Tracy's Treasury of Home Brews: PAPER MACHE MASH

PAPER-MÂCHÉ MASH Recipe

Tear four large newspaper sheets into small pieces. Place pieces in container with two quarts of water and let soak overnight. The next morning, place mixture in a cooking pan and boil for 20 minutes. Using a whisk, whip the paper mixture until it is soft and pulpy. Place the mixture in a strainer, tapping several times to shake out the water. Squeeze gently until the mixture is a soft, pulpy, moist lump. Place pulp into a bowl and stir in two tablespoons of liquid Elmer's Glue (PVA) then 2 tablespoons of wallpaper paste. Stir until the mixture is not lumpy. This makes one quart of papier-mâché mash.

Notes: Sanded or not, papier-mâché objects my be painted with any water-based paint. To waterproof surfaces of papier-mâché objects and make them more durable, spray the finished object with a clear vinyl sealer or give it at least three coats of lacquer. To fireproof an object, stir in one teaspoon of sodium phosphate to each cup of paste for strips or to each cup of water when making mash.

If you decided to make your own paper mache mash, please send me a photo, along with your name and what state you're from! I've recently decided to start featuring my readers' finished results.

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