Step 16: Wrapping the base

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I went with the cotton tape to wrap the base rather than rattan strips purely from past experience. I had found rattan strips at Spotlight (local arts and craft store) but opted for the former.
The glue I used was from a recipe I found online which involved boiling flour and water together to get a thick paste. Worked well but it was time consuming making the glue and took a while for the glue to dry. However, it turned out pretty good with the cotton tape holding its shape and keeping things together.

3 thoughts on “Step 16: Wrapping the base”

  1. Hello. I admire the work on your projects and the way you’ve handled them. I had a question about the flour and water mixture you use.

    Did you use any specific type of flour?

    I also see that you used calligraphy paper for the lion layers, but if I can’t use calligraphy paper, what other options do you know of?

    I hope I’m not bothering you. Have a nice day 🐍♥️

    Reply ↓

    • Hey, thanks for reaching out. It’s a great question. I previously just used plain white flour mixed with water to the consistency that I wanted which was sloppy! But what I’ve found is that my earlier lions have started to attract wheat weevils. In effect I’ve had to strip those lions back because the buggers have eaten the lion! So with my latest lion, I ended up using rice flour instead.

      Regarding the paper, I suppose you could use any paper. There’s a few things to be mindful of though. Calligraphy paper is light but strong so it means the lion is pretty durable without compromising on the weight. The lion might get a bit heavier with other paper. I know one of the old Vietnamese lions I have played around with was made of newspapers and it was heavy! The other thing is trying to choose white coloured paper so you don’t have to prime the paper first before painting. An extra layer of primer paint means weight!

      I hope that helps.

      Reply ↓

      • Thank you so much for responding to my comment. I’ll take special note of the rice flour and paper. I’ll see if I can get hold of the calligraphy paper. Have a nice day and blessings.
        Blessings and thanks again for your help 🐍♥️

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