-toxic, I think it must depend on the kind you use. Wall paper adhesive -- probably not something you should eat. The kind I use tho, is actually considered a food grade gum. So it's edible. (Not that I recommend eating it ...) : )
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bmaskmaker,
What kind/brand do you use? Most of the MC I've seen offered (when I could find the MSDS) was heavily processed wood pulp.
Sue
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Hey Sue,
I use a Dow product called Methocel A4M. The literature talks about it being a water soluble polymer derived from cellulose. Elsewhere it mentions it's derived from pine, so I suspect it's still heavily processed wood pulp. : ) But the Methocel A series is food grade.
http://www.dow.com/search.aspx?q=methocel%20a4m
The top 2 documents are what I was looking at ... (technical handbook, and Methocel (brochure)).
-- b
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I looked up the use of food-grade MC and discovered that it is used in ice cream and croquettes, and to keep ingredients from separating.
But the most interesting thing is that it is also used as a laxative.
A well-known trade name of methyl cellulose when used for this purpose is Citrucel by GlaxoSmithKline. Sugar-free Citrucel powder contains about 20% methylcellulose, plus aspartame, dibasic calcium phosphate, FD&C yellow #6 and other ingredients.
Another material that acts like MC in the intestine is psyllium husks, available as brands Metamucil and FiberEase.
I am wondering if some of these easily-available products would be suitable as adhesives? Inquiring minds want to know! If you have some around the house, you might try it if you're desperate, but probably kind of pricey to buy it especially for PM.
I am also reading that a natural source of MC is oat bran. It's cheap, esp if you buy it in bulk. But would you have to cook it? Soak it?
I suppose I need to do some experimenting...
And I just found a source of MC in the U.S. from Amazon, one pound is $21.85 + $8.40 shipping = $30.25. Not cheap, but it goes a long way (1 tsp per cup of cold water for PM).
http://www.amazon.com/Methyl-Cellulose- … B001QQ7LOA
Sue
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Forget working with oat bran, Sue. The process is much more complicated. Have a look at my posts in the 'CMC' thread for 11th and 28th November.
DavidO
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If you want to try psyllium, take a look at horse laxitives. It is sold in much larger quantities (as would be expected LOL), and is used for things like sand colic. Don't know how it would work, but animal products are always cheaper than those packaged for human use.
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Thanks for the tip, David. It sounded like it might be rather iffy.
I've got some psyllium soaking, so far it looks like MC, will work on it today and compare to MC.
Sue
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