free plans  home    gallery
 projects    philosophy    faq









homemade paper
magnify2
free plans: how to make
Paper
Basic Description Paper is a part of our everyday lives, but few of us know much about how it is made. It turns out that making paper is not particularly difficult, especially if you use old paper scraps as your base. With a little practise and a few tools, you can learn to make beautiful homemade papers that can be used for notes, cards or gift wrap.


step:             5      




Now we are ready to make the sheets themselves. Fill a shallow tub or large bucket with approximately three inches (7cm) warm water. Add a spoonful of cornstarch to help the fibers bind together. The process works most efficiently if the basin is a bit larger than your frame. Add some of the pulp that you created in the previous step and swirl it around the water until it is evenly distributed. Slide your frame to the bottom of the basin and pull it straight out. The mesh should have caught some pulp and the water should slowly be draining through. If the layer of pulp is too thin, add more of the blended mixture to the water, stir, and try again. If the layer of pulp on the mesh is too thick, you can pull the frame through less of the water (ie. don't start at the very bottom of the basin) thereby extracting less pulp. Thicker sheets tend to be easier to work with than thin ones. In the end, you should have a layer of pulp on your screen. Hold the frame horizontally, and allow it to drain for about a minute; wipe the underside a few times with a sponge to remove the water that is dripping through. Next, using a small knife or spoon, pull the pulp away from the edges of the frame as shown in the image on the right: this will make it easier to remove the paper from the screen. Using some paper towels or wool felt gently blot the paper to soak up as much water as possible. Do not apply too much force because you may create holes or unintentionally pull the paper away from the mesh.
pulp in papermaking frame


◄ step 4   —   step 6►



free plans © 2000-2008
terms   privacy policy
 home    gallery
 projects    philosophy    faq