PAPER MACHE RECIPE

Paper mache (actually spelled "PAPIER MACHE") is a pasty substance that holds paper together. It's been used for everything from craft projects (like the box, ball, and house shown here), to sculptures and floats (like the gigantic cow shown here), to housewares (like maybe a vase or a fruit bowl). It can even be used to build lightweight structures such as boats and household furniture.

HERE'S HOW:

Simply mix water and flour to the consistency of heavy cream.

Then, cut or tear some thin paper (such as newspaper) into strips, and soak each piece in the paste until wet.

Place the wet pieces (one at a time) onto a surface. Cover the surface with a single layer of paper, and allow the creation to dry slowly at room temperature, before adding the next layer.

The strips are sometimes placed on an skeleton of wire mesh over a structural frame. You can also place them on an object to create a cast of that shape. For example, you can cover a balloon with papier mache. Then when it's dry, pop the balloon. The resulting hollow shape can be used to create a mask or a bowl or a vase or whatever you can imagine.

Once dried, the shape can be cut, sanded, painted, or even waterproofed with a suitable water repellant shellac. In 1874, a man named Nathaniel Holmes Bishop traveled all the way from New York to Florida in a waterproofed paper canoe.

Papier-mâché panels were also used in the late 1800s to produce special lightweight domes for observatories. These domes were constructed over a wooden or iron framework. The lightweight material could easily be rotated to position the telescope opening in any direction.

EXIT PAPER MACHE RECIPE - GO BACK TO MAIN FUN PAGE