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I did a papier mache sculpture and I want to smoothen it. The end result of my paper mache has creases in it. I want an end result to be finished like it was done in wood, plastic or any solid smooth surfaces but can with stand with minor stretches or stress.

I tried coating it with plaster of paris and then sanding it to smoothen the surface, my only issue with this approach was, plaster of paris was too brittle and falloff easily from the mache. I don't also want to over-coat the paper mache with plaster of paris as it will be too heavy. I think i only coated it about .5 cm of thickness. Patching compound is another that I have in mind, but i guess the result would be similar to plaster of paris. It would be brittle and chip off easily from the paper.

What are some ideas or solutions you can advice me to do? I need it to be flexible that it blends well with the property of the paper machet. the papier mache is only as thick as .5 cm or less, probably 6-8 layers of paper. It also need to be cheap and readily available.

Thanks!

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  • This might be salvaged from closing by asking how to smooth a complex curve with soft base, like you might find in ceiling rosettes.
    – HerrBag
    Jun 16, 2013 at 20:13

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I've used setting joint compound, it has common set times of 20, 45 and 90 min. You mix it with water to any consistency you'd like. The setting mud will let you do 2-3 coats per day.

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You might need to reinforce the first paper-joint compound layer by using mesh tape. The tape will let the mud hold to it and will stiffen the sculpture, so it won't flex and crack off. Resist sanding until no paper or tape shows through. The self adhesive (of the tape) is not superstrong, so you may need to tack it down with craft glue is areas where it bends. Once overcoated with mud, it will behave.

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It can be overlapped as needed, troweling the mud over it will squeeze through and lock down.

enter image description here

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  • Good suggestion. I'll try it out. really appreciate it.
    – Pennf0lio
    Jun 16, 2013 at 8:28

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