Shaping (insect legs) with MC

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FoldSkate
Junior Member
Posts: 75
Joined: September 22nd, 2012, 12:08 am

Shaping (insect legs) with MC

Post by FoldSkate »

Ive tried to wet the entire leg flaps before with mc, and then shape them, but when I do that the layers become really slippery against eachother so thinning the flaps becomes even more challenging because there is so much splay. Using PVA works well for me because I glue every single layer together, and then you can fold that as one without it splaying. I feel like the point of using MC tho is so that you can shape the leg a certain way, and then when the MC dries the leg will stay exactly how you shaped it, and you could still change it with water if you wanted to. I'm not sure if my glue (Elmers White Glue) will be reactivated with water so that could be a downside to using it. How do you people shape insect legs with MC? Do you soak the layers with MC, let them dry, and then re-wet to shape?
Froy
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Re: Shaping (insect legs) with MC

Post by Froy »

MC is mainly used for sizing. For shaping is better to use glue.

Sizing is just adding more "glue" to the paper. Remember that the paper makers use MC based glue to make paper. You can read more about this in Lang site or in his book I think. You can use PVA glue diluted with water but it is a bit harder to achieve good results.

Use glue!

Glue is a tool. If you want to keep you job to keep the shape for a bit of time you need to use what ever you wish and think it works for you. Look in the final pages of the book published by origami house. Even they suggest you to use glue!

There is nothing wrong with using glue. If you want a model that do not require anything to help it hold its shape it needed to be designed with that in mind.

For wet shaping the trick is not the "wet" the paper or it will star to tear apart, and if you use MC it will become slippery. If you size your paper using MC you only need to damp it a bit. Remember wet shaping is not really wet, it is more like damping the paper. Aaaaand you need a ton of patience, one day wont be enough to finish a model using wet folding. When wet folding never rush to the end take you time.
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FoldSkate
Junior Member
Posts: 75
Joined: September 22nd, 2012, 12:08 am

Re: Shaping (insect legs) with MC

Post by FoldSkate »

Thanks for the reply! I think you're right about just using the glue instead of mc unless i need to stiffen something to make it stand! I'm currently finishing the shaping of Kamiya's Lucanus Maculifemoratus and I've been just putting glue between every layer and then shaping like that, I'll post pics when done
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