paper mulch as sculpting medium

[spaceagent-9]

I was watching a green energy youtube, and they were making fire bricks from junk mail and paper waste. they soaked it in a bucket with holes in the bottom, that was in a bucket of water.
after a day, they emptied it and then smashed the water out again into the water bucket with something like a cannon damper prod.
the result was a block of greenish pressed paper.
when dried is something like floral foam.
the end result, and use of waste paper seemed to be something that the forum would be interested in.
you can carve this stuff in any shape you want, and it is still paper. paper zealots should love this.
nose cones, compound curve parts, etc,... is now able to be sculpted in a paper medium that is future smart.
jim

 

[zathros]

It's been done already. If you take paper and soak it with water till it's pulp, roll it into a ball, then , after it dries, crush it to powery dust, as much as you can, add some Elmer's (what I used at the time) and you have a very workable pulp for compound edges, nose cones, especially if you make a mold/form ahead of time. Sawdust works even better though, usually both wil have to be painted.

 

[spaceagent-9]

yeah!

 

[Rhaven Blaack]

Last year I posted a tutorial on using paper powder (that you get when sanding paper) mixed with white glue to get a putty that you can use as a "filler" or to form compound curves (or what ever else you can think of).
Here is the link to that tutorial: http://www.zealot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173697

 

[spaceagent-9]

yeah, what im thinking of is making a positive, then pouring plaster over it, say a Jupiter 2, do both halves, and then using the glue mulch paper, as a painted in medium, just to see how cheap, clean, easy and fast I can get a positive out. im sure some kind of use can be found for something that's a 2 cast, and it might even be good for some commonly used parts, little dingle bobs and such.

 

[mcusanelli]

Jim,
If you're going to use plaster to make a mold, and cast pieces made of paper pulp, you need to make sure the plaster is really dry first. And you MUST seal the plaster mold surfaces with a product called Butcher's wax. Google it. It really stinks like hell, but it will allow the parts to release from the plaster. Schmeer on a couple of coats, or else the parts will stick to the mold....forever!
Luckily, Plaster of Paris is cheap, and you might want to experiment on something small first. Oh, you will need to seal the 'master', or original pattern part also, especially if it's paper, or the plaster will stick to it too! Good luck, and feel free to pick my brain, as I've been molding and casting stuff for 30 years....
Mike

 

[spaceagent-9]

great advice! thank you for warning so fast of these pitfalls. I was thinking also of a vacuform pulldown on some pieces and then using that as a mold for a paper mulch piece.