Beginning Boxes

So, I decided to start making boxes for the advent calendar challenge this morning--at 3:30 AM because I couldn't sleep. As I started to begin in the studio (the second bedroom of my apartment), I realized that I didn't have all of the materials that I needed to start. There is nothing more frustrating to me than having the desire to start a project and then spend time prepping materials that should have already been made.  First, I had to make some Methyl Cellulose (MC).  This is a paste product--think glue stick in liquid form. I mix the MC with PolyVinyl Accetate (PVA), aka industrial white glue, so that the drying time is increased. Using straight PVA dries too quickly when working with paper so you need some MC to extend the time before it dries.  This is equivalent to extender used in acrylic paints. This is really important right now because it is so hot in NYC that glue dries even faster.

Picture one shows MC thickening in the kitchen. It is best to let the mixture thicken overnight. Usually, you make two different versions--a thin version and a thick version depending on how your PVA is acting.  If your PVA is too thick, then you add the thin version. If the PVA is too thin, you add more PVA or the thick version of MC.  To make matters worse, sometimes you use straight PVA, as opposed to the mixture--called MIX, when working with boards. In other words, there are a lot of labelled pickle jars with white and liquid stuff in them. Thank goodness I like pickles.

The second order of business was a stylistic one.  I know that I want to make boxes based on a 2 inch cube. In other words, the single box will be a 2 by 2 inch box. The double box will be a 2 by 4 inch box and so on.  Because the boxes are doing to either be small or narrow, I need to cover the inside surfaces of the boxes before they are assembled. Therefore, I have to take binder's board and cover it on one side with the paper that I want to appear on the inside of the box. After looking at my stash of paper, I decided to use a Uhuru mulberry style paper in white (picture 2)

Unfortunately in box making and bookbinding, what happens on one side has to happen on the other.  In other words, since I would not be making the boxes tonight, I needed to compensate for the moisture that was added to the one side of the binder's board. If left alone, the board would warp as the paper started to shrink while drying. Like a math equation on opposite sides of the equal sign (what you do to one side, you have to do to the other), to compensate and counteract the warping, you have add paper on the reverse side. This side has been glued with waste paper (newsprint) (picture 3). Since there was moisture introduced to both sides of the board, theoretically it should dry flat.  When making boxes, it is always a good habit to start with straight boards or your corners will never be square.

Several hours later, I will try and go to sleep before I have to wake up to go to work.