Did you know you can make paper at home? Imagine binding
a diary with pages of handmade paper, or framing an original drawing that
you have done on your own paper you made. A poem or recipe given to a friend
will mean much more if it is on paper you made with your loving care.
Most of the paper used to today is made of wood pulp in large
mills. Bit these papers can be broken down again into pulp in your food
blender and turned into new sheets for projects, invitations and greeting
cards.
Paper is cellulose, which comes only from plant or vegetable
fibers. Most plants (including trees) contain substances other than
cellulose and therefore not suited for fine paper unless the other substances
are removed. Cotton is 95 percent cellulose; because cotton fibers
is expensive, it is primarily used for clothing.
Trees are 50 percent cellulose and 50 percent Lignin which binds the
fibers together, and resin.
Now to begin. Please read the directions carefully at first, assemble the needed equipment and enjoy.
Machine made papers are readily available around the house, most made of wood pulp, can easily be recycled with the aid of a food blender. News print, old homework papers, junk mail, paper towels, cereal and film boxes, can be converted into informal note paper or papers for other craft projects.
The waste paper is first reduced to it's original fibers and thoroughly
mixed with water in a blender . Then it is reconstructed into a new
sheet of paper. All wood pulp papers are chemically treated during
the manufacturing process, so you may find that some of your new paper
has spots of unexpected color. The paper might even cause stains
or streaks while it is drying. Please expect this occurrence to happen
if you are just starting out. When you have experimented with different
paper and shredding times, you will find the happy medium to work on. When
you use the Sunday paper with colored inks the over all color will be unpredictable.
Black and white newsprint will produce some tone of gray depending on how
much ink is on the pages.
When you select papers, pick out and discard any cellophane windows
from envelopes, staples, tape and other odd items. Avoid brown paper
bags or heavily coated magazine covers; they are built strong and will
cause your blender much hardship. Fabric dyes work well for color,
for cotton and paper are in the same family. You can also brush diluted
dye on top paper as it is drying to achieve a watercolor effect.
Set up your paper making operation near a sink or where running
water and easy clean-up is present. To assemble a sheet maker that
will make 5 1/2 by 71/2-inch sheets, you will need:
Three standard size kitchen dishpans made of plastic (such as
Rubbermaid); about 5 feet of wood molding strips, 1/4 inch thick and 3/4
inch wide. Two or more pieces of aluminum window screening, each
about 8 by 12 inches; 1/2 inch aluminum tacks; cloth or making tape; a
hammer; a craft knife; and a waterproof ink marker.
To make the paper you will also need: a heavy glass jar
or rolling pin, a food blender (you may want to get a tag sale blender);
an iron; a chopping board to iron on (or other surface that can stand stains
and heat): a terry cloth towel; several cotton press clothes about 10 by
15 inches (old cotton cloth baby diapers work very well or an old sheet);
and the papers you want to recycle.
Three Plastic dishpans are stacked to make the sheetmaker. The bottom
dishpan holds water and catches the over flow that would other wise go
down the kitchen drain. The other two dishpans have identical rectangles
cut out of their bottoms. These cut-outs are framed with woods strips and
form a deckle (essentially a stencil) to determine the size and shape if
your new paper sheets. The deckle is attached to the bottom of the
top dishpan, and the top of your middle one.
On the bottom of the top dishpan, outline a rectangle 5
1/2 by 71/2 inches, and cut it out with a craft knife.
Cut four wood strips to frame the rectangle. the corners can
be mitered or butted, just as long as they meet snugly and form rectangles.
You can use a ready-made picture frame, if it is flat on both sides.
With making or cloth tape, temporarily tape the strips to the
outside bottom of the top dishpan. From the inside, tack the strips
in place with 1/2 inch aluminum tacks --two into each strip will be enough.
Do not use staples or tacks that can rust. Pound the projecting tip
of the tacks flat, remove the tape and trim any uneven edges on the plastic.
Next, turn the middle dishpan upside down and stack the top dishpan
over it so you can trace the cutout on the bottom of the middle dishpan.
Again, cut out the rectangle with a craft knife. Tape the wood strips in
place, to the inside bottom of this dishpan and tack them into position.
Next, layer the three dishpans in the proper order with a sheet
of Aluminum window screening between the top and middle tubs. The
Screen is not attached, but it should be large enough to extend beyond
the edges of the opening so it will not buckle when the liquid pulp is
being poured onto it. If you prefer a finer texture, try using two
pieces of screening. Experiment a little, it all depends of the type
of paper you use and how wet it is.
In review - the layers are:
Top - dishpan with hole and wooden frame attached underneath
Middle - your screen
Middle - dishpan with hole and wooden frame attached
on the inside.
Bottom - Whole dishpan
Start by tearing up paper into small bits. At first,
try just one type of paper; later try different types of paper and colors.
If the paper is heavy and is not easily torn by hand- try pre-soaking the
paper first.
To make one sheet of recycled paper, you will need roughly one full
page of a full-size newspaper. Newspapers and tissues make soft paper and
cereal boxes make stiff paper. The more paper you put in the blender, the
thicker the new paper will be. You need surprisingly little paper
into the mix. The blender pulp should be very dilute and easy to
pour, not thick and lumpy.
Fill the blender about three quarters full of warm water. The
speed you use depends on the weight of the paper, start slowly and increase
the speed as the paper breaks down. Do not remove the lid while it
is on, remove the center cap or stop the blender to add a piece of paper.
Add the scraps one at a time, let each piece break down completely before
adding another. The water will look foamy as it blends. If you use
dye, put it in after all the paper has been added and broken down.
When you have added all the paper - let it blend a bit longer
while you set the three stacked dishpans into the sink and fill them with
warm water just up to the level of the screen. Pour the liquid pulp from
the blender slowly into the pans, distributing it evenly over the screen
rather than pouring it directly in the center of the screen. Practice
makes perfect.
When all the pulp has been poured into the sheetmaker, hold the
top and middle dishpans tightly together and lift them straight up and
out of the bottom dishpan. This lets the water drain away through the screen
and forces the fibers to collect on the op of the screen. Some fibers will
escape through the side, this is Okay.
Lift the dishpans quickly and smoothly, then without tilting,
shake them gently from side to side and front to back. This shaking
will unite the fibers even more. When you notice a change on the surface,
from shiny to dull, stop shaking.
Now you can lift off the top dishpan, revealing the newly-formed
sheet on the screen. Lift the screen out, and lay it on a terrycloth
towel with the paper side up. Put the second screen over the top
and roll out excess moisture with a heavy glass or rolling pin.
Next, transfer the still-wet paper sheet from the screen to the
"felt" - which in this case is a lint-free cotton press cloth on a
wooden cutting board.
You could let the paper air dry, but why not use an iron? Put
a second cotton cloth over the paper sheet and press with a warm, dry iron
(you will be making your own steam). Keep the iron moving; move the paper
occasionally to prevent sticking.
To add decorative touches, you can add thin, small things such
as leaves, flower petals, bits of thread, feathers or blades of grass to
the wet paper sheet before it is pressed. Try putting two thin layers of
different colored papers while it is wet and then iron them together for
a different effect.
Now you have a tool that you can make paper over and over again.
Don't forget to experiment. You have to make mistakes to get excellent
results. Some mistakes are actually better then the intended effect,
two in mind is bleu cheese and penicillin. Keep good notes of the "recipes"
or "formulas" you come up with so you can reproduce the results over and
over again. Enjoy!