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Lesson Plans


Re: Paper casting over clay?

From: PHimmelber
Date: Mon Jan 03 2000 - 10:40:51 PST

Cast paper is best cast in a mold and not over one. Some of the principles
involved include the even extraction of water from the slurry, thus any vapor
barrier will slow the process and degrade fidelity. An untreated plaster or
fired clay mold will leach water from the mold surface of the pulp while
evaporation takes place on the open side. The evacuation of water causes the
paper to shrink offering a self releasing property to the process. Laying
paper pulp over a positive form that has a "release agent" will probably work
but doesnt account for shrinkage or an even evacuation of water. Fine detail
is achieved by compressing pulp onto the surface of an absorbent mold that
compacts the fibers while removing excess liquid from the pulp. Pulp should
not form layers, but a contiguous mass of intertwined fibers that give the
piece its strength. There are any number of approaches to forming paper pulp,
but I find that the principles described for making paper sheets or parts
serve me best.

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