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Intro to Handmade Paper from Plants
Supplies
Needed:
-
Plant
fiber, recycled paper, or linter processed into pulp
(see below)
-
A
mould and deckle – a simple embroidery hoop and a
piece of net, or two small wooden frames and a piece of
screen mesh, or a commercially made mould & deckle
-
A
vat for each color or type of pulp – small concrete
mixing tubs or large dish pans work well
-
Felts
– interfacing or Handi-wipe type absorbent material
may be used
-
Sponge
or absorbent cloth to remove water from wet sheets of
paper
-
Towels
– One to couch on, one for your hands
-
A
rolling pin to remove water and flatten wet sheet of
paper
-
Bucket
to transport water
-
Paint
strainer and colander to drain pulp during clean-up
-
Two
acrylic or plastic serving trays to contain the water
while working (optional)
-
Apron
(optional)
-
Inclusions
such as pieces of thread, or paper bits, etc. (optional)
HOW
TO MAKE PULP:
Using
recycled paper to make pulp in a blender: Tear
up construction paper, recycled mail envelopes, or other
paper into 1” squares.
The better quality of the paper, the better quality
of the finished handmade paper. Soak the paper pieces in a tub for at least an hour.
To make pulp, put a handful of wet paper pieces into
the blender and fill with water.
Pulse for about 12 – 20 seconds.
Be careful not to put too many paper pieces in your
blender or you may burn it up.
This will macerate the paper into pulp.
Making
pulp from linters with a wiz mixer: Cut
up abaca (banana leaf paper) and cotton linters, (purchased
from papermaking suppliers) into 1-2” pieces.
Soak for 2-3 hours.
Put 1/4th of each linter into a 5 gallon
bucket with a lid and fill ¾ full with water.
The lid needs to have a slit cut in the top to fit
the bucket. Using a wiz mixer (an electric paint stirrer on
an electric drill) mix the linter pieces and water for 15
minutes
Processing
plants before making pulp:
Cut the stems, vines or leaves into 2-3” pieces.
Process leaves and tougher stems separately. Soak plant material for 1-2 hours. Rinse. Put
plant material in 8qt. stainless steel or enamel pot filled
with cool water. Carefully add soda ash or sodium carbonate
to pot and stir with wooden spoon or stick. [To
figure the amount of soda ash needed: You may weigh the dry fiber before it is soaked
and use 20% of the dry material as the amount of soda
ash needed, OR use 1 TBSP soda ash per 1 qt. water. Sodium
carbonate can be purchased from pool suppliers in 1 lb
containers.] Cook plant material for about three hours.
Cool. Rinse well. The
plant material must be cooked to remove non-cellulose
materials from the cellulose fiber. Keep a written record of
each batch of plant fiber if possible (see Helen Hiebert’s
Papermaking with Plants for chart suggestions).
Note
from Elizabeth: If you are making handmade paper out of
recycled paper or cotton linters with kids and only want to
add a bit of hay or seeds, etc, you don't need to
cook down the plant material in soda ash (sodium carbonate).
But if you want the plant material to be the main fiber, you
must cook it in sodium carbonate to remove the lignin and
anything that is not cellulose. Otherwise, it will
deteriorate over an unspecified time depending on that
particular plant. For example, if a newspaper is used
to make handmade paper, its shelf life its that of a
newspaper - a week or two. If you want to make art
that is lasting, with a balanced ph, get rid of all acid and
only use good quality recycled paper for the project.
(Tracey
adds: You can make your own pulp as follows - Cut fibrous
plant material like corn leaves into smallish pieces. Soak
overnight. You need to boil it with an alkali to separate
the lignin from the cellulose. Soda ash works well but so
does plain old wood ash. Experiment with different
proportions as there are many variables. Put bits at a time
through a blender and there you have it....your own pulp,
made entirely from plant matter. Makes for some wonderful
textures. from Getty TeacherArtExchange post 9/01/2005)
Using
processed plants to make pulp in a blender: Some
plants, like daylily and hosta, can be macerated in a
blender after cooking (see above).
Other tougher plants, like corn shucks, need to be
beaten in a Hollander beater (see below).
Put a handful of cooked plant fiber into the blender
and fill with water. Pulse
for about 12 seconds. Be
careful not to put too much plant fiber into your blender or
you may burn it up. This
will macerate the plant fiber into pulp. Plant pulp can be
kept in an airtight container in a refrigerator for months.
Hand
beating
plant fiber: After
plant fiber is cut, cooked, and rinsed (as above), the fiber
can be beaten
by hand with two paddles on a flat surface for 20-30 minutes
until the plant material can be seen as individual cellulose
fibers when tested in a shaken jar or bottle of
water.
Hollander
beater
– Used to process many plant fibers.
This type of beater is a table-sized
or bigger water tub with a grinding wheel.
Hollanders cost thousands of dollars, but are
required for serious paper makers.
HOW
TO MAKE A SHEET OF PAPER:
Making
a sheet of handmade paper (HMP):
Fill each vat ¾ full with water and add 2-4 cups of pulp depending on the size of
the vat and the thickness of the paper.
