From: =?Windows-1252?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-magma.ca>
To: <PuppetCafe-AT-yahoogroups.com>, <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>,
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 18:09:47 -0500
Subject: [Puptcrit] Archival Paper Mache?


Hi all. I just received a question from a collegue.
It's an old one, but I've never had a definitive answer, so here I am again, asking it:

Is paper mache Archival?
Can it be made so?

Specifically, is brand new Kraft paper a good paper to use for a long-lasting puppet or mask? (I'm talking 100 years and more)?

Is Kraft paper Archival by itself? All I know about the one I buy is that it is unbleached, and that it is a 30lbs weight (thickness).


Some people told me that as long as the paper mache object is well sealed, painted and varnished, there is no problem.  But I need more than that vague "rule" to be sure.

What happens when a paper mache object is too acid and deteriorates?
Is it triggered by light, by moisture, or by evil?

Is White glue (PVA) enough to stop the acid from doing it's job?

I stopped worrying too much about it when I found out that the Bread and Puppet paper mache objects last a long time, even when stored in barns. And these are far from archival. I mean, they are made from soaked used cardboard boxes and the paste is just plain corn starch. At least, that's what I heard from a student of mine who went to work there a year or so ago.

Here in Montreal, I also tried some 25 year-old giant puppets made from newspaper and diluted cheap glue. For the bad way they were made (the comapnyu was just starting back then, and was a pioneer in the local puppet world), they still lasted very long. Just a bit brittle at the usual friction points. The burlap on their sewn costumes was in a much more advanced state of decay. It just fell appart. I did not know fabrics like this could dry out!

Any chemists or fine paper makers in the room?

I don't think many of us could afford to use archival paper to make puppets.
If it proves necessary, I wonder if there is a way we can at least buffer the paste, by adding something to it? 

I know Weldbond is and acid-free PVA, but for me it is too felxible when set, and it is very hard to smooth with sandpapers.


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