Papermaking At Home by Arnold Grummer

Two Options for Papermakers
•Three things are required to make paper: water, fibers, and a sieve.
• In this discussion, the sieve is a papermaking screen supported between two halves of a handmold. The top part of the handmold determines the size and shape of the paper and is called the deckle. The whole unit-deckle, papermaking screen, and undercarriage to support the screen-is called the handmold.
• Home papermakers can choose between pour and dip handmolds. A pour handmold's deckle has high sides, usually three or more inches. Paper is made by pouring a small amount of pulp into the mold's deckle.
• A dip mold's deckle has shallow sides, usually less than an inch high. Paper is made by dipping the mold into three or more inches of pulp in the vat.
• Whether using the pour or dip handmold, your success depends on how the pulp is prepared.

Supplies needed:
• A vat (flat, five-gallon plastic tub); kitchen blender; cotton kitchen cloths or couching felts; a paper press or flat boards for pressing, or an iron for heat-pressing, cotton linters or other fibers; wastepaper; inclusions such as dried flower petals; and a handmold (dip or pour).

Preparing Pulp and Forming Sheets by Recycling

The Pour Method:
•For pour molds, recycle paper that is slightly larger than the sheet you want to make. For example, to make a 5-1/2" X 8-1/2" sheet of handmade paper, recycle three quarters of an 8-1/2" X 11" sheet of wastepaper.
• Pulp can be made from craft-paper discards, gift wrap, junk mail, or prepackaged cotton linters. Newspaper is not a good choice, although adding bits from the funny pages or torn-up colorful advertisements will add visual interest.
• Tear the paper into small strips and put them in the blender with two cups of water. Blend at medium speed for 10-20 seconds to make your pulp. Blend the pulp in spurts, being careful not to over-blend. You should be able to see individual fibers dispersed throughout the water; longer fibers make for stronger sheets.
• For "chunky" pulp, blend for less time than smooth pulp. Note: kitchen blenders chop rather than beat the pulp. Try adding a pinch of cotton linter to the mix, or dried flowers, herbs, tea, glitter, thread, or scraps of fabric. Experiment!
• Assemble the handmold and place it in three or more inches of water in the vat. Pour the pulp into the deckle, and briskly agitate it with your fingers to distribute the pulp evenly.
• Lift the mold straight out of the vat, keeping it horizontal. The water will drain, depositing fibers in an even layer on the screen. Wait until the water has ceased dripping, then remove the mold from the deckle.

The Dip Method
•To make paper with a dip handmold, prepare the pulp by combining one 8-1/2" X 11" sheet of wastepaper with four cups of water in the blender. Blend, and pour the pulp into the vat. Continue with this formula until the pulp is three to five inches deep in the vat.
• Dip the handmold into the vat vertically, ease it to a flat position well beneath the pulp's surface, lift and hold the handmold level, and rock it gently as the water drains. With each successive dip, your sheets of paper will get thinner and thinner.
• After two or three dips, add pulp to the vat by processing an additional 8-1/2" X 11" sheet of wastepaper with three cups of water. Couching and Pressing Paper
• You now have a new sheet of paper; but in a very fragile state. To strengthen the paper and make it usable, you must press out as much water as possible, then dry it.
• Traditionalists tip the newly created sheet onto damp cloth or couching (koo-ching) material, then cover it with another damp cloth or felt. (Couching means "to lay down.") They continue couching-layering new sheets and cloths-then press the pile between two boards to squeeze out water. Others hang the paper to dry, or set it in the sun.
• Most papermaking kits include window screen material and a sponge. Remove the deckle, lay the paper down, cover it with the window screen, and press the sponge down hard to soak up water. Continue pressing, squeezing out excess water, pressing again, until most of the water has been removed.
• There comes a point when you simply cannot soak up any more water with the sponge, but this doesn't mean the paper is thoroughly dry.
• Peel off the window screen, and couch the paper by picking up the papermaking screen and turning it over so the sheet side is down on the couching material. Press the back with a sponge to aid the transfer of the new sheet to the couch material.
• Cover it with more couching material. Press all three layers with a flat press bar, a flat board, or a heavy rolling pin. Either method works fine. Press-or roll-the excess water out, and as the couching material becomes damp, replace it with dry sheets.

Drying Handmade Paper
•Drying your paper can be done by laying it out in the sun, or by putting it under a stack of heavy books, or by using a hot iron. It is best to dry handmade paper under pressure.
• Put the new sheet between layers of anything absorbent (cloth, thick paper towels, couch sheets, felts) and place it under a stack of books or inside a press. Replace the absorbent materials as they get wet. Your paper should be dry in 24 hours or less, depending on its thickness.
• Ironing is the quickest drying method. Turn the iron to its highest setting, no steam. Iron right on the paper, or cover it with a thin natural-fiber cloth to avoid scorching and picking. Use a slow, steady motion.

Using Botanicals
Botanicals work best when pressed and dried. Added to the blender, they shred. Added to the pulp inside the deckle (pour method) or vat (dip method) they can remain whole. Several minutes of soaking botanicals beforehand will help integrate them into the new sheet of paper.

Dyeing and Sizing
• Fibers dyed expensively and professionally at a paper mill are all around you. They come in the form of flyers, event programs, postcards, junk mail, and brochures printed on colored paper. Don't overlook food labels. That crumpled piece of junk mail you just threw away would make a lovely sheet of handmade paper!
• Much sizing survives the recycling process. Get added sizing by recycling a 2" X 2" or larger piece of wax paper and adding it to the pulp. Cleanup
• Never pour pulp or papermaking water down a drain. To dispose of waste material, do one of two things:
• Pour method: flush it down the toilet or dispose of it outdoors.
• Dip method: strain the leftover pulp and refrigerate it in a plastic bag, or pour it into clean milk jugs and add several drops of Wintergreen Oil from the pharmacy to inhibit spoilage; refrigerate if possible.

Papermaking is lots of fun, and easy enough for children (when supervised), so don't hesitate to give it a try. For more information, look for good papermaking books and videos at your local art & craft stores and book stores. Paper By Kids, by Arnold Grummer, is available at many libraries. It offers information on papermaking and easy directions for building your own equipment; also decorative techniques and projects.