Papier-mâché recipe: paste preparation, material, recommendations for use

Today, there are many synthetic materials for creativity and sculpting - plasticine, plastic, polymer clay and more. They have many advantages, but they do not always allow you to achieve the desired result, and their cost is often quite high. And just when the Muse has already arrived, and there is no opportunity to purchase material yet, they remember the papier-mâché mixture, the recipe of which has been known for many centuries.

History

The papier-mâché technique has become widely known in Europe, and more specifically in France. In the middle of the XVII century, it was actively used for the manufacture of dolls, snuffboxes, figurines, decorative elements and masks. However, this type of creativity has deeper roots.

The ancestor of papier-mâché is a Chinese paper-making technique (later called Hariko in Japan). Excavations of ancient burials showed that helmets made of paper pulp, covered with several layers of varnish for stiffness, were actively used even during the reign of the Han Dynasty (50-220 CE). Initially, the main material was pulp from pulp, as well as for the manufacture of paper. However, it was not rolled out, but on the contrary, it was filled into molds, dried, and then covered with paint and varnish. And only in Japan in the VIII century, not only finished, finished, written paper was used for the first time, but also its layered application using glue.

In Russia, this technique was first used in 1795 by the Moscow merchant Pyotr Ivanovich Korobov, who brought a papier-mâché recipe from Germany. The main products from this material were lacquered visors for military uniforms and painted snuff boxes, which conquered the high society at the beginning of the 19th century.

Materials

What does papier-mâché consist of? Everything is quite simple. This is usually paper and glue. Water, wood ash, chalk, clay, drying oil and rosin can also be added, however, the more ingredients are involved in making the pulp, the less finished material will be papier-mâché. Therefore, it is necessary to dwell on key components in more detail.

Paper

This is the basis of all the basics of this mixture. If you stick to the ancient Chinese technology, you will get a very simple papier-mâché recipe, which will include only paper and water. To do this, grind it, add water and leave to soak (from several minutes to several days, depending on the density of the raw materials), then knead with your hands or a blender to form a homogeneous mass, squeeze out excess moisture through the fabric.

The material is ready. Now they need to fill the form very tightly and, if possible, send it to the press. After a while (from 1 to 5 days, depending on the thickness), the product will dry out and it will be possible to remove, paint and varnish. It must be remembered that the paint must dry well, like the product itself, so that the finish does not crack in the future. To give rigidity it is better to cover it with several layers of varnish.

But what paper to use? The answer is simple: any! Old newspapers, drafts, boxes, unnecessary wallpaper and other products of the pulp industry. The difference will only be in the soaking time. This is if we talk about the mass of papier-mâché.

If we are talking about layering and subsequent bonding with a binder, then the selected material plays a big role. For the manufacture of dense products, a simple newspaper or drafts (A4 paper) are suitable, but for the manufacture of airy openwork items it is better to choose thin paper, for example, paper towels, napkins or toilet paper. The recipe for papier-mâché from the above types of material is almost the same, but each master himself chooses which composition suits him.

Binders

Since it is not always possible to use the mold method using a press, various binders are actively added to the paper. Their choice depends on the preferences of the master, the purpose of the product, the availability of the necessary material, as well as financial capabilities. It can be either purchased at the store or cooked at home.

Glue

The most affordable ingredient is PVA glue, it can be purchased at any stationery store, and it has many advantages. For example, even children can work with this substance, it is easy to apply, there is no need to prepare it beforehand, when it becomes transparent and stretches a little, due to which it is easy to avoid the appearance of cracks on the finished product. Of the shortcomings - a lot of papier-mâché is not particularly convenient to cook from it, since in the glue itself the paper soaks poorly. And in order to add it later, it is necessary to get rid of the liquid as much as possible, otherwise it will either turn out to be too liquid and will not hold its shape, or there will not be enough glue, and the product will begin to crumble during drying.

It is not worth using a simple transparent clerical glue at all, since when it becomes dry it becomes brittle, due to which the outer layer of the product turns out to be messy, and further processing may cause extra chips.

Instead of clerical, it is better to use professional wood glue. It allows you to significantly increase the strength of the finished product. And the manufacture of objects from layers of thick cardboard and such glue under a press allows us to achieve such great rigidity that this method was actively used in factories for the manufacture of backs of chairs and armchairs.

Wallpaper glue is ideal for making paper pulp for sculpting. In this case, there is no need to additionally squeeze out excess moisture from the water-paper mixture, and it is enough to add dry glue, which just absorbs excess liquid. If you want the product to be more durable, then you can use the composition for vinyl wallpaper, since it was originally designed for more weight. And accordingly, it will withstand a greater load than glue for paper or non-woven wallpaper.

Flour paste

This type of binder is easily accessible to everyone, even if the Muse came unexpectedly at night. It is absolutely environmentally friendly, suitable for working with young children, easily washed off with water.

The papier-mâché flour paste recipe is practically no different from any other, for example, a wallpaper mixture. The only difference is that it is better to make it more dense.

Ingredients:

• Water - 1 liter.
• Flour - 100 grams.

Cooking:

1. Pour the flour into a cup, mix with 1 cup (250 ml) of cold water, mix gently until a homogeneous mass is formed.
2. Pour the remaining water into the pan.
3. Pour in the water-flour mixture, stir.
4. Cook over medium heat until the desired consistency is achieved. Cool before use.

This composition can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a week.

This is a classic papier-mâché flour paste paste recipe. Its only drawback is that it is not moisture resistant. However, given that the main material is paper, and accordingly, this product is unlikely to be exposed to active contact with water without first coating with a moisture-resistant varnish, this disadvantage can be considered insignificant.

