To: <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>
Date: Thu, 25 May 2006 03:16:24 -0400
Subject: [Puptcrit] ARTICLE: Coffee Filters and Paper Mache


>I'm sure it was some one on pupt crit who first turned me onto this.
>Does that person know if flat coffee filters come in even larger sizes?
>Or if there is somewhere in the USA to buy the coffee filter material
>before it gets transformed into pouch form?

I too learned that trick from someone on Puptcrit. The only way to know how 
it works is to try it.
I used pure white glue as the glue.

Choose a type of coffee filter that is unbleached. It is more 
environmentally friendly, and the brown color makes it easier to see the 
surface defects. I also prefer the brown color as an undercoat. Should a 
scratch  happen to your puppets, the brown is usually inconspicuous compared 
to white.

I torn all the cut edges, this made sure that the edges would blend 
perfectly.
It gives an incredibly strong result once dry. I made my first and second 
pro puppets using this.
I still use it from time to time, although I've switched to Kraft paper 
(thin and thick) for convenience and versatility. It comes in big rolls and 
is VERY strong. I have yet to "scientifically" compare the two, but at the 
same final thickness (in measurement, not in amount of layers), I think 
coffee filters would be stiffer.
I don'T know about total strenght though. both yield incredibly strong 
result for a very thin shell.

For a source of coffee filters as a raw, uncut material, I have not been 
sucessful yet.
If you are, please pass the info along.

However, other papers can offer similar results.  A thin Kraft paper can do 
the trick.
The closest paper in texture would be brown paper towels, sold in rolls. So 
far, I've used it successfully as a texture layer, both as a smoother, and 
as a wrinkle-maker.


The first time I used Coffee Filters,  I did not trust them enough, so I 
started with two layers of cotton canvas soaked in glue. Seeing that it was 
not stiff enough, I added 6 layers of coffee filters.
This turned into a VERY Strong head, but it was also very heavy, even more 
so when the mechanics were fitted. all because of the fabric, because the 6 
extra layers of coffee filters would have sufficed.
 My next head, for the same show, I made only with coffee filters (5 layers, 
I think), and it weighted nearly nothing, while being very strong.
I recently got a hold of that first mechanised puppet head to sue it in a 
conference I was giving.
WOW, it sure is heavy. My new heads weight next to nothing, even those that 
are 3 times bigger!


Lesson learned:
This project thought me a fundamental of paper mache that helps me to this 
day: PVA based glue and Carpenter's glue both take some time, usually 48 
hours after it feels dry to the touch, to reach their final stiffness. This 
time lapse would change depending on your weather. It would take only a few 
hours if your piece was dried in the oven.
So when in doubt if your paper mache part is stiff enough, either wait 48 
hours to test it, or speed-dry it in the oven. If you do this in the oven, 
use a low temoperature, amnd make sure your piece is away from the heating 
elements. TEst the final stiffness only when the piece has completely 
cooled, because a hot paper mache project is usually much more flexible (and 
painful).


Coffee filter strips should be very easy to lay inside negative plaster 
molds, without any release agent, or any sealer on the plaster. I say WOULD, 
because I have not tried it yet with these specifically. Back when I first 
started using coffee filters, I did not use molds.  Now I do, and I can't 
wait to try the coffee filters in them. (I got to get some first!) I know 
from experience that it works wonderfully with regular office paper, so it 
should be even easier with the coffee filters.

For the first layer only, just dip in water, do NOT remove the excess water, 
and place in the mold, loosely. Start from the edges of the mold, and 
downwards into the details. this should be done for all applications of 
paper strips inside negative molds.
Spray some water over it all, and using a very wet brush, push into the 
details. When it all lies into all the details,  brush on a layer of diluted 
white glue, being careful not to pull the paper away from the mold. The 
water you add to the glue is just to remove tackyness for this step only. 
When you finished with this layer, let it dry completely before proceeding.
This layer is both your release layer, and your first layer. It will be 
clean, no mess, with only a little clean up to do once removed from the 
mold. Usually, only a simple brush down of some glue over it will flatten 
some of the loose pieces down.  This is the secret of pro maskmakers. It 
prevents the first layer from being disturbed. Without it, the job is almost 
impossible. When you want to add another layer, brush a fresh layer of PURE 
white glue over it all, then proceed with adding more strips, adding a 
little bit of glue over every piece you just laid down. It would be much 
harder to add the glue to the paper strip before applying. From now on, use 
a small amount of glue, and do not dilute if you can avoid it. Excess 
moisture is the reason paper mache projects are known to buckle, shrink and 
warp. I don't have those problems nowadays.


The Paper mache strip method works with most papers, but it gets easier and 
stiffer with thin strong papers. I will try to make a mask with only brown 
paper towels, and make another using the same mold, with only coffee 
filters, for comparison.
But I can tell you right now that a VERY strong result comes from 4 layers 
of alternating between office paper and thin Kraft paper. Alternating 
between papers is a good idea to make counting layers easier (you don't 
forget to cover some spots).  As long as their strenght is complementary. 
Using a newspaper as a counting layer in combination with a stronger paper 
is a waste of time, because it barely adds any strenght to the project. 
However, if you are patient and want to use ONLY newspaper, you'll need lots 
of layers, but it will be very stiff when you reach a proper thickness. 
We're talking 8 layers or more. Some people I know go over 25 layers... To 
make counting layers easier with newspaper, alternate with pages from the 
phone book, preferably pages of another general color than the newspaper.

Thin  papers offer precision of surface, high resolution of details and add 
a lot of stiffness when applied in many layers. Thick papers offer strenght 
and build up thickness quicker, but are not as easy to smooth down into the 
details.  For the best of both worlds, I have started alternating with thin 
and thick papers of the same kind, but of different shades. For instance, my 
two gradesof kkraft paper are different shades of brown, which was a lucky 
coincindence that inspired me to start that.


NOTE:
Just to be on the precise side: Kraft paper is a brand name, but now it is 
also a common name for a specific type of brown (tan) paper around the 
world. It is the same stuff used to make paper grocery bags or smaller paper 
bags for lunches. It comes in a variety of forms, and is sold for a variety 
of uses. For example, you can find it as a packing paper for postal 
shipping. I use a 60 pound thickness, and a much thinner one (maybe 20 
pounds), depending on the project. I buy it in BIG heavy rolls. Compared to 
the small rolls, it costs next to nothing. The small rolls are sold at many 
times their real worth.


Mathieu René Créaturiste
Marionnettes, Masques, Etcetera...
Puppets, Masks, Etcetera...
www.creaturiste.com
creaturiste-AT-magma.ca
(514) 274-8027 

_______________________________________________
List address: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
Admin interface: http://lists.driftline.org/listinfo.cgi/puptcrit-driftline.org
Archives: http://www.driftline.org