All About Papier-Mâché Paste

The production of papier-mâché toys and jewelry has been popular for many years. To create such paper crafts, you can use both a ready-made paste and a do-it-yourself product.

Papier-mâché paste has many advantages.

1. Environmental friendliness. This material is completely harmless. Therefore, it can be safely used even by children or allergy sufferers when working with various crafts.

2. Low cost. All the components that are used to make the paste at home are inexpensive. Most often they can be found in your kitchen.

3. Ease of preparation. Even a schoolboy can cope with the preparation of high-quality paste.

4. Practicality. You can use paste not only for creating papier-mâché crafts. It is also often used during renovations.

5. Versatility. You can use the paste to work with both embossed and smooth surfaces.

When choosing a ready-made glue for creating papier-mâché crafts, you should pay attention to several brands.

• Kleo. It is a French manufacturer of high quality adhesive. You can choose for yourself options with a different composition. The glue of this brand is completely safe, so it can be used to create crafts with children.

• Metylan. The German manufacturer also produces high quality glue. But these products are quite expensive. Therefore, not everyone can afford it.

• PUFAS. The products of this brand are popular all over the world. The glue is distinguished not only by its high quality, but also by its increased moisture resistance. Moreover, it is completely environmentally friendly. Jewelry made using such a tool can be stored for a very long time. Therefore, they can be used as gifts.

• Quelyd. There is a wide range of quality French adhesives. They are sold dry and sealed. Such products have an unlimited service life. Therefore, it is quite profitable to buy glue from this brand.

• Quality. This is already a domestic brand that is actively engaged in the manufacture of high-quality glue. The range of this manufacturer includes both conventional products and those that are resistant to temperature extremes and high humidity.

A simpler and more affordable option for most is making glue with your own hands. Everyone can make a sticky mass at home. The main thing is to have on hand the basic ingredients that are needed to prepare it.

Most often, a paste for making papier-mâché crafts is made from ordinary flour. A big plus of such material is that the necessary ingredients can be found among the stocks of products right in your kitchen.

To prepare such a paste, you need to take a glass of flour, 3 glasses of hot water and a little salt. All ingredients must be prepared in advance. Sift the flour into a deep bowl. You also need to carefully pour a glass of warm water there. The contents of the bowl must be constantly mixed so that lumps do not form there. Next, you need to gradually add water to the container, continuing to mix the contents. A pinch of salt must also be added there.

After that, such a mixture must be poured into a saucepan with a thick bottom and put on low heat. The product must be gently heated while stirring. It takes about 10 minutes to cook such glue. After that, the container must be removed from the stove and the contents of the pan must be cooled. It will be possible to use flour paste within 30-60 minutes after cooking.

For the preparation of the paste, either wheat or rye flour is usually used. The second option is less popular, because after contact with the ready-made glue, light parts can turn reddish.

Another simple product to make at home with your child is starch paste. The technique for making such a product is very simple. The first step is to prepare 100 grams of potato or corn starch and some warm water.

Add the dry product to a bowl and pour a glass of boiling water, stirring constantly. As a result, you should get a product with the consistency of milk. Stir everything very carefully so that there are no lumps left in the bowl.

You can thicken the product by boiling it a little. The product cannot be brought to a boil. The product must be completely cooled before use.

To give a glossy effect to finished products, a pinch of vanillin or sugar can be added to the container with the finished glue.

The easiest to prepare is a paste prepared on the basis of PVA. To make it, you only need to take a glass of water and 200 ml of PVA glue. All you need to do during the cooking process is to mix both products in a suitable container. The resulting mixture should be homogeneous. If it is too thick, you can simply dilute it with warm water to the desired consistency.

The recipe based on this ingredient is as simple as the previous one.For the preparation of the product, the main ingredients are taken in the same proportions. The cooking steps are also repeated. The resulting product is usually used for dark paper. After all, he leaves behind noticeable spots that can ruin the product made of light materials.

You can buy wood glue for preparing this product at a hardware store or hardware store. It is inexpensive, but at the same time pleases with its quality.

High quality homemade paste is used for making different types of crafts.

• New Year's toys. Everyone can make bright holiday decorations with their own hands. The technique of waving is used to create Christmas tree decorations. In this case, plastic or rubber balls are taken as a basis. At the end of the work, small decorative details are applied to the surface of the toy. They can also be attached to the base of the toy with paste.

• Masks. This is a traditional example of papier-mâché art. They can be used as a gift or for interior decoration. Such accessories are usually created on the basis of a rather thick adhesive mass.

• Dolls. The basis of beautiful accessories is made of plasticine, which is then covered with a thick layer of paper mixed with homemade paste. Apply the mixture to the frame carefully. Each new layer is applied only after the previous one dries.

• Decorative tableware. A dense mixture of paper and homemade paste is used to create beautiful vases or plates. Such products are not only very beautiful, but also durable.

You can create original accessories using the papier-mâché technique based on homemade paste both independently and with your child. In any case, the process will bring everyone pleasure, and the results of the work will delight the eye for a very long time.

Homemade glue is perishable. Therefore, it cannot be stored for too long. This will cause it to sour and smell unpleasant. It is no longer possible to use such a tool.

It is necessary to store the paste prepared according to all the rules in the refrigerator, in a glass container, tightly closed with a lid. The flour product is stored for no more than 3 days. A product made from starch should be used immediately after preparation. After all, its expiration date ends in a couple of hours.

Store the purchased adhesive by following the instructions on the package. Manufacturers always indicate all the necessary information.

It is very easy to weld papier-mâché craft glue. The main thing is to prepare in advance for the cooking process and follow the step-by-step instructions. If the proportions are strictly observed, the product will turn out to be of high quality the first time.