Is There A Specific Brand Name Resin That You Should Use When Putting Resin Onto Paper Mache?

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Why would you resin paper mache? You make a mix consisting of PVA and water.

That makes no sense. Paper Mache is pulp and PVA, yes, but PVA is water soluble, and bondo doesn't like water. Resining whatever you're working on will make it a hell of a lot more permanent. Yes, you can just straight bondo the paper, but eventually the bondo will start to flake out, as it pulls moisture out of the air. This gets worse if you wear it for a while (like a helmet) then put it away, as the moisture in your breath will actually cause the paper to swell, and as it cools, it shrinks, and then the moisture condenses in the little pockets left behind. Meaning, your helmet starts to dissolve from the inside after a few months of wearing it. Personal experience on that one.

No, there's no particular resin you need to use for paper mache. just mix it a little cooler than normal (meaning, reduce the amount of hardener you use by 1 drop, maybe 2. A TINY AMOUNT, not alot), and it'll soak into the paper a little better. Thats about it. If its really thick paper mache, you might consider drilling 1/16" holes into it randomly at the thicker parts, in order to get more penetration. Otherwise the paper mache can start to peel away from the resined part due to temperature variations (I've seen this more noticably in humid or hot/dry climates). Of course, once its resined on the outside, you can do the inside too, just wait till one or the other is fully cured before moving on to doing the other side. Not necessary, just less of a PITA.
 
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