Methyl Cellulose, 4000 cP

Description

Methyl cellulose powder for a low-tack, fully reversible adhesive and for use as a poultice or a size. Disperse in a little hot water to wet the powder without lumping, then bring up to volume with cold and leave it to clear — the two-stage method is the whole technique, and adding cold water to dry powder produces a jar of gel-coated lumps that never dissolve. Weaker than starch paste, which is frequently the point: it is the right choice for hinging where the hinge must fail before the object does, and for consolidating a friable surface without darkening it. Chemically stable, neutral, will not yellow, will not support mould the way a starch paste will if it is left sitting. Keeps indefinitely as dry powder; made-up solution keeps for weeks refrigerated.