Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 13:00:42 -0500 From: "David A. Syrotiak" <nmt-AT-sover.net> Subject: Re: PUPT: A broader query on plastic wood Amanda: If you want a light hand puppet head with good detail and a reasonable amount of durability to withstand a summer season of performances and have limited funds available (I assume this since in past queries you rule out Neoprene because of cost - too bad because it is a great material to work in) I would suggest that you use a stronger version of paper mache using straight elmers glue and brown paper grocery bags. Yes - you can get wonderful definition of facial detail if you remember the following: When working with brown paper bags you have to 'prepare' it first. Tear large pieces, 'work them' so that they are totally limp and floppy by repeatedly crumpling them, rubbing them against each other etc. until they are very floppy and this side of disintegrating. This now leaves the once stiff paper very receptive to absorbing the glue. Put Elmers glue on both sides, working it into the paper and let it sit for a couple of minutes so that the paper has a chance to absorbed the glue. You will find it will be a very, 'light leathery' consistency. Scrape off excess glue that does not become absorbed - you don't want it 'gooey'. Start tearing off small pieces and start working each individual piece over the clay sculpture/carved styrofoam overlapping each piece. Cover the entire head with a thin coating of glue and let it dry thoroughly. Do a second coat putting a little coloring into the glue so that you know which coat is the second and which is the first. Let dry thoroughly. Do a third coat. Let dry thoroughly. To hurry the drying process along we have, on occasion, used a hair dryer. When the head is thoroughly dry, and if it is paper over clay, cut a hole in the back of the paper mache head, remove the paper mache 'cap' and scoop out the clay. The reason I suggest using the 'cap' method instead of cutting it in half is for strength. No side seams to cause weakness. If it's a LARGE head then you will have to cut the paper mache head in half, separate it, remove the clay and then glue and patch the seam. If you've done it over styrofoam then leave it. Give a light sanding to the whole head, keep filling in the little imperfections with plastic wood/dap (you won't need much) until the head 'is as smooth as a baby's butt'. This has now 'opened up' the mache for dampness. To seal it give a couple of coats of a good wood sealer. The head will 'drink in' the sealer which, when dry, will protect the paper mache from the possibility of getting soft if it is exposed to dampness which, doing an outside show, it will be. If it is a hand puppet I would also suggest giving a couple of coats to the inside of the head before you glue the cap on since a sweaty finger will also cause dampness to be introduced into the head and possibly causing softening of the mache over the summer. No need to sand the inside. We have used this method on several of our figures - NANA from our production of Peter Pan has a mache head WITH a moving mouth - we have never had any problems with them. They are light, strong and after several years of touring and doing shows almost every day they show no signs of breaking down. If you work the mache carefully over the clay/styrofoam you will get lovely definition of features - not what is usually associated with 'mache heads'. It's time consuming. Haven't found any short cut in preparing the brown bags for the glue. Nice to do while listening to music or watching TV. Extremely cost efficient and non-toxic. Does anyone else on the list have anything to add to this method? David Syrotiak (the elder)
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