Handmade Paper History and Instructions

History All Humans have recorded their history in some way. Stone tablets gave way to clay, metal, wax-covered wood, and in time paper. Papyrus was the primary writing material in Egypt for about 4,000 years and it is where we get the word “paper”. Parchment and vellum are made from animal skins.

History continued… With the printing press came a need for quick, cheap paper and wood pulp became the popular choice. Réné de Réaumur noticed wasps creating nests from chewed up wood and that began wood pulp as the major paper source in the eighteenth century. Dard Hunter is the father of the modern papermaking revival. Today we use wood pulp paper but also use other paper in artistic approaches.

Instructions Materials: –Mold: frame with wire mesh screen –Deckle: empty frame to create paper shape –Vat: container for holding mixture of water and pulp –Blender: method of beating determines quality and appearance of paper –Felts: fabric to “couch” each sheet of paper on. –Wire whisk: for even dispersement of pulp in vat (may also use hands) –Sponge: to absorb water and help release the sheet from the mold –Pulp: cotton, abaca, and recycled paper most commonly used

Instructions Preparation –Couching Pad Layer 1: folded newspaper Layer 2: felt –Vat Cool water (not cold, and not warm) –Pulp Tear and shred paper (2 inch or smaller pieces) Soak at least half and hour (overnight is better) Blend in short bursts (check blades frequently) Strain pulp into a bowl or bucket Check using water test in glass jar (small clump should disappear in water)

Instructions Pulling a sheet –Put additives in prepared pulp (glitter, petals, leaves, small pieces of colored paper, etc.) –Whisk pulp into vat of water until it is evenly dispersed –Wet surface of screen on mold –While holding the deckle on top of the mold and using one continuous motion, pull the mold and deckle under the surface and up again (keep mold and deckle level with the surface of the water as you pull up) –Remove deckle and couch

Instructions Couching –Make sure that couching pad is damp –Resting the edge of the mold on the cloth, roll the mold onto the cloth in a continuous motion until it is flat –Press down firmly on the edges of the mold (blot with sponge if needed). –Continuing with the rolling motion, lift the bottom edge and roll the mold off the pad –Stack sheets of felt and paper –Cover the stack with felt, flat board, and press –Finish drying on clothes line

Experiment Laminating (laying objects in between layers of paper) Texture (couching on top of something like lace, bubble wrap, glass, etc.) Embossing (couch on top of object you wish to emboss or press the surface from on top then press)

Videos on how to make paper