Molding minis paper mache

[roleplayingman]

At the moment just a idea, but I wanted to bounce it around with other creative folk.

Also, like so manny others i just dont have the "gold" to just buy what I need and/or want.

So I thought. Wouldnt it be cool. If one could make "posable" papermache miniatures. I guess molding would be fun? I have outdoors wood glue, cardboard, paper clay, time and will to try it.

When I say posable, I visualise a 6 piece a figure. Head, body, L & R arms and L & R legs.(like a axtion figure but a lot smaller) Or lower torso and legs ,bouth arms, upper body and head.(like GamesWorkshop does)

I realise details would be fuzzy but bor my need basic shapes woulddo. With a core humanoid shape like this, it could easily be made into, elves, mummies or musketeers with paint and stuff.

The idea is to make 4 - 5 originals to make the mold. And then mold with paper mache where one would use resin, plaster or molten tin/lead.

Im thinking to use a 2 part mold like kids to with play dough. And then remove the molded mache to dry.

Once dry i glue the partes into minies and have loads of base minis to be made into orks and whatever I/my group need. They would all somewhat look alike yet all be posed into each own way. Thus looking a bit more alive?
Thats the idea at least.

Unresolved issues:
What should I make the mold out of?
Fiberglass putty?
Plumbersputty?
Should the molds be coated with something?
How moist or dry should the pulp be?
Wire skeleton? For hanging the pices to dry.
Is 28mm scale too small for this project?

What do you folk think about the idea?
Have it been tried?

[adamantinedragon]

I heartily recommend Sculpey clay for this sort of thing. Much easier to work with, much cleaner, much more rugged and much easier to paint. A $10 block of sculpey will give you enough clay to make a hundred or so minis. Maybe more. If you make any big pieces, use dollar store aluminum foil to bulk out the interior, and just use Sculpey for outside part. That's plenty strong, and pretty cheap.

[roleplayingman]

Yep, I don't know where I would find that locally(Norway). I should look into that.

I am more interested in using paper pulp, because its what I have the raw materials to make. If it can be press molded like thus.

I know its not the best material to make minis, but they dont have to be great.

[SpielMeisterKev!]

Howdy,

Sounds like many experiments are in order...

I look forward to your analysis,
Kev!

[adamantinedragon]

Polymer (also called "oven-baked" clay) is sold under many names. In Europe I think the most common brand is "Fimo". Just look for oven baked clay. It's probably the most common crafting material for this sort of thing. I'd be amazed if you couldn't find it in a local hobby shop or even a department store. Sculpey and Fimo are both sold here in the States by Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Joannes, etc. If not, you can certainly find it on Amazon.

[adamantinedragon]

As far as making papier mache is concerned, I dunno how well it will mold. Usually the way I've seen it is you make a clump and then cover it with layers of strips. The layered strips give it most of its strength. If you just mold the pulp, I suspect it will be pretty fragile. But it's certainly worth a try.

Another thing you might look into is flour-based air-hardened "clay". I've seen some youtube videos of people molding stuff out of that.

[margaret]

Apparently Fimo is the commonest polymer clay in Europe. In my somewhat limited experience, it tends to be stiffer to work with than regular Sculpey. I see that there is a "Fimo Soft". You might want to try that out, although it may be more expensive for you than the large packages of Sculpey are for those of us in the USA.

[azil]

You can make inexpensive molds with cornstarch and silicone, this may or may not be cheaper than clay, but most places I think you can get access to this stuff more easily. You actually might have some leftover from something or other non-related to crafting. It picks up a surprising amount of detail.

I am not sure how well this would work with paper mache, though...

This fellow gives good instruction, I don't believe the paint is necessary, if you're doing it on the cheap.

markmontanoblogs.blogspot.com/2015/05/cornstarch-and-silicone-molds.html



Another suggestion: Oyumaru.

Its some sort of rubbery stuff, when boiled it's very flexible and can be molded around things easily. When room temperature, it is fairly stiff. Pliable enough to pry your miniatures out, but firm enough to hold as a mold. It is NOT suitable for oven-bake clay, as it will melt apart again. You only need to buy it once, it is relatively cheap, and it can be heated and cooled indefinitely to make new molds again and again. You may need to order online though, it's japanese and not stocked by normal stores really... Amazon has it.


Edit:
If it doesn't work out, or you'd like to try another technique for breathing some life into small creatures, a thin wire (I use the green floral wire from the local dollar store) skeleton covered by hotglue/tinfoil and a "skin" of masking or electrical tape will retain its flexibility even after painting.  It would be a bit time consuming to make, but once finished, they can look different for every use.  Depending on your paint and tape combinations, some maintenance might be required after adjustments have been made.

You can paint directly onto the glue for a more sloppy octopus effect, but if you are not careful, the glue may peel off the wire when you reposition it later, and it can be a bit messy to repair that.

[roleplayingman]

Aug 6, 2016 22:10:50 GMT adamantinedragon said:

As far as making papier mache is concerned, I dunno how well it will mold. Usually the way I've seen it is you make a clump and then cover it with layers of strips. The layered strips give it most of its strength. If you just mold the pulp, I suspect it will be pretty fragile. But it's certainly worth a try.

Another thing you might look into is flour-based air-hardened "clay". I've seen some youtube videos of people molding stuff out of that.

Paper pulp is more like a dough. And it isn't perfect for the medum.

Ill look onto air dry clay.

[roleplayingman]

I have done more research. And it all basicly points to:
If i had metal molds, lots of pressure to squeese the water out and basicly... lets just say idustry grade machines, pulping the paper will have been a good idea. The parts would probaly turn out just as I wanted them.



I have lost confidence in this idea. But will still see of I can find a way to use all this corrigated cardboard to make some (modular 3d) minies to go with the 2'5D system, because I really want to try that. And me and some friens are planning to start D&D'ing again. (Silly me.)

I want to say thanks for your tips and points, I am looking into those too because it looks fun to make and cast stuff.
And I found a toturial to play with.
www.instructables.com/answers/How-to-cast-pulp/