To achieve the best stickiness, it is better to choose white flour of the first grade (not the highest).

Starch paste

There are many recipes for starch paste for papier-mâché, but the following are the most popular.

Starch with PVA. Ingredients:

• Potato starch - 60 grams (3 tbsp. L.).
• Water - 1 liter.
• PVA glue - 15 ml.

Cooking:

1. Pour water into a pan, bring to a boil.
2. Introduce starch into boiling water, stirring constantly. Make sure that no lumps form. Bring the resulting solution to the required consistency.
3. Add PVA glue, mix thoroughly, cool, if necessary strain through cheesecloth.

This recipe for papier-mâché starch paste is devoid of the only drawback of the previous version of the binder due to the presence of PVA, but is no longer environmentally friendly and unsuitable for working with children under 3 years old.

Starch with sugar. Ingredients:

• Potato starch - 40 grams.
• Water - 100 ml.
• Sugar - 10 g (1 tsp).

Cooking:

1. Pour the potato starch onto a baking sheet (on parchment paper), heat in the oven to 400 ° C, until a brownish mass with bubbles forms.
2. Cool, crumble the starchy layer, mix with water and bring to a boil.
3. Add sugar, boil to the desired consistency, cool.

According to this recipe, glue for papier-mâché is prepared not only by lovers at home, but also in production. Such a paste is characterized by increased stickiness, however, the product will definitely need to be varnished, since sugar in the composition can attract various insects, including cockroaches.

Recipes

There are a great many recipes for papier-mâché, ranging from simple, two-component, to very complex, where paper is almost no longer the main material, and sometimes it is not even there. But these are already more industrial options. For home use, a few of the most popular are enough:

• Layered classic. Even a child can make papier-mâché with his own hands, because there is no recipe at all. The whole technique consists in the fact that on a pre-prepared form, such as a plate, it is necessary to lay out a layer of wet pieces of paper, grease them with glue, then apply the next one and grease again with glue. Repeat the required number of times. The more layers, the stronger the product will be, and the longer it will dry (from 1 to 5 days). Remove the resulting workpiece from the base, cut off the excess, grind, and then you can start decorating. Cover the finished product with water-resistant water-based varnish.
• Papier-mâché recipe from toilet paper. The manufacturing principle here is almost the same as in the classic version. However, the use of very thin material (napkins or paper towels are suitable) will allow for more elegant products, as well as the formation of frame and frameless sculptures, which will be practically indistinguishable from those made directly from the paper-glue mass.
• A papier-mâché recipe from egg trays is becoming less and less popular due to the active use of plastic containers by poultry farms. However, seedling pots have the same structure, so you can still find the material. What for? The fact is that during the production of these products they use just this technique. Accordingly, it can be said a semi-finished product for making papier-mâché. This recipe is relatively simple, although it takes a lot of time to make. First you need to tear the paper into small pieces, pour hot water, leave for several hours to swell, then drain the excess water, grind it to a homogeneous state, add glue. The mass should keep its shape well, not crumble and not leak.
• Papier-mâché recipe from the newspaper. Unlike egg trays, the newspaper has a more dense structure, so in order to prepare a mass for modeling from it, it takes more time and effort. Firstly, the newspaper takes longer to soak, and secondly, to get a uniform consistency, it will not be enough to knead it with your hands. Here you will need additional tools, for example, a meat grinder, a blender or a sieve, otherwise the recipe is similar to the previous one.

Proportions

As a rule, at home, papier-mâché recipes are kept very approximately, bringing the mass to a comfortable consistency. However, when adding other components it is better to observe certain proportions.

The recipes presented in this table are more industrial, but they can also be used at home.

Useful Tips

For the idea to work out, stick to the following recommendations:

1. Before starting work, the mold must be lubricated so that the finished dried product is easily separated. To do this, it is better to use petroleum jelly or vegetable oil.
2. For the manufacture of some items, such as bottles or vases, the dried workpiece will need to be cut into 2 parts. It is better to do this with a clerical knife. It is worth remembering that at the same time you can scratch the base.
3. As a form, you can use utensils, clay or gypsum blanks, wire, metal mesh, balloons, cardboard boxes and much more.
4. For layered technology, it is better to tear paper rather than cut it. Thus, the edges of the pieces will fit better to the previous layer, and the structure of the product will turn out to be more uniform.
5. If the mass for the molding turned out to be too dry, then you can add glue (not water), if it is too liquid, you should either mix crushed chalk (gypsum) or dry wallpaper glue.
6. In search of a better recipe, papier-mâché should not be afraid of experimentation, but at the same time, one should not deviate much from the original proportions.
7. The starch paste is suitable for light products, as it becomes transparent upon drying.
8. The dried workpiece is easily subjected to mechanical stress, so existing irregularities can be cut with a knife, as well as sanded with sandpaper to achieve maximum smoothness.
9. Before painting, the product is better to be primed, so it will be possible to align both color and relief, as well as protect the workpiece from exposure to water and paints, which will allow not only to correct, but also to redraw the ornament if necessary.

The recipe for the ideal papier-mâché is different for each master, someone finds it right away, someone - after a lot of crafts, trial and error. However, a large number of various cooking options makes it possible not only to choose the only one for yourself, but also to continue to experiment and delight loved ones with their new works of art.

In addition, it is worth remembering that the manufacture of papier-mâché, like other types of applied creativity, allows you to develop mindfulness, perseverance, as well as fine motor skills and artistic skills.