造紙

以植纖造手工紙，用古竹簾箔之法。

用時

• 為藝、文具、或裝書欲造手工紙乃用
• 有植纖（棉絮、楮皮、再生紙）可處乃用
• 為特項作獨紋或嵌物紙乃用
• 教或學古造紙工藝乃用

入

• 必要：纖源（棉絮、再生紙、楮皮、或植莖）
• 必要：簾箔（平篩框附可移上框）
• 必要：缸或盆（足以浸簾，盆、塑桶）
• 必要：水（多）
• 可選：攪以漿（專造紙——後勿食用）
• 可選：壓板與毯（搭毯）
• 可選：施膠（明膠、甲基纖維素、或米糊）
• 可選：添：花瓣、線、料、植物以嵌

法

第一步：備纖

異纖須異備。

Fibre Sources and Preparation:

RECYCLED PAPER (easiest — start here):
1. Tear paper into 1-inch squares (avoid glossy or heavily printed paper)
2. Soak in water for 2-4 hours (overnight is better)
3. Blend in small batches: handful of soaked paper + 2 cups water
4. Blend until smooth with no visible paper chunks (30-60 seconds)

COTTON LINTERS (archival quality):
1. Tear cotton linter sheets into small pieces
2. Soak overnight in warm water
3. Blend to desired consistency:
   - Short blend (15s) = textured, chunky paper
   - Long blend (60s) = smooth, fine paper

KOZO (Japanese paper — strong, translucent):
1. Strip bark from kozo (paper mulberry) branches
2. Soak in water, then cook in alkaline solution
   (wood ash lye or soda ash) for 2-3 hours until soft
3. Rinse thoroughly to remove alkali
4. Beat by hand with a wooden mallet on a flat stone
   until fibres separate (do not blend — hand beating
   preserves long fibres that give kozo its strength)

PLANT STALKS (experimental — iris, daylily, corn husk):
1. Harvest fibrous stalks after growing season
2. Ret (soak) for 1-2 weeks to soften
3. Cook in alkaline solution for 2-3 hours
4. Rinse and beat by hand
5. Results vary — experiment with fibre length and beating time

得： 已備之漿，稠如稀粥。

敗則： 漿過塊者，攪久。過稀薄者，加纖。稠應輕覆匙背。

第二步：備缸

設成紙站。

Vat Setup:
1. Fill a vat (plastic tub, basin) with water — deep enough to
   fully submerge the mould (at least 4 inches of water)
2. Add prepared pulp to the vat
3. Stir thoroughly — fibres must be evenly suspended, not clumped
4. Pulp-to-water ratio: approximately 1 part pulp to 10-20 parts water
   - More pulp = thicker paper
   - Less pulp = thinner, more translucent paper
5. Stir before EVERY sheet — fibres settle quickly

Test: dip your hand in the vat. The water should be milky/cloudy
with evenly suspended fibres. If you can see clumps, stir more.

得： 缸內漿勻懸，已備成紙。

敗則： 攪而仍聚者，纖或過長。短攪以斷纖，再懸之。

第三步：成紙

簾箔之法為造紙之心。

Sheet Forming Protocol:

THE TOOLS:
- Mould: a flat frame with a fine screen (window screen or brass mesh)
- Deckle: a second frame that sits on top of the mould (acts as an edge)
- Together they create a shallow tray that holds the pulp

FORMING:
1. Stir the vat thoroughly
2. Hold the mould screen-side up with the deckle on top, gripping both
3. Dip the mould+deckle into the vat at an angle (far edge first)
4. Level the mould underwater, then lift straight up in one smooth motion
5. As the mould clears the water, shake gently side-to-side and
   front-to-back (2-3 shakes each direction) — this interlocks the fibres
6. Hold level and let water drain through the screen (30-60 seconds)
7. Remove the deckle carefully — lift straight up so water does not
   drip onto the formed sheet

THE SHAKE:
- The side-to-side and front-to-back shakes are critical
- They interlock fibres in both directions, creating strength
- Without shaking, the sheet tears easily in one direction
- Practice on scrap pulp — the shake is the skill that takes longest to learn

THICKNESS CONTROL:
- Thin paper: less pulp in the vat, faster pull-through
- Thick paper: more pulp, slower pull-through
- Even thickness comes from pulling the mould through the vat
  smoothly and leveling before lifting

得： 濕紙均勻置於簾上，厚一致，無薄處或孔。

敗則： 紙有薄處者，提時簾未平。一面厚者，瀝時簾傾。練提之動：平、穩、信。

第四步：搭、壓、乾

移濕紙並去水。

COUCHING (transferring the sheet):
1. Place a damp felt or blanket on a flat surface
2. In one smooth motion, flip the mould face-down onto the felt
3. Press the back of the screen gently with a sponge to release the sheet
4. Lift the mould straight up — the sheet should stay on the felt
5. Place another damp felt on top of the sheet
6. Repeat: form sheet → couch onto felt → cover with felt → form next sheet

Couching stack: felt / sheet / felt / sheet / felt / sheet / felt

PRESSING:
1. Place the couching stack between pressing boards
2. Apply even pressure:
   - Screw press (ideal)
   - Weight (heavy books, concrete blocks — 20+ kg)
   - Stand on it (place boards on floor, step on carefully)
3. Press for 15-30 minutes — water should squeeze out from the sides
4. Replace wet felts with dry ones and press again for best results

DRYING:
Option A — Air dry on boards:
1. Carefully peel each sheet from its felt
2. Place on a smooth board (glass, formica, or MDF)
3. Smooth gently with a damp sponge to remove wrinkles
4. Sheets will dry flat against the board (12-24 hours)
5. Peel gently when dry — edges release first

Option B — Hang dry:
1. Peel sheets from felts and hang on a clothesline with clips
2. Faster drying but produces a wavy, textured surface
3. Suitable for art paper where texture is desired

Option C — Iron dry (fast):
1. Place damp sheet between clean cotton cloths
2. Iron on medium heat until dry (5-10 minutes)
3. Produces a smooth, flat sheet quickly

得： 已成手工紙——乾、平（若板乾）、附毛邊、可見纖紋。

敗則： 搭時撕者，瀝水未足而提。長瀝再翻。乾時皺者，壓未足或乾面不平。

驗

• 纖已備為勻無塊之漿
• 每紙前缸內漿已勻懸
• 成紙含二向互鎖之搖
• 諸紙厚一致無薄處或孔
• 壓去足水以乾
• 已成紙乾、整、宜用

陷

• 每紙不攪：纖秒沉。每紙須新攪，否則末紙薄稀
• 搭時撕：簾上水尚多，或搭動過慢。長瀝、信翻
• 厚不一：提瀝時簾不平。緩練動，留意框水平
• 紙過脆：纖未足擊（過長、硬）或紙過薄。久擊或加漿
• 濕時簾翹：木簾或翹。用海級木或封防水。鋁框全避此

參

• forage-plants — 纖植可野採；解植解剖助識宜纖源