Working on Fiddly Bits

[kproche]

While I wait for the skirting to be delivered, I took a stab at preserving the paper parasols that will be used as accents in a couple of places. They're far too fragile in and of themselves, so I experimented by filling one with silicone sealant, and a second with a thin drizzle of Gorilla Glue (plus a spritz of water to trigger the foam/curing process). The silicone worked much better, so I proceeded with that.

Siliconed Paper Umbrellas Here are 8 of those paper cocktail parasols that have been coated with silicon adhesive/sealant, resting in a muffin tin to cure

Out of focus closeup of one of the coated parasols

Better focus closeup The hope is that when I core out the center (removing the toothpick) so I can mount these on the eyestalk, the silicone will hold the shape

side view of cured parasol

Top view of cured parasol From the outside, they still look like ordinary paper. With the sealant inside, however, they are much less fragile and exhibit plenty of crumple/tear resistance