INTRODUCTION:

Today was a rather boring day. It was raining, and due to lighting, I couldn't get online. So, help ease the boredom, I decided to try and make paper shell hemies. They surprisingly turned out really strong, here is how three inch hemies are made:

MATERIALS:

One "Fast Food Play Ground" Type ball.

Four sheets of notebook paper per hemi.

Al Foil

Glue/paste ( I used SheetRock Joint Compound thinned with water)

PROCEDURE:

To begin, cut the plastic ball in half. Set this aside for later use. Now,take the four sheets of paper, and wet them with warm water. Carefully crumple them up, and then un-crumple them. This allows the paper to conform to the ball easier. Take one of the ball semi-spheres and place it upside down ( like a dome, curve facing up). Get your Al foil, and place a sheet large enough to take the shape of the semi-sphere over the "dome". Now, take your four wet sheets of paper and soak them in your glue/paste. Remove extraneous glue/paste. Now, place the paper over the foil, and add another layer of foil over that. So now you should have a 'sandwich of foil+paper+foil. The next step is to take the other semi-sphere, and place it over the former, and 'sandwich'. Press down, allowing the papers to conform to the outside of the former. Now, remove the "presser" from the "former". Using your thumbs and fingers, mold the papers into the _INSIDE_ of one of the molds. Cut off most of the excess paper, and remove the almost finished hemi from the mold. Let completely dry! I dried mine in my oven for 30 minutes on 250ºF. Once 75% dry, peel off the TOP layer of foil, and place back into the oven. When dry, place back into the mold, to make sure it held its shape. Now, with a pair of scissors, cut around the edge of the mold. This will give you a perfect edge.