Dry Pressing

With some papers it may be necessary to press the paper as it dries. This necessary for papers that are likely to shrink or bow during the drying process such as nettle paper.

To dry press to must place the wet sheets of paper in between sheets of corrugated card (this can be found second hand at any store). These sandwiched sheets of paper can then be stacked and a weight placed on top (I've used a second hand bucket full of water). The weight press the paper whilst it dries to stop shrinkage. The cardboard pulls water water away from your paper, air can pass through the corrugated sections of this card and will dry it out, therefor drying out the paper sheets you've created.

Rice Starch

To make any paper made useful for putting anything containing liquid on to the surface of the paper it must first be sized. This can be done with starch, here's a picture of the rice starch I've been using.

This can be brushed on but i usually spray it on as it gives a more even coverage. Potato starch can also be used.

The paper that has been sprayed must be dried evenly on both sides so placing it on a drying rack would be great, but a piece of wire mesh works just as well.

Oak inner bark, Willow inner bark Paper

Oak inner bark, Willow inner bark, Ragwort seed Paper

Nettle, Willow inner bark Paper

Nettle, Willow and Ragwort Paper

Stinging Nettle Paper

1. Collect stinging nettles (wear gloves)
2. Remove the leaves and press to remove the sting (wear gloves)
3. Using a knife or your nail cut up the centre of the stalk.
4. Flatten the stalk.
5. Remove the woody centre from the fibrous bast.
6. Cut the bast fibre in to 1 inch lengths.
7. Ret in potash (10 days)
8. Wash thoroughly.
9. Place the pulp in a paper bath and pull a sheet using a deckle and mould.
10. Needs to be dry pressed or it will bow a lot.

The paper feels like a sheet of fabric. Quite successful!

nettle paper

Daffodil Leaf Paper

1. Collect dead daffodil leaves.
2. Cut in to 1 inch lengths.
3. Ret with potash (10 days)
4. Mash using a metal pole.
5. Mash in a pestle and mortar.
6. Put the pulp in a paper bath and pull a sheet using the deckle and mould.

Worked quite well but bowed!

daffodil leaf paper

Ragwort Seed Paper

1. Collect ragwort flower heads.
2. Remove the seeds from the head of the plant.
3. Place the seeds in a paper bath and pull a sheet using a deckle and mould.

This paper is extremely weak and fell apart instantly.

Ragwort Seed Paper

Oak - Inner Bark Paper

1. Find slices of an old oak tree.
2. Allow them to dry out sufficiently.
3. Crack the outer bark away.
4. Scrape the inner bark away and ret with potash (5days)
5. Mash in pestle and mortar.
6. Place the pulp in a paper bath and pull a sheet using a deckle and mould.

Very weak paper, more like chip board if it was sized with gelatin?

Oak inner bark Paper

Bulrush leaf Paper

1. Collect Bulrush leaves
2. Dry the leaves (2 days)
3. Ret the leaves with potash (10days)
4. Wash the fibres.
5. Mash the fibres in a pestle and mortar.
6. Place the pulp in a paper bath and pull a sheet of using a deckle and mould.

Successfully made paper

bulrush paper

Reed Paper

1. Collect reeds
2. Dry the reeds (2 days)
3. Ret the leaves with potash (7days)
4. Using a strong blunt instrument scrap the organic matter away from the reeds leaving just the fibres.
5. Boil the fibres in water (2 hours)
6. Mash the fibres in a pestle and mortar.
7. Boil the mashed fibre again (2 hours)
8. Mash the fibres in a pestle and mortar.
9. Place the pulp in a paper bath and pull a sheet of using a deckle and mould.

You don’t get much pulp and it takes ages to get any at all.

Not very strong paper!

Successfully made paper!

reed paper

Willow Paper - Inner Bark

1. Collect twigs from a local willow tree. (preferably ones that have already fallen from the tree)
2. Place these twigs in a pan of boiling water.
3. Boil the twigs for 2 hours.
4. After 2 hours remove the wood from the water.
5. Using an implement with a strong edge (maybe a piece of steel) grind the outer bark from the twig leaving the inner bark and the wood.
6. Using a Stanley knife remove the inner bark from the wood. (you are now left with the inner bark separated from the outer bark and the wood)
7. Cut this inner bark in to 1 inch strips.
8. Place these 1 inch strips of willow inner bark in a pan of boiling water.
9. Boil for a further 2 hours.
10. Remove the boiled inner bark and grind in a pestle and mortar.
11. Place this ground inner bark in a pan of boiling water.
12. Boil for an hour.
13. Remove the boiled inner bark and grind in a pestle and mortar.
14. Place this pulp in a paper bath and pull the sheet using a deckle and mould.

Takes a long time, but successful!

Willow (inner bark) paper sheet

Autumn Leaf Paper

1. Collect dead leaves.
2. Boil these leaves.
3. Pile these leaves on top of one another to until a flat sheet of leaves is made.
4. Using a pestle and mortar beat the leaves together.
5. Allow these pounded leaves a day to dry. (they are really weak and just fall apart again, maybe a binder is needed to hold them together)

Didn’t work!

Making a deckle and mould

1. Find two old frames of the same size. (I got mine from a charity shop)
2. Remove the glass and any other backing. (so you’re left purely with the frames)
3. Collect some fine mesh. (I found an old fly screen but any mesh that is fine will do)
4. Cover one of the photo frames with this fine mesh and staple down. (In the type of manner you would stretch a canvas, pull it tight so there is as little sag as possible)
5. This frame covered with mesh is now your deckle.
6. The other frame that is not covered with mesh can be used as your mould. (This deckle and mould is useful for pulling paper from a bath of pulp)
7. Instead of using a separate frame as a deckle you could cut the bottom out of a plastic box of the same size i.e. old food container. (This deckle on the mould is useful for pulling paper when you want to control how much pulp is in every sheet. You pour the pulp in to the deckle and hold it tight to the frame, making sure non escapes and pull the sheet of paper as normal.)      

Good deckle and mould!