# A micro guide to wheatpaste
**Making paste**
You need 1 part flour to 4 parts water
1. Use 1 of the 4 parts water to mix
flour into a slurry. Stir vigorously
2. Boil the rest of the water on medium or high heat
3. Drizzle the flour slurry into the boiling water, whisking as you do
4. Lower the heat to low and stir slowly, letting it cook for about 3 minutes
5. Turn off the heat, let it cool until its cool enough to not melt plastic, and put in a jar or bottle
**Application**
You need the thing you want to paste, the wheatpaste, and an utensil to apply (roller, paintbrush, even an old sponge or rag should work)
1. Coat the surface underneath (with round motions to fill crevices)
2. Put paper on top stretching from the center out radially
3. Coat with more wheatpaste on top, to help glue better and protect against rain
## FAQ
* _"I don't know how to draw/paint! This is cool and all but I don't have anything to paste up!"_
You can always swap designs with other artists and print those, artists love seeing their work reach afar. You can also just draw a little doodle you identify with and write a pseudonym or something.
* _"Is this legal to do on the streets?"_
On paper, in most places, not really; but in practice, almost always, the worst that can happen is people will scrape it off. Art tends to get a free pass here.
* _"How long does wheatpaste last?"_
About a couple days in the fridge. If you want to use it for longer, a splash of vinegar helps preserve it by warding off microbes. If it smells sour or fermented, discard it immediately! The microbes in contaminated wheatpaste **will** eat your material (and the starch binding it) inside out.
