Really Basic PAPERMAKING

Arts & Activities, Oct, 2000 by Donald Gruber

The process of forming a sheet of paper was first developed in China around the second century B.C. About 2,000 years earlier, the ancient Egyptians began making a form of paper from papyrus, a reed-like plant that grew along the banks of the Nile. The Chinese method of making paper differed greatly from the older Egyptian method. Egyptian papyrus was formed by cutting strips from the stems of the papyrus plant, placing them in layers, pounding, then drying them.

In China, paper was formed by suspending macerated vegetable fibers in water and pouring the liquid (pulp) onto a woven screen. The water drained through, leaving the fibers distributed across the surface of the screen. The wet fibers fused together forming a sheet that was allowed to dry before removal from the screen. The Chinese process has undergone a few changes, but the basic method remains the same.

Papermaking is a simple procedure that can be easily done in any classroom. It can be a multi-discipline project including both history and social studies. It is also a great way to teach recycling, since scrap paper can be used to make new paper.

The list of items needed for the most basic papermaking is simple: water, screen mesh (plastic or metal hardware cloth), plastic dishpans, paper scraps (newspapers, magazines, construction paper, computer paper, etc.) and large coffee cans. Used in sets of two, both ends should be removed from one of the coffee cans.

A kitchen blender is used to reduce the paper scraps to fibers. This is the only item on the inventory list that represents any kind of capital expense. New blenders can be purchased for around $20 and up. However, used ones can sometimes be found at rummage sales and flea markets for much less. Better yet--borrow one from the school's home economics department.

THE POUR METHOD

Papermaking starts with pulp. Pulp is a mixture of processed fibers and water. The following method is similar to the ancient Chinese method. It is called the "pour method," meaning that the pulp is poured through a screen.

The first step in papermaking is to reduce the paper scraps to fibers so that they can be reformed into new sheets. Fill the blender about half full with water. Tear up scraps of paper and add them to the water. Let the scraps soak for a short time. Then run the blender just to the point where the paper scraps are dissolved. The thickness of the finished paper depends on the amount of paper scrap that is present in the pulp mixture. The more scrap, the thicker the piece.

Place one of the large coffee cans in the dishpan. Place a piece of wire screen mesh (hardware cloth) over the open top of this can. (Be sure to fold over or tape the edges of the screen to avoid scratches and unraveling.)

Place the second coffee can, the one with both ends removed, on top of the screen. This step will take two people--one to hold the cans in place and another to pour the pulp mixture into the top can. The paper fibers get trapped by the screen while the water is drained through.

When the water has drained, lift the can from the mesh. Next, carefully lift the mesh with the trapped pulp. Turn it over and place it onto a towel or cotton napkin (felt). Press the back of the screen with a sponge to soak residual water from the pulp. Place another felt on top. Allow the paper to air dry. To speed things up, use an electric iron on the felt with the newly made paper between. Do not let the hot iron come in contact with the wet paper--always have felt between the paper and the iron.

Plastic mesh can be substituted for the wire mesh. Although safer when working with younger children, plastic mesh is much more flexible than wire, and will require some support when using the pour method.

THE MOLD AND DECKLE METHOD

The resulting sheets of handmade paper produced with the above method will be round due to the shape of the can. The shape of the paper is dependent upon the shape of the mold and deckle that are used to form the sheet. In regular papermaking, the mold is a frame over which the screen that catches the pulp is stretched.

On top of the mold is the deckle. The deckle holds the pulp in place until the water drains. The deckle determines the shape of the sheet and gives handmade paper its distinctive uneven or "deckle" edges. In the case of the pour method described above, the screen was the mold and the top can was the deckle.

A simple mold and deckle arrangement can be easily and economically devised by using embroidery hoops. These are available at most discount stores, fabric shops and hobby stores. They come in a variety of sizes and two shapes--round and oval. Two hoops are needed. One hoop will have the plastic mesh stretched over it while the second will be left empty. Plastic mesh is recommended for use with this method since it is more flexible than wire mesh.

The pulp is prepared in the same way, but is poured from the blender into a dishpan half filled with water. The deckle (empty hoop) is placed on top of the mold (hoop with the mesh) with the mesh side facing upward. The two hoops are then submerged into the pulp mixture in the dishpan. They are slowly brought to the surface, catching as much of the pulp as possible.