This may work on larger projects, but there's no guarantees!ģ- Once the paper mache is dry you can texturize the banks. *Smaller pieces of terrain based on thick enough cardboard will not bend if you only apply one layer of paper mache to them. *If the paper mache is only bending during warmer parts of the day, seal it with spray paint while it is flat (though this could result in moisture being trapped inside, promoting mould growth and essentially rotting it from the inside out) *Cut along the paper mache, flatten the terrain and fill the cracks with latex or rubbery glue. *Apply the same amount of paper mache to the back (can still bend) When applying pape mache to anything, chances are it will bend as it dries, and even with a plywood base the river was bending upwards terribly! Here are the ways we found to reduce and/or stop it from doing this: Continue until you have applied 3 or more layers, more layers = more strength. Once the first layer is finished it is best to wait for a couple of hours before applying the next layer. Once the mache is ready it's time to put those skills you learned in kindergarten to good use! Tear the paper into strips, soak it in mache and place in on the base, remembering to overlap the edges of each strip.
(Though I don't know whether this is actually true.) If you boil the paper mache it will thicken up nicely, but I have recently read that unboiled mache is actually stronger. You now have the basic structure for your river.Ģ- There are many methods for making paper mache, and it really comes down to a matter of preference, I mix about 3 cups of flour to 4 or 5 cups of water (with about 3 tablespoons of salt to try and prevent mold). You could continue adding cardboard for taller or steeper banks, but I think two layers is plenty. Now add another layer of cardboard, this one a little thinner than the last. It is not important for the cardboard to be firmly stuck in place, as the paper mache will secure it later. Cut a sheet of thick cardboard to the shape of each bank and stick it to the base. On your base you need to draw the general shape of the river banks. For anything about 12 inches long I find thick cardboard does the job fine, however I'm making my river in 4 foot and 2 foot lengths, (this way you could choose to have a river running parallel to either table edge) so I used 3mm thick plywood (in hindsight, it would have been better if it were a little thicker).
Latex glue, clear drying varnish or PVA glueġ- First of all you need a base.
Stepping back and looking at our small inventory of terrain I saw the problem, it was the terrain itself! With only a couple of sad, unpainted cardboard buildings, an assortment of craters and a small pile of green plastic crates, there wasn't a lot of variety.Īt that (and with the onset of the holiday) I decided to make a river, and not just any river, a big river! In this post I will show you the relatively simple way to make a paper mache river. It all seemed so boring, there was nothing to make the battlefield unique and exciting. Setting up for a game of 40k last weekend I found myself fretting over terrain more than usual.