RFA

[curgoth]

Leaves!

I am making masks out of tree bark collected from dead wood. For one of the masks, I thought it would look nice to add leaves to it for a sort of Green Man look. I am trying to maintain a plausible periodicity to the project - that is, I'm not using anything that would be completely unobtainable to a relatively primitive tech level, but I'm willing to cheat and update the technique - so, since glue can be made pretty easily, I am using glue, but I'm willing to use epoxy and modern carpenter's glue.

I'm looking for a way to preserve some green leaves to attach them to the mask, so that they won't crumble from drying out as they would if I left them untreated. neeuqdrazil has suggested wax, which might work (ironing between wax paper sheets, for example), but I am curious to find out what other people think of as possible methods. And so I turn again to you, LazyWeb, for your advice.

Comments

[sylvarthorne.livejournal.com]

According to some Googliciousness: one part glycerin to two parts water; submerge leaves for 2 to 6 days. Apparently the leaves will soak up the liquid and still be soft, instead of dry and crumbly.

[pez-minotaur.livejournal.com]

you could also try a spray on clear varnish. I realize that might violate your tech level restriction but it's somthing to consider.

[tryslora]

I use a brief soak in lemon-water to keep my herbs from turning brown when I dry them. So that'd keep the green.

Since you're using glue already, you could shape the leaves into the shape you want them to retain and then paint them with a mixture of glue/water (not sure of the ratio) to harden and protect/preserve them without crumbling.

[cielf.livejournal.com]

I know they did something like this for the WinterGarden restoration -- should be easy enough to find out what they did -- whatever it was worked very well. (I hear neeuqdrazil wouldn't mind going on the tour....) I think they may have used some sort of preservative drawn up into the branches and leaves.

TPL has at least one book that may have the information in it: Double take : the story of the Elgin and Winter Garden theatres by Hilary Russell. Robarts has the newsletter from the project listed: Newsette : the newsletter of the Elgin and Winter Garden Project by the Ontario Heritage Foundation.

(Amicus is my hammer.)