Flour Glue

2 April 20222 minutes

Introduction

Flour paste, also known as wheat paste, is a glue made from vegetable starch and water. It has been used for centuries for arts and crafts such as book binding, découpage, collage, papier-mâché, and is commonly used for pasting posters and notices to walls. It makes a great alternative to PVA glue.

Materials and equipment 

  • Wheat flour
  • Salt (optional)
  • Water
  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • Mixing bowl
  • Measuring cup or bowl
  • Whisk
  • Cooker
  • Storage box

Method

  1. Mix 1 part water to 1 part flour in your mixing bowl to a runny consistency. Use a whisk to make sure you have no lumps.
  2. Put 3 parts water into the saucepan and bring it to the boil.
  3. Add the cold flour and water mix to the saucepan, while stirring with the whisk.
  4. You can add a spoon of salt here to act as  a preservative
  5. Gently heat the mix, stirring all the time with the whisk to ensure there are no lumps.
  6. The mixture will start to thicken quickly. Turn down the heat when it begins to boil but keep stirring it for about a minute over the heat. This is to cook the flour and make it sticky.
  7. When it is a smooth consistency, and has been cooking for about a minute, pour it into a lunch box or bowl and allow it to cool down.
  8. When the mix is cold it will be very thick and jelly-like.
  9. Add 1 – 2 more parts water and stir it with the whisk again until it forms a smooth paste, a bit like the consistency of wallpaper paste. Start with 1 part water, if it is still very thick and lumpy add little more water and keep stirring until it is smooth but still thick.
  10. Once you have mixed up your paste with water, that's it, you are ready to use your new home-made glue!

Notes

If you want to make it extra sticky you can add a tablespoon of sugar to the mix before it cools, just make sure it is dissolved and well mixed through. 

You can store the flour paste in the fridge for up to a week, but if you leave it much longer and it will start to get quite stinky!

Finally - Get Making! This glue does take longer than PVA to dry so don't use too much and have a little patience.