MC - Methyl Cellulose

General discussion area for learning about paper, and the different types available.
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origamimasterjared
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Post by origamimasterjared »

Make sure you use a TON of MC. You are not just trying to stick two sheets together--you should be drenching them in the stuff. When it dries it should be really crisp. Also, how big a sheet did you make? I think the largest I've worked with has been 35 cm, which is what I used for the Bahamut.
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Jonnycakes
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Post by Jonnycakes »

That might help-I used a ~50cm sheet, too. I guess I was afraid of drenching it too much since it seemed very hard to keep wrinkle-free when it was drenched. I think I will try coating it twice with MC-once to stick the sheets together and once to really size it.
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Post by zxop9 »

thanks a lot for the responces!!!
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JeossMayhem
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Post by JeossMayhem »

Has anyone made a tutorial for MC treating paper? I googled and youtubed real quick without any results...

I got some nice sheets of unryu today and I don't want to glue it to foil.... I figure the paper's nice enough to save for MC, but I'm intimidated by the process...
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origamimasterjared
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Post by origamimasterjared »

Geoff, do you have Michael LaFosse's Advanced Origami? It has probably the best single write-up dealing with paper preparation. Other decent ones can be found at either Robert Lang's or Marc Kirschenbaum's websites.

I actually don't have any experience with unryu specifically, even though it was one of the first nicer papers I ever bought (although splatter green might be unryu, and I've worked with that a few times). I just haven't had use for the black and red sheets I bought/felt weird about back-coating them to lower quality papers. Anyhow, your best bet is probably back-coating, depending on how thin the paper is and how thin you need it. For insects you'll want just the single layer, but if you plan to fold animals, the thickness of a backcoated sheet is helpful.

I'm actually in the midst of backcoating two sheets of mulberry paper together. It's taking forever to dry...
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you'll have to deposit 50,000 dollars into my bank account.
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Max
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Post by Max »

Here is something like a quick guide:

1. Put MC on a large glass plate or something similar plain.
The MC treated part of the plate should match the sheet of
paper you want work with. Use a lot of MC and spread it even

2. Apply the first sheet of paper beginning from one side
working your way to the other side by coating the MC on the
paper. Wrinkles are not that important at this stage. Use
much MC but less than in the previous step.

3. Apply the second sheet of paper. Depending on the thickness
of the paper used you wont need very much MC, though it
helps when coating the paper at the end to coat out the
wrinkles.

4. Let the paper you made dry on the glass plate for at least
24 hours.

Note: Try to apply the MC evenly. Depending on the paper you
use you will have to vary the amount of MC. I read somewhere
that you should use MC that has the consistency of egg white
and made good experiences with that. Use a thin,fine,smooth
brush for applying MC to thin tissue paper. Don't try to cut
the paper into a square before applying the MC. That makes no
sence since the paper will expand during the MC application.


There is a video somewhere on the net.
I need to make some paper next week, so if you want i can take some pictures of the process...

Greetings!
max
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Post by origami_8 »

The method used by my friend and me is a little bit different. We place two sheets of tissue paper over each other on a clean dry glass plate and apply the MC on top, allowing it to seep through the paper. The first brush stroke is along the top edge, to glue the paper to he plate, afterwards we work our way from the top to the bottom always making straight brush strokes from the middle to the left and right edges, avoiding air bubbles and crinkles.
Let your paper dry thoroughly before peeling it off the plate, this will need some hours.
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JeossMayhem
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Post by JeossMayhem »

Thanks a lot. I do have 'Advanced Origami', and have read about his process but I appreciate receiving other people's input as well. I also tend to over-analyze things I guess, haha.

I'd (and I bet a lot of other people) would also like such a guide, Max.

Now it seems my only problems are 1) getting a large sheet of glass and 2) finding a place in my dorm where I can let a glue-covered sheet of glass sit for 24 hours without anyonye buggering it, haha.


So after a day, it should be totally dry, peel off the glass nicely, and be ready to cut?
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origami_8
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Post by origami_8 »

Yes.
ad1) We use a large frameless picture frame, these are readily available and not very expensive.
ad2) Under your bed?
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JeossMayhem
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Post by JeossMayhem »

1b) Is it the kind of thing you can buy at a hardware store? Or any place that does framing services?
2b) I'm superbunking my dorm (loft, bunk, bunk) since my ceiling is going to be almost twice as high this year, so under the bed is going to be either a tv or shelves and such. But maybe by bunking we'll have created enough extra floorspace... And wouldn't the glue need a little better ai circulation to dry? Or is the 24-hour period kind of overkill just to be really sure it's dry?
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origami_8
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Post by origami_8 »

Yes, you might get them at a hardware store, a office supply store, a dollar store or even at a big supermarket.

The 24 hours are really overkill to be sure its really dry, I'd say between 3 and 8 hours should do in most cases as well.
For me placing the plate under my bed wouldn't work because of the cats, but I assume that you don't have any cats in your dorms. Hope you can find a good place.
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Post by HankSimon »

<Kibitz>

I have never done this, but you don't have to use *glass*... you can use anything that provides a flat, smooth (slick) surface (as Max indicated).

So you could use a shiny metal plate, or a well-varnished (should be waterproof) piece of wood (large shelf or desktop), or even a thick piece of (shellacked ?) cardboard or paste board... since glass might be difficult to deal with in the dorm. Be aware that the paper will take on the texture of the plane surface... so that could be undesirable... or interesting.

My two cents.

<Kibitz>

- Hank Simon
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JeossMayhem
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Post by JeossMayhem »

Thanks, good to know.
Oh, and is it usually better to back-coat instead of applying MC to just one sheet? I have so many questions but I might as well just figure things out for myself, haha.
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