How To Make A Paper Pulp Art Project

Creating handmade paper pulp for the end purpose of casting it into molds can be done cheaply, quickly and with almost no mess right in your kitchen.


You will need:


A Blender

You can get a blender at the thrift store or garage sale but if you have one already sitting in the back corner of your cupboard that you never use why not put it into service. I have only burned out two blenders in more than 15 years.


Scrap Paper

For the purposes of casting paper, as opposed to pulp for making sheets, you will be more successful and get

better results if you avoid using a lot of fibrous plant materials and additives such as seeds, grasses and glitter and flower pedals. You can make very good casting pulp from scrap mat board that you can get from frame shops. Most scrap papers other than newspaper or magazines are useable.


Molds and Forms

These can be simple to elaborate designs but should have only very shallow undercuts if any at all. You can make your own molds or you can use cookie, candy and gelatin molds as well as other objects such as platters and serving trays with designs etched or embossed in them.
Sponges and towels - Get the big car washing sponges. It is helpful to keep several bath towels at hand that can also be acquired at garage sales or thrift stores.


Step 1- Soak the Paper Scrap

Fill your sink with hot water and tear up your paper into 1-2 inch squares and leave to soak until the paper is saturated. If you are using mat board and want a solid white casting paper, soak the larger pieces and the color part will float off leaving you with the white core to use for pulping. Just remember that whatever color you use to make your pulp will provide the same color in a lighter shade after pulping. Soaking paper can take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple hours.


Step 2 - Blend

Gather a medium handful of soaked paper and put it in your blender. Fill your blender with cool water, put on the lid and start it up at the lowest level. Work your way up to the puree setting and let it run for about 30 seconds. If you hear your blender balking and straining you may have to dump off some of

the pulp into a bowl and top off your blender with additional water. Your end product should have the consistency of thin oatmeal or thick cream of wheat. Dump the contents of your blender into a bowl or bucket and continue making more pulp if needed. The amount of pulp depends on the size of your project.


Step 3 - Drain Pulp

Prior to filling your mold you will need to drain excess water from the pulp. A strainer lined with a thin fabric that can easily allow water to drain through works well. If you don’t line the strainer you will lose a lot of your pulp down the drain. Do not press down or squeeze the pulp. Dump the pulp back into your bowl or bucket. You want your pulp to have a thick wet loose consistency.


Step 4 - Fill the Mold

Most molds do not need to be coated with any kind of release agent however now and then you might find that a particular mold sticks and you may have to coat it in the future with a very thin layer of mineral oil, cooking spray or Vaseline. Gently pick up handfuls of wet pulp and fill the mold. The technique for lifting hands full of wet pulp is to scoop it in your hands but do not squeeze it. Now just plop it down into the mold. Press down the pulp with a sponge and squeeze out the water continuing to add more pulp and press out more water until the mold is full.


Step 5 - Dry and Release

Let your filled mold dry completely then gently wiggle and lift the paper casting until it releases. If you take it out and it is still slightly damp, set it back in the mold and put a little weight on it to let it dry more. If you let it air dry out of the mold, it may warp.

Make your own molds for paper casting. http://expertscolumn.com/content/how-make-mold-casting-handmade-paper-pulp


Article Written By Jude Barton

Jude Barton is a blogger at Expertscolumn.com

Last updated on 29-07-2016 3K 0

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