How to make papier-mâché paste at home, recipes
The technique of making papier-mâché decorations, crafts and souvenirs is popular all over the world. You can create a masterpiece with your own hands from scrap materials, you will need newspaper clippings, paper napkins and a special paste with which papier-mâché parts are held together. The dough can be made independently, this material is safe, meets all environmental standards, does not contain toxins and is safe for children.
Benefits of Homemade Paper Mache Craft Dough
When preparing homemade dough, safe materials are used, the cost of such glue is low. Key Benefits of Using Paper Mache Craft Glue:
- The speed of obtaining a sticky substance for crafting.
- Lack of toxins and harmful components.
- Can be used in children's art.
- Low cost of materials.
- Leaves no residue.
- Simple manufacturing technology.
The process of creating glue is fascinating, children are happy to start creating crafts, creativity begins from the moment the glue is prepared.
In order for the craft to retain its shape and not be too flimsy, the decorated topcoat is applied to a plain paper base, which is often used as toilet paper or napkins.
If the crafts are created in light colors, use wheat flour or homemade PVA dough. For dark products, rye flour is suitable, on its basis the dough turns out to be stronger, the use of wood glue is also justified.
How to cook with your own hands at home
The basic ingredients for making a do-it-yourself papier-mâché adhesive can be found in every home. Cooking technology is simple. It is important to correctly calculate the amount of ingredients and follow the recipe in sequence.
flour recipe
To prepare glue from flour, it is recommended to use a container with a non-stick coating, since the working mixture will need to be heated, the liquid should not burn. Flour is used as the base for the glue, and it doesn't matter, wheat or rye, the flour doesn't need to be of the highest quality.
First, cold water is poured into the selected container, 5 tablespoons of flour are added to it without heating. Stir gently, avoiding the formation of lumps.
Then boiling water is poured into the resulting mass and again thoroughly stirred. The pan is placed on the stove over low heat, the liquid mass is boiled until transparent. The mixture is constantly stirred with a wooden spatula. As soon as bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the mixture, the dough is ready. Cool the glue before use.
How to make starch
You can make homemade dough from dry starch.It should be cooked in small quantities, since the shelf life of such a substance is short, only 6 hours.
Dry starch is placed in a glass container and poured with cold water in the ratio of 3 heaped teaspoons of dry matter to 2 glasses of water. Using a whisk, stir the mixture avoiding the formation of lumps. The mass is poured into a saucepan with a non-stick bottom. Place over low heat, cook, stirring with a wooden spatula. As soon as the dough boils, it is removed from the heat and cooled.
PVA-based
One of the fastest ways to make paper mache paste. The main task is to create a more liquid consistency of conventional PVA glue. To do this, PVA is diluted with water at room temperature and thoroughly mixed. Such dough is already less environmentally friendly, but it is acceptable for working with children, does not require baking.
Cream
In flan dough, flour and starch are used at the same time. Flour is combined dry with starch in equal proportions. Pour the dry mixture with clean cold water, stir well (there should be no lumps) and pour boiling water over it.
To make the dough transparent, the flour mass must be boiled, brought to a boil over low heat. Use containers with a non-stick bottom.
Based on wood glue
Do-it-yourself wood glue paste has a long shelf life, but it should be kept on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator or placed in the freezer.
On a note! Paper mache paste with the addition of wood glue is designed for processing dark surfaces, with PVA for light coatings.
Carpenter's glue is added to the basic recipe for making papier-mâché adhesive from flour.Proportion: 80 ml of glue for 1 cup of flour. Also, a small amount of gelatin is added to the finished cooled mixture. In order to prevent bacteria from multiplying in the glue, a little copper sulfate is mixed into the composition. Vanillin is added to give the mass a pleasant smell.
Principle of use
The main purpose of papier-mâché paste is to join and secure small pieces of tissue paper to the layout. The original object is smeared with oil or petroleum jelly, paste and paper are applied to it in small fragments. First, the form is covered with a main layer of plain paper (this is where toilet paper is used as the base), the more layers, the stronger the craft.
Secrets of using homemade dough:
- High gluten flour is used in the preparation of the dough.
- To avoid lumps when mixing the glue, pour the composition with cold water, then pass it through a sieve.
- To improve the bonding properties, add PVA or wood glue to the paste.
- To give a pleasant smell - vanillin.
- Rye flour is used for paper with a dark background.
Paper using the papier-mâché technique is glued in layers, so it is important to achieve maximum transparency of the glue. It is important that the paste does not leave traces. Each layer is cleaned and soaked in water. Over time, each master creates and accumulates his secrets and intricacies of creating crafts.
Examples of finished crafts
The first step in creating paper mache crafts is simple. It is recommended to start with simple elements. For example, creating festive Christmas balls - Christmas tree decorations. To create such products, the corrugation technique is used, rubber or plastic balls are used as the basis.The top coat is a variety of applications, sequins or even beads with small buttons. Also, decorative objects, theater sets, chandeliers, lamps are traditionally made using the papier-mâché technique.
Mask making is a traditional example of the art of papier-mâché. The masks are decorated with ancient ornaments, create original colors and shapes. Such a decorative element will decorate any house, apartment or workplace, it will become an original gift or souvenir.
You can make dolls using the papier-mâché technique. The base is created from plasticine, which is covered with a thin layer of paper, then the plasticine base must be removed, the paper layer dried should be reinforced and brought to the required thickness with additional layers of soaked base paper. Craftsmen often use wire frames, there are techniques for creating dolls with movable elements. The papier-mâché technique is an art that everyone can adhere to.
