What's a good mixture ratio for white glue/water for putting it onto tissue paper for making a tarp? I am building a StuG III Ausf f8 and putting a tarp on the engine deck and possibly the gun mantlet Do I want to use a thick combination of glue vs water,or use a thin combo?
Also how hard is the tarps once dry to take off the model? That's in case I don't like the way it turned out

Chad

I usually use a 50/50 mixture opf Water and white glue.. I don`t think I need to explain more here. the mix you get will look and run like milk.
What you can do.... And this is a tip before you apply the tarp and also before you screw it up. First make your tissue wet with normal water.. Threath it with care and lay it onto the place where you want it to be.. because the tissue is wet it will form naturally along all the contours underneath. When you don`t like it you simply get it off and take a new wet piece of toiletpaper and do it over just untill you are satsfied then do the 50/50 mix of water and white glue let that dry and voila a beautifull tarp you got there.

Hope it was of some help

Just the same as Faust here, with the exception that I prefer to use a piece of old shirt with a matching pattern instead of tissue paper...
Ciao

I use CHEAP hairspray, the cheaper the better. Apply enough to wet 1 ply of 2 ply tissue (of course I seperate it first). DO NOT DO THIS ON A PAINTED MODEL. The hairspray wiil cause the tissue to stick to the model. Dries in minutes. Then apply an extremely thinned coat of color. The "tarp" is still fairly flexible and I mold it to the area to be covered with my finger and tack it where necessary with white glue. For formed covers like say for a Deuce and a half, I form the cover over the kit top or ribs and remove it before the spray has got a full grip on the plastic, it will then have the basic shape and can be "molded" the rest of the way.
Here are some Hiarspay tarps, they are all freestanding no ribs underneath.

Thanks for the help gents Chuck.never heard of the hairspray method May have to try that and see how it works

half water, half glue. The mixture should be like thick milk when you're done mixing, but thinner than cream. Works great every time. You can use thin tissues (like you use for a cold) in one or several layers, but also toilet tissue, kitchen roll tissue, etc...
Just be careful with painting once it's hard : if you use too wet paint, it will make the tarp soft and soggy again. But it'll dry again after that. I use the airbrush to paint tarps...

1:1 does it. However, I would not use toilet tissue. That is designed to break up in water and could give you problems.
What I do is to lay the thinned glue where I want it and lay yhe tissue over it. Apply more glue mixture to lay it down, then let it dry.
This is pretty durable when dried. I've made side curtains for M151's as well as the whole top for an M151 based ambulance. These have lasted some 8 years now. You can increase the stiffness if you need to by an additional coat of glue mixture. Be careful not to overdo it or you'll lose the tissue's texture.
To test how stiff this will be, lay a bit of the water/gl;ue mixture on sheet stock and let it dry then pry it off.

I use 50/50 (sort of - I wing it till its a stiff mix).
I also do what Faust does - but with a twist. I will (application allowing) put the fasial tissue down dry and touch it with an eye dropper pipetter full of water. I find it a bit easier to work with thhe dry tissue.

As AJ mentioned toilet tissue is to 'soft' in the US, it may be made differnetly in Europe. I use fascial tissue for tarps.

The best paper I have found for this method is the stuff that is stuffed inside new shoes. Soaks in the glue nicely and hopefully some of the water evaporates as it dries leaving the glue. Any time i have ever made tarps with this and white glue (50/50) it has beed rock hard.

I agree with the approximate 50/50 ratio...but I tend to add a bit more glue than water. Too much water makes everything TOO weak.

As far as tissue I use the white gift type tissue, which I think is the sameas what was mentioned as being from shoes. It has a lot more strength than toilet paper.

hi , best to use 50/50 - but before you put your paper on the model , cover it in cling film , then the paper and use the diluted glue to set it hard, after a day , lift off the complete tarp from the cling film - hey presto you can add all your ropes and lashings as they should be through the tarp and not on top , give it a try , cheers ian

Ian, what is "cling film" and do we have a similar product here in the US? #:-)

Spuds, I think cling film is the same as plastic wrap...

Shaun

Yeah, watch out for American toilet paper. It is designed for soft American a**es like mine and will dissolve in water.

Thanks for the tips with hairspray and watering first. You guys are geniouses and generous with your advice. Thanks.

Sealhead (Kansas Sunflower)

I like to make tarps and bedrolls from tissue paper. This is different from toilet tissue or "kleenex". It is the stuff used to wrap delicate gift items. You can get a lifetime supply at the dollar store.

I agree with the mixture ratio of 50/50, my only difference is in application. I use a small spray bottle (used to be an Armorall spritzer I think) and just zzzzt! here and zzzzzt! there.
Works.

Tread.

I use a 50-50 mix of white glue to water. First I stretch a piece of plastic cling wrap over my model making sure that it forms to to the shape then I put my 'tarp' material over this to white glue it. This saves any glue wharsoever getting on my model. If it is still weak after the first coat give it another of 75% glue- 25% water.