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PAPER PULP CASTING

Try it --- it is fun for all ages. A real hands-on craft with lots of potential for some nice work. You can make holiday ornaments, mobile elements, multiple castings of puppet and doll heads and hands. Or how about boxes cast into wooden molds, or paper bowls cast into glass bowls ? 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED...

From around the house -- An ordinary kitchen blender, bowl, kitchen strainer, candy molds or cookie cutters , non-stick pan spray or liquid wax and a sponge. 

From a store -- acrylic paint, plaster of paris and cotton linter paper.

TIPS...

  1. At least 25% of your mix should be cotton linter paper or a high quality cotton paper.

  2. Brown bags are good 

  3. Don't use newspaper --- it's too weak.

  4. Experiment with the plaster of paris -- use about 5 to 10 % by volume.

  5. Use acrylic paints for color -- you can even use colored pulp as a painting medium.

  6. Don't put pulp down the drain -- it will clog your pipes.

INSTRUCTIONS...

  1. Mix everything together with lots of water --- let it stand for hours to get mushy. Mix it with your hands or an egg beater -- use a blender if the paper is not broken down into a smooth pulp.

  2. Drain off water through the strainer --- but leave mixture dripping wet. 

  3. Spray the inside of the mold with Pam or liquid wax. Wipe off excess Pam

  4. Put pinches of the slurry in the mold. Overfill the mold -- so pulp goes beyond edges.

  5. Gently press pulp into the mold with a sponge -- wring out sponge and repeat
    to get out most water -- adding pulp as needed to keep mold full.

  6. Press out remaining water with your fingers -- removing water with sponge

  7. Put aside to dry -- a couple of days indoors -- or 5 or 6 hours in the sun. Or you can microwave in one minute shots 

  8. Remove from mold by prying around edges until it loosens.

Click Here for paper mache formulas.
Try some of these with mulched up paper -- they should work.