Add formation aid if necessary to increase the
viscosity of the water to slow the draining time when
pulling a sheet of paper. [To
make homemade formation aid,
add 1 cup fresh or frozen okra to 1 liter of water. Keep in
refrigerator overnight. 1 cup okra juice can be used per vat
of water.] 2
TBSP internal sizing can be added to the vat at this time if
the paper is to be used for watercolor or calligraphy.
Hog the vat by immersing both hands in the vat and shaking them softly below the
water line. Do
this between each sheet of paper.
Using a mould and deckle, you will pull
a sheet of paper.
The deckle (frame alone) fits over the mould (mesh
screen over a frame). Holding the mould and deckle with both
hands on either side with the deckle on top, with the mesh
screen facing up, lower it vertically into the vat.
Gradually tilt it horizontally towards you, making
sure it is well below the surface of the water. Slowly lift
it above the water, gently shaking the mould and
deckle forwards/backwards, then right/left.
Let it drain for 15-20 seconds. Gently lift the
deckle frame and set it aside.
Turn
the mould over and couch it onto a wet felt.
The easiest way to get the wet sheet off the mould is
to roll it onto a wet felt placed over a hump made from a
rolled up wet towel. If
the towel and felt are on a plastic tray, it will contain
the excess water.
To
remove
the excess water from the couched sheet of wet
paper, carefully move the freshly couched sheet on its felt
onto another plastic tray. Place another felt or absorbent
cloth on top of the wet sheet and sponge it gently while
softly pressing. A
rolling pin can also be used to gently roll the water
to the sides of the sheet. If you push too hard, too
quickly, the water will cause the fibers to bubble out,
damaging the sheet of wet paper.
Hang the damp sheet of paper, still on its felt, on a clothesline or lay flat on
a screen to dry. Drying
time will vary.
Pressing a couched stack of wet sheets of paper on their felts with a hydraulic
press is the best solution for removing the excess water
when couching onto felts.
When possible, wet
vacuuming the couched sheet of wet paper through a stretched piece of
silkscreen like fabric is very efficient.
This is my preferred method. The sheet remains on the
screen until dry.
Other ways to dry the damp sheet: Remove the damp sheet of paper from the felt and
brush it onto a slick glass-like surface; changing the wet
felts for dry ones while the sheets are stacked under
weights; or stacking the wet sheets on felts between
corrugated cardboard, wrapped in a sheet of plastic while a
box fan blows air through the stack.
To cure paper: Keep it under a flat weight for at least a week after it is dry to
keep the paper from curling.
If the paper wasn’t restrained and is curled when
dry, it can be spritzed with water and ironed with a warm
iron, or spritzed and put under a flat weight between dry
felts.
Sizing: Dry
paper can be sprayed with starch and ironed.
It is not the best method. The preferred method used
by papermakers is internal sizing added in the vat or hot
gelatin sizing brushed on dry paper.
The paper must be sized to be used later for
watercolor or calligraphy.
Inclusions: Small pieces of thread, bits of colored paper, glitter, etc. can be
added to the vat to add interest to the paper. Test questionable items for colorfastness before adding to
the vat unless you don’t mind the colors bleeding. While some flowers are color fast and can be added, dried
rose petals will bleed and possibly mold.
VOCABULARY
Handmade
Paper (HMP)
Inclusions
Couching
Hollander Beater
Recycled Paper
Mould & Deckle
Hog the Vat
Wiz Mixer
Abaca/Cotton (50/50)
Vat
Plant Fibers
Formation Aid
Linter
Hollander Beater
Pulling a Sheet of Paper
Felts
Cellulose
Sizing
More
on making handmade paper:
Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources (10 page pdf file)
BOOKS, WEBSITES &
SUPPLIERS
Asunción,
Josep. The Complete Book of Papermaking. New York:
Lark
Books, 2001.
Bell,
Lilian. Plant Fibers for Papermaking. Oregon:
Liliaceae Press, 1995.
Carriage House Paper. <http://www.carriagehousepaper.com>
Hand Papermaking. <http://www.handpapermaking.org>.
Hiebert, Helen. Papermaking with Plants. Vermont:
Storey Books, 1998.
Hopkins, Peter. 10 March 2004. Daniel Vose and
papermaking .
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Papermaking>.
Hunter,
Dard. PAPERMAKING -
The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft. New York:
Alfred
A. Knopf, 1943.
Karr,
Joanne B. PAPERMAKING AND BOOKBINDING - Coastal
Inspirations. East Sussex, England:
Guild
of Master Craftsman Publication Ltd, 2003.
Lorente, Marie-Jeanne. The Art of Papermaking with
Plants (Paperback)
Petty,
Gin. Bookbinding Journal. <http://www.ginpetty.com>.
Reimer-Epp,
Heidi and Mary Reimer. The Encyclopedia of Papermaking
& Bookbinding.
London:
Running Press, 2002.
Saddington,
Marianne. Making Your Own Paper – An Introduction to
Creative Paper-making.
Vermont:
Storey Communications, 1993.
Talas
Bookbinding Supplies
<http://talasonline.net>
Twinrocker
Handmade Paper.
<http://www.twinrocker.com>.
© 2005
Elizabeth Adams Marks
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