Papermaking|
Papermaking in Seven Easy steps Paper has been made by the Japanese for hundreds of years. They originally beat plant materials after soaking them in streams to prepare their pulp. After lifting sheet after sheet out of huge water filled vats using a frame and deckle, piling the sheets of paper one on top of the other and then pressing the excess water out of the pile, they set each sheet out over wood planks to dry in the sunshine. Fibers from old rags shredded and broken down by huge metal Papermaking is fascinating. I have drawn on traditional methods but have improvised so that paper can be made in a home studio without making a humongous mess. Step one: Set up a paper making station It is most convenient if you can do this nearby a sink. The most important thing to consider for your papermaking station is keeping your sink from plugging up. This can be accomplished by straining all waste water through a sieve. Set up a permanent arrangement by using a large ice-cream pail with holes cut at intervals around the bottom edge. Line the pail with a length of flexible screen material. Keep this in the sink and drain all water from your papermaking operation through it Materials needed: scissors or sharp knife, .plastic ice-cream pail prepared with holes around the bottom, length of screen. Step two: Prepare paper for pulp Set up a table near the sink to prepare the pulp. Basically you tear up scrap paper into small pieces and soak in a plastic container. Cover the paper with water and soak for at least a couple of hours but preferably overnight. You can use any kind of scrap paper to make pulp. However if you want to use your paper for your artwork, you should be selective about what you put into the pulp. Newspaper does not give a clean product and magazine pages do not break down easily. Anything else can be considered. When you get the hang of things and want to experiment, a variety of other things such as plant fibers, seeds etc. can be added to the pulp. Materials needed: table, scrap paper, water, plastic pail or vessel. Step three: Liquify the pulp Use an old blender to liquefy the soaked paper. Add about half a cup of soaked paper to the blender and fill the blender three quarters with water Hold the lid on and pulse the blender working up to the fastest speed. Let it blend for one and half to three minutes. If the blender is complaining, you have put in too much paper. Unplug the blender and carefully remove some of the paper. The longer you have soaked the paper the easier it is for the blender to liquefy the paper. It takes many loads using about a handful of the paper each time. Repeat this procedure until there is enough pulp. Add more water to the tub and you are now ready to make your paper. The ratio of pulp to water determines the thickness of your paper. Materials needed: A blender not needed for any purpose other than papermaking, a second larger plastic vessel. Size will be dictated by the size of your frame and deckle. It should be somewhat larger so that the pulp can be scooped out in a lifting motion and. then drained Step four: Lift the pulp Distribute the pulp fibers evenly in the water and use a screened frame and deckle (a frame without a screen, preferably the same size as the screened frame) to lift the pulp from the water with a scooping motion. In other words, once you have the pulp mixed throughout the water take the frame and deckle and dip it at an angle into the tub. Raise the pulp in a scooping motion to the surface of the water and slowly give the frame and deckle a little shake to distribute the fibers evenly. The sheet of newly made paper will be the size of the frame and deckle. Materials needed : frame (screened) and deckle (open frame) Step five: Press the paper . Now lift the pulp completely out of the water. Rest it on the edge of the vessel using a yardstick for support (see photo below). Remove the deckle, place a length of screen over the top of the lifted pulp on the frame and press with a cellulose sponge until the excess water is drained back into the tub. Materials needed: length of screen, yardstick, and cellulose sponge. Step six: Prepare paper for drying When all excess water is removed, turn the frame over onto an old placemat or other absorbent material such as blankets or newspaper. The pulp will not fall off the screen. You have to coax it from the corners. Use a flat knife under the corner to start the movement. More sheets can be piled one on top of the other, each separated by another placemat. A rolling pin is helpful to press more water from the sheet(s) but is not necessary. At this point the paper may be embossed with any object you wish. Anything you press into the damp sheet of paper will be remembered. Materials needed: old place mats, flat knife. Step seven: Drying the paper If you put the new sheet of paper outside in the sunshine it will dry fairly quickly. The microwave is even faster. (Caution: Paper can burn if left too long in the microwave.) Ironing is another way to dry the paper quickly. In this case the result will be quite smooth Materials needed: iron, microwave
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