Comments on: How to Protect Your Hands While Working with Paper Mache?

By: Tani

Tani — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:43:59 +0000

Hi everyone, I work with everything from A- to -Xylene in my studio and my hands are just awful!! Most of the time Im so “in my Zone” creatively that I don’t take notice until there is substantial pain standing in the way of progress.
Anyway, at that point what I do is first wash my hands (don’t laugh, it’s not easy when they hurt) gently, but with something that will exfoliate the hard dry layer that needs to get out of the way so the new healthy epidermis can breath. I use a soft nail brush.
Sounds silly but, dry ‘em really well… then moisturize. Hand lotion like Vaseline Hand and Nail works fine, then I make myself take a break!
I remind myself that paper pulp, clay, paste, et al. are full of water (thus wrinkly fingers) and the constant contact with my beloved medium can be like soaking in mucky water all day.
Latex gloves always seem too large to me and I cant feel what I’m doing when they’re sliding around. My favorite gloves and the only ones I have found comfortable to work in are the little blue elastic-ish ones that l have rubber on the important bits. They fit much better and stay in place but they aren’t water proof.
Square one? yes, I visit this square several times on the eve of epiphany!

The answer for me, was to coat my hands with a protective product containing a nice amount of Paraffin or Beeswax , I believe Avon still makes ‘Silicone Glove’ but, my fav is one called ‘Look Ma New Hands’ from Bath and Body Works.
Then I wiggle into the floppy latex gloves (squishy) – Then into my snug work gloves. My hands are now completely protected from any and all mucky water, floating in a comfy thin squishy layer, and when I go in and take my gloves off my hands feel soft, and best of all, they dont hurt!

I REALLY hope this helps someone! It’s awful to have something like this holding you back when there are so many un-beautified things out there waiting for us!

By: Caroline Tigeress

Caroline Tigeress — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:09:30 +0000

Lubricate your hands with petroleum jelly or cooking oil.

By: Jonni

Jonni — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:32:27 +0000

Hi Nick. There's a very active paper mache group on Yahoo where you can upload your pictures.

By: Nick Paul

Nick Paul — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:51:26 +0000

Im just getting familiar with this wonderful paper mache site, can anybody tell me, is there a site where we all can share pictures of our recent work with each other-I also teach paper mache classes using recyclables-needless to say looking for part time work in LA area-does anyone have any suggestions or leads? Thankyou so much!

By: Jonni

Jonni — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:20:48 +0000

There’s no such thing as cheating with paper mache. No rules — that’s one of the things that makes it so much fun!

By: Maureen

Maureen — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:48:55 +0000

Sometimes when gardening I use a product called ‘Glove in a Bottle’ made by Avon.

For my last paper mache project I used a paint brush to paint the fluid on the paper pieces. Is that cheating?

By: Jonni

Jonni — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:45:54 +0000

Hi Julie. I’m glad you asked…

My WordPress program sends me an email whenever someone comments on my blog. That way I always know that a comment or question is waiting to be answered, and I can also catch any spam comments (like those selling Viagra…) and delete them before anyone else has to see them.

Thanks for your suggestion about the gloves, by the way. That sounds easier than finding and using an expensive product that acts like a glove, although I think a lot of people are allergic to latex.

And thanks to everyone who helped Liz with her problems. I knew she would get some great suggestions, and you came through for her. (Aren’t paper mache people nice?)

By: julie tretakoff

julie tretakoff — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:02:30 +0000

I don’t understand what you mean that my comment is awaiting moderation

By: julie tretakoff

julie tretakoff — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:00:51 +0000

I wear latex gloves that doctors use for examining their patients. They fit like a second skin so you have all of the same control as if you are working with your bare hands.I purchase the gloves at a medical supply house. You can use the gloves many times if you wash them after you take them off.

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:50:02 +0000

Thank you both for the tips. I’ll have to look into the hand softening agent – it makes so much sense to have a conditioned “bath” ready for my hands but I likely would not have thought of it without the suggestion. The “hand protecting lotion” idea piqued my interest so I did a little searching and found a product (Gloves in a Bottle) which, according to the website, is stocked in a store local to me. After purified water the main ingredient is dimethicone which apparently is used in everything from Silly Putty to food additives to breast implants =] Sounds pretty “All American” to me haha
I really want to try it now just to see … it is a little expensive so I might write them for a sample. Brooke suggested that I might also use Corn Huskers Lotion to moisturize and that’s also on my list to try.
Thanks everyone – you’re all so helpful.