From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Mathieu_Ren=E9?= <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca> To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 15:19:14 -0500 Subject: [Puptcrit] Papier mache: correction and warning One learns from mistakes, and this one is just a confirmation for me. I was just about to go photograph my halloween costume for my portfolio, when an accident, totally avoidable, happened. Well, I'm glad it did. I was carrying too many large items at once, including my mask planted on one of them, and everything fell down. One horn on the mask was broken off by the weight of my sculptor trestle. Well, that horn had broken once before the mask was finished, but I had fixed it with a better glue and paper mix. I had even strengtened most of the horn to prevent any other acccident. So of course tis time it broke where it hadn't been re-enforced. It just confirms what I have been saying for a while: Weldbond is a much better glue to use for paper mache on thin protruding appendages, such as horns and claws. The horn and mask were made of paper mache strips of coffee filters and exterior wood glue (Lepage), which is a good choice because stiffness and strenght is of the utmost importance to prevent warping. I should have done the horns entirely in weldbond. It has been a proven ally over the years. Easily fixed, it's just an annoyance because now I must repair it before I can take my portfolio pics. Which means it won't be today for the photo session, as I see the light fading fast already. Lesson learned. I shall start my old habit again, despite the protestations some people have brough forward about respecting one's creations: throwing my paper mache sculptures at walls and floors, to absolutely confirm theuir strength before I paint them. I'm going to strengtened both horns on their entire surfaces, and repaint. Lesson: Flexible glue for things that could possibly face lots of impact (Weldbond). Stiff glue with a little bit of "give" to absorb shock and prevent breakage (exterior wood glue+water). _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005