Coating/protecting origami models

[fordel]

Hello, I am seeing my models are beginning to expand and unfold a bit now that the weather is warmer and wetter in NY, and I am curious to know what options there might be for solving this. I also do moneygami, and, for these, would be interested to know if there's something that wouldn't harm the paper itself, though, if it must be a finish, a little residue is okay, i.e., so that the bills can still be unfolded and spent some day. Thanks.

[oz]

I would recommend Methylcellulose. It won't harm the paper, even the money. If you do want to use the money again, just dunk it in water. Before you jump off the deep end though, check out these other forum threads:

Strengthening paper
MC - Methyl Cellulose

Welcome to the forum!

[SenorTortuga]

Would MC work at all to preserve a model made from Japanese Foil (folded with the white paper side out)? I have quite a few foil models and am looking for ways to make them stand the test of time better - the paper has already started fraying on some and they are starting to sag under their own weight. My other thought was to try a clear acrylic spray. Has anyone had any luck with either of these?

[fordel]

Hey, thanks oz, and for the welcome. Seems interesting. I'll go ahead and try the mc and see what it does. Would you happen to know if the brand name of this product makes much of a difference for our purposes?

Sorry to hear that about your models Tortuga. Wish I knew a little more about this than the nothing I do. Hope you figure it out.

[oz]

I've heard that the "better" the brand name, the more soluble the MC is, but as far as I personally care, you can make any MC work.

@Tortuga: I've never tried coating something already made. I would imagine that an acrylic spray would be better at that sort of thing, but I don't know. Maybe someone who has experience with this will speak up?...

After a small bit of research, I saw that a polyurethane varnish can be brushed onto a finished work to make it stiff. I haven't tried it, but again, maybe someone with experience can speak up.

[dinogami]

Just curious if anyone has learned anything more along the lines of this thread. I've successfully coated tiny models I make for earrings for my wife with very thin (not the usual stuff you get in the store) super glue, but in the past those were made with tissue foil, which is kind of a pain to work with at small scales. I'm curious if anyone has tried anything successful for plain paper models. I'm a bit concerned that anything that takes a while to harden will essentially make the paper wet and expand and/or wrinkle. Thoughts?