Paper
Making Directions
Equipment
There
is very little equipment you will need to get started. You can
start out with cheap equipment that you find around the house
to see if you will like paper making and then invest in better
equipment if you decide it is something that you want to explore
further.
1. A mold and deckle - A mold and deckle is used to form the
paper. The mold is used like a sieve to pick up the paper fibers
that are floating around in a tub or vat of water. It is basically
a frame with a piece of screen or nylon mesh stretched across
the top. The deckle is the same size as the mold and is laid
on top of the mold. It keeps the paper pulp from running off
the mold. So basically you just need two frames of the
same size, one with a screen attached to it and the other without.
If you have any old picture frames laying around, you can use
those to get started. They need to be completely flat on at
least one side and the same size. They probably won't
last very long, but it is a good way to get started if you don't
want to invest in a real mold and deckle before you are sure
paper making is something you want to get into.
Directions for
making a mold and deckle:
What
you will need:
3/4" x 3/4" pine boards - at least 84 inches long
screen, nylon mesh, or silk screen
hand saw and miter box
rust proof staples
brass screws
wood glue
clear varnish
corner brackets
bar clamp
What
to do:
1. Cut the 3/4" x 3/4" pine boards into four- 10 inch lengths
and four - 11 inch lengths.
2. To make the deckle arrange two 10 inch boards and two 11
inch boards like the diagram above. The 10 inch boards are on
the sides and the 11 inch boards are in the middle. The
inside measurements will be 8 1/2" x 11" and will give you an
8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper. Use wood glue to secure the
edges and place a bar clamp on the outside pieces to hold the
3. When the glue is dry screw corner brackets on each side of
the frame.
4. Do the same thing with the other four boards to make the
frame.
5. When both frames are complete, paint on several coats of
clear varnish and let it dry for several days.
6. When one frame is completely dry, cut a piece of screen or
nylon mesh about one inch longer on each side than the frame.
Use a stapler to staple the mesh on the frame. Start by folding
the edge of the screen under half an inch and stapling it to
the outside side of one side of the frame in the center. Pull
the screen tight and fold over the opposite edge of the screen
half inch and staple it to the opposite side of the frame in
the center. Do the same thing to the other two sides.
You should have the screen stapled once in the center of each
side. Now staple the rest of the screen to the frame by stapling
the screen down tight on all the sides. You should have
a row of staples all the way around the sides of the frame.
Don't staple one whole side and then another, but instead take
turns putting a few staples on each side until all the staples
are in place.
Electric blender or food processor - You will need a
good quality food processor or blender to make your paper into
pulp.
Other
equipment:
* Bowls and buckets to soak your paper and store the pulp
in.
* Some type of vat or tub that is large enough to accommodate
your mold and deckle.
* Couching cloths to hold the sheets of paper and absorb
the excess water. You can use torn up sheets or kitchen
clothes as long as they are bigger than the paper you are making.
* Newspapers used to press the papers between and absorb
excess water.
* Pressing Board - the wet sheets are laid between two
boards to remove as much water as possible. The boards can be
made out of plywood that has been sealed with an acrylic varnish.
The boards should be larger than the sheets you are making. You
can place bricks or other heavy objects on top of the board to
apply pressure or you can use G-clamps.
* Sponges to soak up excess water
* Drying Board - You need a flat smooth surface to lay
your pressed sheets on to dry.
* Iron - Use an iron to make your sheets dry faster with
a smooth surface.
Supplies
and Materials
1. Discarded Paper - The better the quality of paper you
use the better the quality of paper you will make. You can use
almost any type of paper you can find. Glossy paper with pictures
from magazines do not work well. Newspapers can be used but
the high acid content and black ink will not make a high quality
paper. The best types of papers are computer paper, photocopy
paper, writing paper, and envelopes with the glued parts removed.
2. Glues and size - If you are making paper to be used for
writing or painting you might want to make them less absorbent
by adding size to the vat before you form the paper. You can
use white glue, household starch, gelatin, or cold-water wallpaper
paste.
3. Paints and dyes - You can use water-based paints or fabric
dyes to add color to your paper. You can also you plants
and other objects to add color to your paper. For example, you
can add coffee, tea, or onion skins to your vat to make your
papers darker.
4. Natural
and other accessories to decorate your papers. Natural
objects such as dried leaves and flowers go very will with hand
made paper. You can also use a wide range of objects to add texture
to your paper and embossing your paper.
Paper Making Directions
1.
Sort your paper into different colors. Make sure you don't have
any staples or glue on the paper. Tear the paper into
one inch squares.
2. Place the torn up papers into a large tub and pour hot water
over the paper pieces and stir it up so that all the paper is
wet. Let the paper soak overnight.
3. Place a handful of the soaked paper into a blender or food
processor and fill it with water to about 2/3 full.
4. Blend or process the paper just until it is the consistency
of oatmeal. Don't blend too long because the final paper
will not be very strong if you break up the fibers too much.
5. Fill the vat or tub you will be using to make the paper to
about half full. Pour the processed paper into the tub.
Continue until all your paper is processed and in the tub.
6. Now it is time to set up your work area. Have all your supplies
handy. Set up a "couching mound" where you will remove
excess water from your paper. Lay a kitchen towel or some newspaper
on the table and then cover with a damp square of sheet.
7. Now it is time to make your paper. Place your mold, screen
side up, on a table and then place the deckle on top. Stir up
the pulp in the tub so that the fibers float on top. While holding
the mold and deckle together on the sides, quickly dip the mold
and deckle into the vat vertically (on the side closest to you)
scooping up the pulp with the mold. When the mold and deckle
is level underneath the surface of the water and the pulp has
formed an even coat over the deckle, slowly lift the mold and
deckle straight up out of the pulp.
8. Hold the mold and deckle over the tub until the water runs
off.
9. Lay the mold and deckle on some newspaper and carefully remove
the deckle by lifting it up straight off the mold.
10. Now place one long side of the mold onto the side
of the couching mound at a 90 degree angle. With one continuous
motion, bring the mold down over the mound so that the pulp
side of the mold is laying flat on the mound.
11. Leave the mold resting on the pulp and couching mound
so that it absorbs the excess moisture. Use a sponge to absorb
the excess moisture from the bottom of the mold by pressing
on the screen until all the water is absorbed.
12. Carefully roll the mold off, leaving the plup on the
couching cloth.
13. Cover the pulp with another damp cloth. Continue making
paper until you have used up the pulp or the paper becomes too
thin. If you don't use all your pulp, you can drain the
excess pulp on your mold, squeeze out the excess water, and
let it dry out. Store the dried paper pulp in a bag until
you are ready to make paper again.
14. When you are finished making sheets of paper, pick
up the whole stack of paper with the couching cloths and lay
them on a flat board that is a little bit bigger than the paper.
Place another board on top of the paper. You can stand on top
of the board to press the moisture out or lay a heavy object
on top. Leave overnight.
15. The next day you can lay the sheets of paper out on
a flat surface to continue drying or use a hot iron to finish
drying the sheet.
Links
Preservation
Education and Awareness - You will find some good directions on this site with photo
tutorial
Book
Arts -
In depth articles on making books and paper making, links to
other paper making sites.
Mold
and Deckle - Here you will find direction on how to make your own mold
and deckle
Learn2make
homemade paper - This site has a great tutorial on how to make handmade paper.
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