Quick question about our Paper Maché Globe!? (Balloon)?

Question

I've been working on a Paper Maché Art Craft with my classroom.

We covered the balloon, let it dry. About a week later or so, we attempted to pop the balloon, and realized it already poped. So we painted it later, and when we came back the next day, it had shriveled up! It was really very sad. Somewhat funny too. I think this happened because the paper mache layer wasn't thick enough. Could that be it?

Anyhow, to get to my question : I've decided to do the craft at home right up to the stage I was with the class, and let the kids continue (no time to do it in class now.) I was sure to do one thick layer of paper mache, let it try, and then I added another thick layer of paper mache, and let it dry.

I'm going to paint it blue tonight, but I don't think the balloon has popped yet. Do I HAVE to pop it? What will happen if I don't yet? Would the shell start to shrink as the balloon deflates inside?

My intention is to have the children create the national flags of their heritage, and then stick them into the continents, so at some point it will have to burst.

What do you think? Any experience with this? The last thing I want is another art & craft disaster!

Answer 1

Sorry to hear about your disaster. My guess is that it failed because it didn't dry properly, not because you didn't put enough layers on it. But it must be stated that one of the problems with balloons is that some will fail. Some will pop just by blowing them up.



Here are some tips for your next attempt. First, never, and I mean never, put the strips of newspaper into the paste. Only your hands go into the paste. Your wet hands will thoroughly soak each strip as you lay it on the balloon. When you put strips of paper in the paste, no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to squeegee off the excess paste. It doesn't get uniformly distributed and you end up with globs of paste between layers (which won't dry completely and stay soggy and soft) and air bubbles form as well (which undermines strength). Many times the paper will actually disintegrate as you try to pull of the paste with your fingers. When you use just your hands you squeeze out the air bubbles and better distribute the paste. Also, make sure you only apply one piece of paper at a time. Only put on a second piece once the first is completely soaked. Work around the balloon until you've put on about 3 or 4 layers. No need to do this process twice. By the way, if some of the paper starts to bunch up in places, that's fine. It will look like continents and water. Put someplace warm to dry for at least two days turning it over to keep exposing wet areas. If you do these things your globe will be light and strong. You can pop the balloon or not. It will work either way.



Good luck!

Dan (the Monster-man) Reeder

www.GourmetPaperMache.com

Answer 2

I made a paper mache pinata last summer using a large balloon (one of those punch ball balloons). Being as it was a pinata, I wanted it to be pretty strong, at least so it wouldn't break on the first hit (we had about 30 kids needing to have a turn). I think I put about 4 or 5 layers on it. I put one layer on, let it dry overnight, then a new layer the next day. For the first couple of layers, I was able to get 2 layers on in the same 12-24 hr. period, but the thicker it got, the longer the entire thing would take to dry. I had to use rubber bands to suspend it from the backs of two chairs and by the time I was finished, it was pulling down on the rubber bans A LOT. It was near the floor. So you may not need to go that heavy with it...but I would suggest at least 3 layers, maybe 4 depending on how thorough you are with your layers. I didn't not paint mine, I covered it with crepe paper and white glue. However, it was obvious as I added layer after layer of the paper mache, that it does significantly wet the layers underneath until you get more than 3 on. I even had it split once, because although I did not pop my balloon until the end, it shrunk like all balloons do over a period of days. So if you are using paint like acrylics, I would suggest more layers. Either that, or use spray paint in think layers. You might also be able to prime it with a spray primer first, then paint it without worry. I think your best bet is to add at least 4 layers and make sure it's absolutely dry in-between and esp. before you paint.

Answer 3

Paper Mache Globe