Art and science: what product hardens paper?

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Let's say I have a curved form.

I want to lay some thin paper into the form and apply a product that will help the paper hold the form without oversaturating and ruining the paper.

Said product will not overly effect the transparency of the paper.

It would be nice if said product did allow for the paper to be manipulated without the paper tearing, crimping or otherwise getting funky.

After drying, the paper will need to hold this form under light heat and should not discolor or burst into flames.

The only things that comes to my mind is gesso or liquid starch, or some kind of wax that can tolerate minor heat but I'm not sure if I'm even close or if such a wax exitsts..

Do you know a product that will preform this miraculous feat?

Thanks!

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Type: Question • Score: 6 • Views: 22,427 • Replies: 20

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@boomerang,

clear poly-urethane spray?

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Maybe so.

I need something that dries slowish. Would it give me time to work the paper before it hardens?

Maybe paper-mache paste?

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@boomerang,

Maybe Watco Teak Oil - maybe. Designed for wood. You would need to be able to wipe off the excess, and plan on a few days for it to dry.

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@roger,

Rice paper in the first place, around a homemade frame? (Not considering as far as how to glue it..) Thinking, take two wire hangers, call Joan Crawford. No, just thick wire from hardware department.

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I'd be worried using any oil. It seems like it would just destroy the paper. And the wiping off.... hmmm. But I'm not familiar with that product. I have some Watco Danish oil around here somewhere. I'll take a look. Thanks!

No, osso, not rice paper and not on a wire frame. It's a form, like a mold. I want to wrap the paper around the frame and harden the paper so it retains the shape when the form is removed.

Out of sheer laziness I'm going to try some Elmer's glue + water and see how it goes.

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@boomerang,

I'd just find something like what I mentioned in the original thread -- a thin but sturdy-ish piece of plastic that you can then spray-glue the paper to.

Or you could maybe just do an outline with craft glue (along the outer edges of the plastic) to hold the paper on, with no adhesion in the middle.

I've seen the thin plastic stuff I have in mind at craft stores, Michael's and the like.

The plastic would be on the inside by the way, and from the outside it should just look like paper that's holding its form nicely.

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@sozobe,

I thought about that but I couldn't come up with a way to attach the plastic to a bracket in any way that I liked.

Maybe the plastic I looked at was too thick.

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@boomerang,

How are you planning to attach the paper to the bracket?

Should be able to do the same thing, just that the paper will be "stiffer" (reinforced with the plastic).

The stuff I have in mind basically acts like fairly thick paper. It's very flexible, cuttable, etc.

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@boomerang,

I guess you'd have to make paper pulp first before you can mold it.
Look here.. http://www.papermaking.net/stepbycasting.htm

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@CalamityJane,

...on the other hand, that could be very cool.

I've done that before -- made stuff using pulp and molds -- and I could imagine it being thick/ sturdy enough to work for your purposes.

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@sozobe,

I've done so too, and it's a lot of fun - especially for kids!

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Where is it sold what size sheets does it come in and what is it typically used for, soz? I didn't see anything that thin. If my current idea doesn't work I'll take another look.

The weight of the shade will determine what kind of attachment I use. I would like to keep the shade as light as possible so that I have more options.

What I'm doing now seems to be working. Phase one is drying right now. I probably won't get to work on it anymore today but I should know something by tomorrow.

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Making paper is fun!

I've never tried to make it on a curved form though. Does it work?

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Yes it does work! As the paper hardens, it takes on the form of whatever
you're using as a mold.

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@ossobuco,

Rubber cement -- it's what we used in design class to fasten down a mask and came off with no marks like a charm. The problem is finding it.

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@Lightwizard,

Ha! I loved rubber cement.

The reason you can't find it anymore is that after working on your project and getting a little stoned you'd decide to smoke a joint and proceed to watch your project burst into flames.

Which all seemed kind of cool until the next day when the teacher asked for the project to be turned in.

Errr.....

Or so I've heard.

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Maybe I'll try making some paper for the next ones.

I'm not set on any certain idea right now but having fun experimenting.

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@boomerang,

I've seen it at craft stores like Michael's. Seems to be something like this:

http://www.grafixarts.com/craft%20plastic.htm

But what I've seen is bigger... stored with "other" big paper (like posterboard). May have even seen it at Target, not sure. (I know I've seen it but can't remember where, most likely possibilities are JoAnn Fabrics, Michael's, Target, Staples, and Dick Blick.)

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Photo matte spray will stiffen paper and it is removable. Most any acrylic spray is removable with solutions containing acetone. Depending on the paper, I wouldn't know if there would be any discoloration of streaking after removal. The removal solution is usually in the art store right next to the spray.

Yes, rubber cement is hard to find and also hard to lay down flat (it can't be sprayed to my knowledge). Another product is the sizing for metal leafs which is also removable. That's used to lay down alloy metal leaf, gold and silver leaf, etc. Anything would require experimenting.

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Art and science: what product hardens paper?

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