From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2007 20:56:05 GMT
Subject: [Puptcrit] papier mache


In 1965 in Mexico City with members of Teatro NahuaI puppet troupe I remember checking out construction sites for discarded powdered cement bags which made very sturdy hand puppet heads (using wheat paste with paper strips).

Just a reminder that from the start, those using papier mache were pioneers in recycling.

SOME wheat paste might have minscule bug eggs which hatch later (just as in old bags of flour) while other paste has been bug-proofed. You may not find out until little holes appear in puppet heads.

Rats and mice can find mache attractive. Some puppets I have  (made in 1930s) were damaged while stored in a Sacramento attic (the fabrics were also chewed and torn). Fortunately the damage was incomplete, and noses and ears can be repaired, and with luck, similar fabrics can be tracked down to replace the originals.

Wood puppets also appeal to mice. I have a Chinese marionette tiger with chew marks on an ear & jaw.

Many African wood puppets tend to have termite damage over time.

Such problems just add to the challenge of puppet preservation.

ALAN COOK


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