# Sealing Papier Mache Skulls



## Masterofmydomain (Mar 22, 2009)

I've made a few papier mache skulls over the winter; I may want to enhance them with paper clay. Should I seal them before the paper clay is applied or after - or does it matter. Also, shoud I seal the inside of the skull as well. Thanks in advance.


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## dave the dead (Jan 31, 2007)

It would probably be best to wait to seal them until after the paperclay...this will give the paperclay a good surface to adhere to. It is also important to seal every place you can...if you can access the inside then go for it. ( assuming you are going to use them outside) There is no such thing as "too much weather protection" when it comes to papermache.


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## STOLLOWEEN (Apr 13, 2008)

yup...what Dave said


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## Masterofmydomain (Mar 22, 2009)

Thanks for the advice....yes I do plan to use these outside. I've viewed your album and your work is awesome!


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## Masterofmydomain (Mar 22, 2009)

Thank you, too Scott for the guidance. I've spent many hours over the winter studying your website. Your work is terrific and a great source of inspiration as well.


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

I've used thick coats of latex or acrylic paint as a sealant and well... paint.  When either of those paints dry, they form a plastic polymer that is waterproof. I've used acrylic paint and waterproof caulking on larger areas with great success for outdoor stuff.


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## Draik41895 (Oct 25, 2008)

Latex paint as a sealant?ill have to hear more first


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Draik41895 said:


> Latex paint as a sealant?ill have to hear more first


Not that I've done this, but it makes sense. She's probably referring to exterior latex paint.


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

Yup. You can use any paint classified as an acrylic or latex - both are polymer based paints. Water is used to thin or clean up, but once they dry they are basically plastic. Flexible, but still plastic (polymer). 

I use artist's acrylics on my small pieces and house paint on the large stuff. If you're painting something like cardboard, you can use waterproof caulking (the stuff in the squeeze tubs for sealing around tubs) to fill in the open parts, and then cover with paint to form basically a waterproof plastic skin over the surface. 

You don't want to thin the paint out much, the thicker the layer of paint, the better the protection.

If your prop or whatever isn't going to be subjected to lots of touching and banging around, this saves a (big) step, since you just have to use the paint as you normally would (just pay a bit more attention to the nooks and crannies) and can skip the sealant at the end. 

If you've done a particularly detailed paint job and it will be left out exposed to the elements then putting on a protective sealant wouldn't be a bad idea, but for things like props that are set up for a short time, a good coat or two of acrylic/latex acts just as well.


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## Draik41895 (Oct 25, 2008)

thats cool,ill need to try that


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## Monk (Aug 26, 2008)

STOLLOWEEN said:


> yup...what Dave said


agreed


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 26, 2008)

Draik41895 said:


> Latex paint as a sealant?ill have to hear more first


Absolutely! I made a groundbreaker corpse a couple months ago by dipping paper towels in latex-based house paint. So far it's held up to all my water testing.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Nice groundbreaker, Mr C!


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

WOW, perfect post for me right now. BTW, nice ground breaker and thanks to Stolloween for your great website and the recent hauntcast interview.

I have a question about the papermache clay, Master what are you going to make yours out of? I was at Lowes (like home depot) and they had that insulation material that I think you use Stolloween, can you get fine detail with that stuff? I read another article by someone else, Ill have to look it up and she boiled and made her own clay. I think the insulation material might be alot easier and you get a big bag for 12 bucks. Make sure to update us, Ill try as well. I did some paper mache skulls from a previous skull and one from scratch using Stolloween's method (sort of). I am at the same stage you are at right now though, wondering if I should seal it now or just finish it and then seal it. Peace, gotta go to work.


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## Masterofmydomain (Mar 22, 2009)

I intend to try Stolloween's receipe for homemade paperclay, but I haven't gotten up the courage yet; it seems like you can very good detail with it. I've also heard about using that insulation you mentioned - I'll have to check out my local Lowe's. I did get some Creative Paperclay, again recommened by Stolloween but I'm trying to figure out how to work this on to my skull to give it some dimension; I'll let you know how it goes. I am going to complete all the detail then seal it before applying the paint.


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## Monk (Aug 26, 2008)

I've been experimenting myself with some different paper mache recipes and I must say that Stolloween's site has been a tremendous help.


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

I was doing laundry today and I pulled a bunch of lint out of the dryer, Ill be mixing that with my glue and seeing if I can make some clay. Gotta wait till I get my 3 kids to bed though. I built a paper mache skull last week, added some features today (Scott's method, using the skull template) and Ill be putting some mache at least on it today, maybe some clay. Ill let you know if that works. I like the idea of the insulation cause you get ALOT for the dough. Chris from Hauntcast is using it, he has a video on youtube. Later.


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

If it helps you, our very own blackcat has invented drier lint clay and here's here recipe:

"It's very simply 2 cups of dryer lint from your dryer, 6 tablespoons of white glue, 1 tablespoon of dish detergent and 1/3 cup warm water. Mix all together until smooth and begin right away sculpting with it. Store the extra clay in a resealable container.

I've learned over the last year that it can be used on almost any surface and dries hard as a rock."


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

Thanks Sickie, I knew I heard that somewhere. I figure that its close enough, Ill get a bag of insulation later, I wanted to try that ASAP.

I was going to do some mache work tonight but I got tired, drank a couple margaritas and now Im ready to go to bed. I tried taking a paper mache skull that I did over a really nice skull I have and fill it with great stuff. I coated the inside with vasoline and sprayed in some great stuff. I thought I would be able to make a mold, it didnt turn out too good. The middle never got hard after a day in the garage, I pulled it apart and it was a mess. Im going to re-paper mache the thing and hope to salvage it for a zombie in my cemetery. I guess it would work better on a skull that is not made of paper mache. I am wasting alot of time on making skulls when I could buy some for alot cheaper, but I dont want to buy any off the internet, I would rather be able to see it, plus I am going for a more realistic scale, alot of the cheapo plastic ones are alot smaller than a real skull. My goal is to make a couple zombie ground breakers that actually look like zombies, rather than just skulls that are corpsed, even though the two gb's that I have like that look pretty good.


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

Mr.Chicken, is your ground breaker's skull home made or did you corpse over it? It looks really good.


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## GrimleeFeindish (Jan 23, 2009)

I tried using the dryer lint clay on a crappy skull I made from scratch out of mache. It didnt look too hot, it would make a good rat I think, its got a little hairy kind of texture. Im thinking of making some mache ravens so I might use that for the texture and paint them black. Anyway, Im going to buy some insulation stuff this week.

BTW, I am convinced the best way to duplicate a skull for cheap is just paper macheing over an existing skull. I tried to make one from scratch ala Stolloween and I just couldnt get it looking right, back to the drawing board. I have two good bucky skulls to use for my mache molds and plenty of time so Im going to make them from those. Oh yeah, also tried filling them with great stuff and it didnt come out too hot, the middle never dried.


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