Substitute for Mulberry paste

PEAVY

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
Jul 27, 2002
Posts
313
Location
Wichita Falls, TEXAS
I just ran out of mulberry paste and I was wondering if there was possibly a "trick of the trade" in this situation.

Can you substitute anything out of your kitchen cabinet? Like baking powder and water for example.

I have a 48 x 30 piece of heavy weight hotpress art paper that I need to hinge down. The piece is due for delivery this Sunday.

Any ideas?

I do not want to do anything that would be "unarchival" or fail in the long run. But hey, just thought I would throw that idea out there and see what happened.

Thank you for reading and your comments.

Peavy
 
rice paste??? get a pack of Uncle Ben's(MUCH better if you go to the health food store & get 'natural rice---NOT polished), crush the crap out of it(blender)......do in a pinch???
 
You can get rice starch at Asian markets, though I don't know if it is refined as well as the stuff you get for hinging. Any starch will do the job*. I think it was Hugh that mentioned wetting the vegetable paste on the back of linen tape and transfering it to Japanese paper when you needed a more agressive bond.

*as far as making a paste that will create a bond...archival reference is a whole nother thing.
 
Peavy:
The grocery store option may be OK in a pinch, but I suggest you get a supply of "real" starch paste powder ASAP. The food starch may contain healthy minerals, vitamins, or other food stuff that serves no purpose as a paste, but might cause a problem later in a closed-up frame package.

I'm guessing here. I don't know that food starch would be a problem, but why take a chance? Starch paste powder made for the purpose is cheap.
 
Ok. I could only find cornstarch at the local store. I did an experiment to see if it would stick. NO. I whipped up a thick solution and a watered down solution and I did not get any kind of adherance what so ever.

I think I will try the local craft store and see if they have a starch paste powder.

Thanks again and I will keep you posted on my mission to find alternatives to mulberry paste.

PV
 
Peavy it isn't something you would have in your pantry But i think I remember heraing that common Wall paper paste applied very spareingly will work. In fact i think it is very similar in composition.
But I am not reallu as informed as most. i did as a kid make paste from Flour and water and if you used Rice flour it would seem to VERY Close. IMHO.
BUDDY
 
If you have any other frameshops near you, why don't you ask to "borrow" some, or even buy some outright from them? I have a couple shops nearby that I'll call on rare occasions if I'm short a piece of matboard or something. Usually, they'll accept my replacement of the item if I can do it within a week or so.
 
Rice starch, wheat starch, I've tried tapioca starch and it worked. I get mine from the health food store :eek: .

The re-precipitated wheat starch is very expensive, and the main benefit is that it lumps less, but for whatever reason I have never had a problem with lumps and couldn't really notice any difference in its working properties.

When you look at older Japanese and Chinese scrolls that have been backed with the regular old food grade stuff they are just fine.

And in a pinch I think wallpaper paste would be ok too, at least from a reversibility point of view, though yellowing could be a problem.

Rebecca
 
Originally posted by PEAVY:
I whipped up a thick solution and a watered down solution and I did not get any kind of adherence what so ever.
How long did you cook it?
The binding process is precipitated by gently heating the starch/water solution (in a double boiler).
 
Good point Wally - sometimes it is the very basics that we overlook!

Yes, as Wally says, the starch has to be cooked. It's the same as making old fashioned pudding - add water (deionized or distilled preferably)- one part starch to 4 parts water, and heat in a double boiler (or even a stainless steel or corningware pan as long as you stir constantly and watch carefully to avoid sticking and burning). Stir constantly and in a few minutes the starch will thicken and turn translucent. Keep stirring for a minute or so to make sure all is cooked, remove from heat and let cool.

This is your basic paste, you can thin it with water if necessary (work it in to a smooth paste with stiffish brush)to get the consistancy you prefer to work with.

Good catch Wally!

Rebecca
 
ok.
My nearby framer friend could not find his stash,
and the craft store did not sell starch paste, the fabric shope did not sell fabric paste either.
In this tiny town, all other shopes including hardware shopes will be closed on Sundays.

But, Wally, you may be right about the cooking.
I did prepare a 1/4 ratio in a non stick pan and stirred constantly. however I did not wait for the color to turn clear.

I will try this process again. Right now, it is my only hope.

Ok. Back to the kitchen cabinet.....
 
Back from the kitchen...

Still after the mixture turned clear, it did not stick.

Now I am dealing with a completely different problem altogether with this order and this mystery will have to be solved later.
 
The reason that starch from a preservation supplier is preferred is the fact that it can be
found in gluten-free versions, which makes it
simpler and should make it function better over
the long run.


Hugh
 
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