Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

KusanIvy’s Armour-Grade Papier Mache Pulp Recipe

 

 

You can buy pre-shredded paper pulp in art stores. The idea is to just add water, stir, and then papier mache away. However I’ve heard recently that this stuff is near impossible to sand. Not so with this handy-dandy home version. This stuff is strong enough to sand with power tools. It’s also probably cheaper in the long run – the only thing you really have to buy is the glue. And you can feel warm and fuzzy at the thought that you are recycling.

 

Materials:

 

Here’s a shot of a pulp-makers best friends (L-R bucket, strainers, hand mixer). These were old pieces that we had lying around that I was able to dedicate solely to pulp making.

 



Pulp It Up!

 

1)      If your paper is already shredded, great. If not, start shredding. How much you need depends on how big your container is. Mine is a 2L container so I normally fill it to the top with shredded paper, press it down once, and then fill it back up to the top. This makes a good sized batch of pulp. Besides if you run out you can always make more.

2)      Boil a kettle full of water and dump it over the paper. Use your spatula to push the paper down and make sure it all gets wet. You’ll probably need about 2 kettles full to completely cover the paper. Leave to soak for at least 15-30 minutes.

3)      With your hand-mixer, or a blender, blend the paper until it is a nice, lumpy pulp like the pic below. You do not want to be able to see any pieces that still look like paper.

4)      Now take your strainer and a second bucket or container. Scoop up a strainer full of pulp and, using the spatula, push the pulp around inside the strainer to get rid of the excess water. You want to get about 80% of the water out, but you don’t want the pulp so dry that it clumps together. Once you have it to the right consistency dump the pulp into the second bucket. Continue straining until all the pulp is done. Discard the water.

5)      Measure out how much pulp you have. Then measure out enough glue to equal half that amount (so if you have 6 cups of pulp you want 3 cups of glue). Combine pulp and glue and stir well with your spatula. Then take your electric mixer to the pulp and blend well (this is usually when I forgo the hand mixer and get out my electric drill with a mixing attachment – then I whip the crap out of the stuff). Continue blending until it is all fairly uniform. You want almost “paper meringue” – I can usually whip my pulp enough that it gets almost a light, ‘fluffy’ feel to it.

6)      Use the pulp in your papier mache projects. If you make too much, or need to store it, it will keep if you put it in an airtight container and store it in a cool place. Give it a good stir before you go to use it again, as the glue usually settles to the bottom of the container. Excess paper pulp (i.e. before the glue is added) can be frozen for future use. In fact this is preferred as the ice formation help break down the paper more.

 

 

Armour That Grows On Trees

 

 


Tutorial by Kusanivy, August 2004,   Feel free to use this tutorial as you see fit, all I ask is that you do not try and pass it off as your own.