paste and paper curl

In experimenting with different kinds of paste, I found an interesting thing. Not only does sugar make paste stick to a wider variety of surfaces, it also changes the drying time.

So, here is a picture of a piece that was coated (on its back) with paste that had no sugar. Notice that the curl is in the direction of the pasted side -- meaning that the paste dried before the paper, and thus the shrinkage occurred on that side.Next, is a picture of a piece that was coated (again on the back) with paste which did contain sugar. Note that the curl is going away from the pasted side -- so here the paper dried before the paste.

Now you ask "then there must be a balance then right?" And the answer is, yes there is. I found that paste which contained equal parts flour and sugar did not make the paper curl in either direction (barring the usual warping from getting wet during application). Here's the good recipe so far:

1 part white flour (aka "all purpose")
1 part sugar
4 parts water

Cook until it thickens... and you're good to go.