Backyard Fibers / Kitchen Sink Papermaking Adapted for Throw Down from CSU Papermaking/Book Arts Professor Joe Sanders ([email protected])

Follow the steps carefully as Professor Sanders guides you through the basics of papermaking using “kitchen sink” type processes.

*Note that there are no chemicals whatsoever in this process, and you must avoid using any chemicals that may be recommended on websites such as soda ash, lye, etc. as these are hazardous and caustic. “Formation agents” or “sizing agents” will not be required.

The goal of this project is to get you thinking about papermaking in its most basic form. It will be fun and rewarding and you’ll end up with some paper art.

Tools/equipment: • Scissors, bucket, water, old towels (or paper towels), wooden spoon

Optional: • Cook top & cooking pot

Basic PULP Ingredients: • Recycled paper (any tissue paper works great) • Do not use printed papers like newspaper • Dried plant matter (optional) • Additional “inclusions” as desired (add after blending/beating)

Equipment/supplies • Bucket, water, old towels, wooden spoon, wooden stick, ziplock, cup, old t-shirt • Paper forming experiments: (a variety, you pick: plastic forms for molds, small picture frames, styrofoam, foam core, etc. • Cheesecloth, old dryer garment bag (any porous fabric) • Weight that water will not damage • Sponge • Protective gloves & goggles

Optional but recommended (see last page notes if you don’t have access to a blender): • Blender, processor • Paper towels

See pics for other ideas

STEP ONE: Gathering and prepping ingredients (one - two hour)

Figure 1. One cut up brown paper bag cut in thin strips (note: Kraft paper requires cooking)

Figure 2. Place in bucket (tissue only for no cook method) or cooking pot. Cover with water.

Figure 3. Go outside, look for DRIED and long fibered plants. NOTE: Do not use green/living plants of any kind. Plants may cause allergic reactions or skin irritation. In this photo, I have three suitable dried plant fibers from my yard (bottom to top: dried pampas grass, dried iris leaf stalk, and dried hosta stalk). If you use plant material, it will be best to cook it, but not required.

Figure 4-5. Dried plant fibers cut up (about 1/2 “ – 1” ) and placed in pot with cut paper.

Figures 6-7. Sewing thread (or string) will add strength and variety to the paper. Cotton is best, but silk, poly, etc will be fine. Cut it down to varying sizes, or all the same length.

Figure 8. Some cut up sewing thread, along with cut up color tissue paper.

Figure 9. Cut up napkin, tissue paper, etc (any soft paper that tears easily) will add body and softness to the paper. You can put up to 50% total volume of this material if you want to.

Figure 10. Add all to the pot. Cook on simmer covered for 20 minutes to one hour. Add water as needed and stir occasionally.

Use the range vent if you have one, or cook outside. The dried plant fibers can give off an odor or noxious smells. Do not breath the steam as there could be residual compounds in the plant fibers or recycled papers. Cook only in a well ventilated environment.

Allow to cool and then leave in pot or bucket to soak overnight.

NOTE: Alternate method is NO COOK / soak only. This works fine, although the fibers will all break down more quickly if it is cooked. As you can see, the fibers are already breaking down, particularly the soft fibers. If you choose this method, soak 12-24 hours before step two.

MOVE ON TO STEP TWO AFTER PULP IS COOLED COMPLETLEY

STEP TWO: Preparing pulp & Making Paper and/or Paper Objects

Figure 1-2. Place cooled fibers in zip lock and soften fiber with wooden stick by repeated strikes. Beat vigorously for 10 minutes or more, taking breaks as needed. (you can pound vertically with a kitchen mallet, or a work-out weight or other heavy metal weight). Do not use a glass or ceramic object.

Figure 3-4. Fill blender with water, place ¼ of ingredients in and blend / chop 1 -2 minutes. Follow all safety guidelines for blender or processor. Do not put hot liquids in a blender!

Figure 5-6. Pour ingredients through strainer, coffee filter, or a cloth over a bucket. Retain water in bucket. Repeat this for the rest of the pulp, grinding ¼ or less of the material at one time with a full blender of water. If you try to blend more material, the blender can overheat. Squeeze out most of the water for pulp (rubber gloves recommended for sensitive skin).

Figure 7-8. Shape pulp into balls. Take a very small amount (size of quarter or larger), press flat, and set aside to dry in sun to see how your finished pulp will look. It will typically dry 20% lighter or more in color.

Figures 9-10. Return to Zip lock, repeat beating with stick. This will further separate fibers, particularly the fibers from plants that you gathered that need to be separated. Beat vigorously for 10 minutes or more, taking breaks as needed. (you can pound vertically with a kitchen mallet, or a work-out weight, or other heavy metal weight). Do not use a glass or ceramic. You are seeking a “thick paste consistency,” see image on right.

Figure 11-12. Return to bucket with remaindered water. Stir well with stick or wooden spoon. This is your completed “stock solution” ready to work with. Hint: You can store unused stock solution in a zip lock in the fridge for several weeks.

Figure 13-14. made a simple “paper forming frame” from recycled packaging foam. You may also use old picture frames, or any “framing” device that will “dam up” the pulp into a desired shape. You can also make a “shaped frame” by cutting something like foam core into a shape.

Figure 15. In this step, I placed a small stool on the ground, with an old towel on top, and on top of that a clothes dryer “delicates” bag, on top of that the foam mold, and a weight. The clothes dryer bag is very porous, allowing the water to move from the pulp into the towel easily. Other items that work can be window screen, cheesecloth, coffee filters, or open weave fabric. You can also just use the towel, it will still drain but slowly. Hint: Do this step in a location you don’t mind getting wet.

Figure 16-18. One scoop of “stock solution” is added to appx 2 cups of water. This should be very dilute. You are controlling the thickness of your paper sheet by how much you thin out the pulp with water. Experiment with varying amounts of water and pulp. All unused pulp can be returned to the stock solution. Stir it very well, and pour into frame immediately (see below).

Figure 19-23. Pulp is formed into a sheet. Allow to drain for 5 minutes or longer. Lift off frame, and carefully lay towel or t-shirt on top of pulp, and hand press or roll with rolling pin, gradually increasing pressure. Take towel off and repeat press as needed with fresh towel.

Figure 24-25. Variations: pulp poured into tape roll. Pulp hand-packed into a plastic pet food container (for paper casting). More paper casting suggestions and finished experiments below.

Figure 26-29. Objects laid on thin veil of pulp (string, cut magazine). Stock solution pulp is then packed into mold on top of objects. Finished experiments.

For all castings: press all excess water out using a towel or cloth. Leave in mold to dry at least 24 hours for best results, otherwise paper castings may warp as they dry.

For flat sheets: Dry flat sheets between towels, ironing can speed up the drying process.

Other, not shown: • Pulp may be pressed onto objects by hand followed by pressing with a sponge, gradually increasing pressure, removing as much water as possible, and allowed to dry. • Pulp may also be pigmented with watercolor if needed in blending stage or later. • Inclusions (material added to pulp after processing) may be added at any time after making stock solution.

NOTE: If for any reason you don’t have a blender, use much less “hard” material (kraft paper, hard stalk plant matter) and much more “soft” material cut finer (tissue, napkins, string, soft stalk plant matter or finely cut up plant matter, etc). This softer material will hand beat much easier. All else remains the same.

Have fun, you are now a papermaker!