Best (foodsafe) paper mache paste recipe? And other advice.

Looking good

Next to trim the edges,  do any shaping needed, and add more layers to top and bottom

J.E. Gordon points out that paper mache was used for fancy coffins for Pharoahs and for the drop tanks on fighter aircraft.  It just has to be kept dry with good paint and brief exposures to water.   He recommends the paper used for big bags of sugar and grain as the best to use.  He also cautions against the use of wood glue.  As with fiberglass, the toughness depends upon a crack not being able to penetrate a panel because the glue, 5 X weaker than the structural fibers, cracks at each layer, sending the damage off almost harmlessly.  

Being only 4 layers of paper, the mache is quite flexible and will squeeze to fit the shape once it's trimmed to size.  But flexible also means it becomes more symmetrical after removing the balloon so i have to make a jig to hold it in shape while I add some more layers.

But i think this will work.

This looks promising

3 things that likely are objectionable since food safe term present.

1.  For long term forms my mothers recipe included borax.  Don't know if it is food safe or not.  

2.  Have done some paper mache with Tyvek.  Makes a tougher final product.

3.  Other way to toughen was adding a fabric layer.  easiest was an open weave.

Observations today.

1. Using water from a recently boiled kettle is indeed a mistake as it basically makes a boiled water pastry mess.  Fully cook or hot tap water are better options.

2. Sometimes the paper lifts a bit when dry.  This makes a less strong finished product with tiny air gaps.  Seeking solutions still

Taking the paper mache off the balloon too early had promise, but didn't go so well.  I cut it to shape, then started to do the inner final layer where it buckled and distorted. it made itself even more round which was not my end goal.  It also made a bumpy inner layer which I didn't want.

I'm going to try another experiment and start again, but this time put the inner final layer on the balloon first.  That way, I can keep going several more thicknesses than before and only need one or two final layers at the end.  

Some/most of this has been said upthread.  I'm recording my thoughts here from today's papermache session mostly as a substitute for my own memory.

Batter consistency seems to work better with my style than paste.   It soaks into the paper faster and seems to active paper glue.  Also, less clumps between layers

Salt, very much like adding a pinch to the flour and water glue.  It seems to active the gluten faster

Clove oil, not liking this.  One drop for one cup flour and two cups warm water was enough my hands sting.  It also didn't feel as sticky as normal.

Amazon packing paper is not as strong or thick as newspaper in paper mache, even though it feels like it should be.

If i accidentally tore up a bunch of paper against the grain, don't leave it in my good pile so that when I'm fully in mess, it is all the paper i hve to use.

For smoother result, focus on one paper strip at a time.  Smooth it down, and if it buckles, tear at that spot and overlap.

This isn't elementary class.  There is no teacher to yell as me if I go slow.  It's okay to take the time and care to get the results I seek.

Clean up the mess at the end of each session.  No point saving glue as it's  not strong the next day.

1 scant cup flour, 2 cups hot tap water, pinch of salt.  Whisk until I've had enough and it looks ready, then whisk for one min more.

2 layers of paper is enough for one session.  Let dry completely, so it doesn't feel cold to the touch before the next layer.

Each subsequent layer rewets the layers beneath.  Taking longer to dry

DO NOT pour old paste down the drain.  Or sadness

Make it bigger than expected, the cut to shape.

Have fun.  Because it is fun.  I'm excited to see what else i can make with this.

r ransom wrote: DO NOT pour old paste down the drain.  Or sadness.

I baked sourdough bread this morning from dough I mixed last night, so my experience may benefit people.
1. I have a large ring chain-mail scrubby that gets the bits of dough off the bowl without them sticking to my usual scrubby.
2. I make sure there's enough water in the bowl so that I can easily use the flour/water mixture near a plant so the microbes can eat the flour instead of it clogging the drain pipes.
3. If the paste mix sounds thicker than that, pouring it into the compost might be a better option, but that's a longer walk for me.

If the paste keeps turning runny on you, I’ve had good luck warming it a little as I mix so the starch swells evenly. I also let each layer get bone dry before adding the next, even if it means leaving it overnight. Balloons are fine for quick shapes, but I poke a tiny hole in the knot so the shrinking air doesn’t warp the piece as it dries.

How can I take what I've learned so far to make a small, round top chest?



Without the teeth and legs.  Just a normal, innocent luggage.

What would I need it to do?


.  24x10x8 inch internal dimensions approx.
. Protect the contents
. Have a functioning handle on each end that can holdthe weight of the box and contents
. Be able to be used and moved and not just a stationary decorative piece.
. Be rustic but not wonky

My first instinct is a hardware cloth frame covered in cardboard inside and out.  Covered by several layers of paper mache.  Waterproof and painted.   Decorative metal or leather corrners to reduce damage by bumping.

This is just in the idea brewing stage.  Any ideas you want to throw into the pot?

But it just wouldn't be "The Luggage" without the feet and teeth!!!  (sorry, couldn't resist )

If you used 2 ft wide hardware cloth and bent it into a U shape so the front, bottom and back were one piece, and possibly doubled it over for a couple of inches at the top back where the hinges would be installed, I think that would make it much stronger than using individual pieces of hardware cloth wired together.

A bending brake would be the tool to use, but something very solid clamped to a work bench will do the bending job.

Bends in the wire will add structural strength, so even the end panels could have 1" "flaps" that fit over the combo base part.

Sounds like fun.

I've played quite a bit with hardware cloth, and can't suggest making the back and top one piece,  if it's to be used as an actual trunk. Whenever I've tried to use it that way, it tends to buckle, instead of bending. If it is folded, to make a corner, it doesn't like to unfold, to straighten out, again. I think it would be more functional to make two separate pieces, and use real hinges.

I wonder if you could make the chest with a cardboard foundation? That might be easier to build with? When I made my paper clay castle, I used paper packaging tape to hold the cardboard together while applying the paper mache. I also used it to reinforce the "hinge" on the drawbridge door. We didn't use that door too often, but it was opened and shut at least 20 or 30 times, and never broke. I think the fiberglass in the paper packaging tape helped give it strength. This is the paper packaging tape I used.

Packaging tape applied to cardboard for extra stability