Question/discussion Paper-Maché? for a PACK?

Equipment Proton Packs
1

I know the answer to this, because i don not think its physically viable, as demoulding would be a nightmare and any moisture would kill it but

In my Interest thread for my Fibreglass pack shells, which i’m doing cheap as i want them to be european only considering most europeans cannot afford the extortionate postage to get them across the atlantic, and because i don’t think my quality is as good as others, but i digress

someone asked this

I just cannot see it working

but i thought it best to find out, because it could be something people could do for a dirt cheap alternative i suppose, a fragile easily broken one, can’t say i’d want a paper maché pack, but we could at least tell new members its an alternative

thoughts fellow busters?

2

You’d be better off doing a foamcore or insulation foam pack. Just as cheap but only half as breakable though still fairly fragile.

3

I thought there would be many different ways more suitable. I just cannot see it being suitable, i’ll link the guy up and see what he thinks of this thread

4

papier mache doesn’t lend itself to mechanical looking forms.

you’d be better off with cardboard or foamcore as a start.

now if you were making a ghost model such as slimer,

then mache would be perfect.

5

If one is willing to invest the time, a metal screen mold can be made with fairly decent detail resolution. Then just blend in some paper soup and, the same way speaker cones and egg cartons are made, you can separately make each basic section on the pack and join them together once they dry.

It can also be sealed in fiberglass resin after its put together..

6

Paper mache (or papier maché) is way more sturdy than one might think. In the last centuries, women were chewing paper at their little tea parties. What came out was paper pulp. They made some “jewels” out of it where you never would guess that those are made with paper. When completely dried, you can sand it, you can coat it or whatever. Moisture is no problem as long as you have a thick coat of lacquer on it. A while back, I experimented with the stuff you put underneath wallpapers (spoilage according to the translator g). It gets extremely hard because of the glue in it. You can make it yourself when boiling paper several hours and mix it with wallpaper glue. So theoretically, a pack out of paper is no laughing matter.

BUT, there are some major disadvantages:

  • You need a mold to get it right into shape.
  • It consumes a lot of time and energy.
  • It needs several days to be completely dried.
  • It needs some experience.
  • When you add up the cost of a pack made with paper, it is more expensive than some might think.

Result: Insulation foam is way better and cheaper than paper in this context. Especially when it comes to time and experience.

7

It’s a good idea when it’s an idea. In reality it’s a complete pain in the @S$, I’m in the middle of one now and I did think that I could have had one made in a few days and the result was…more ■■■■ me lol. 1 part PVA to 1 part water and about 3 days drying time and that’s before you sort any his shapes out. Great as a static display and a long distance shot piece or maybe a Halloween cheapie but to be honest from what I’ve learnt, It’s 10 times cheaper than a fivberglass shell but it’s also 10 times the work and 3 times longer in the molding/ curing process. Tho mine’ starting to look great I may land up coating it with some fiberglass resin to seal it lol.