Paper Making

Handcraft from plant fibres via mould + deckle.

Use When

• Handmade paper for art / stationery / bookbinding
• Have plant fibres (cotton linters, kozo bark, recycled)
• Textured or embedded paper for special projects
• Teach/learn traditional paper as craft

In

• Required: Fibre source (cotton linters, recycled, kozo bark, plant stalks)
• Required: Mould + deckle (flat screen frame + removable top)
• Required: Vat / tub deep enough to submerge mould
• Required: Water (lots)
• Optional: Blender (paper-only — no food after)
• Optional: Pressing boards + couching felts
• Optional: Sizing (gelatin, methylcellulose, rice starch)
• Optional: Additives — petals, threads, pigments, plants for embedding

Do

Step 1: Prep fibre

Each source = different prep.

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

→ Slurry of pulp w/ thin oatmeal consistency.

If err: too chunky → blend longer. Too thin → more fibre. Should coat back of spoon lightly.

Step 2: Prep vat

Set up forming station.

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.

→ Vat w/ evenly suspended pulp, ready for forming.

If err: clumps despite stir → fibre too long. Blend briefly to shorten + re-suspend.

Step 3: Form sheet

Mould + deckle = heart of paper making.

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

→ Wet sheet evenly on screen w/ consistent thickness, no thin spots / holes.

If err: thin spots → mould not level during lift. Thick on one side → tilted during drain. Practice lift: smooth, level, confident.

Step 4: Couch, press, dry

Transfer + remove water.

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

→ Finished sheets — dry, flat (board-dried), deckled edges, visible fibre texture.

If err: tears during couch → lifted before enough drain. Drain longer before flip. Wrinkles when dry → not pressed firmly enough or surface not smooth.

Check

• Fibre prepped to even lump-free pulp
• Pulp evenly suspended pre-each sheet
• Forming includes interlocking shake both directions
• Consistent thickness, no thin spots / holes
• Pressing removed enough water before dry
• Sheets dry, intact, fit for purpose

Traps

• No stir before each sheet: fibres settle in seconds. Every sheet needs fresh stir or last ones thin + sparse
• Tearing during couch: too much water on mould, or motion too slow. Drain longer + flip confidently
• Uneven thickness: mould not level during lift + drain. Practice slowly, keep frame horizontal
• Too fragile: fibres not beaten enough (long, stiff) or sheet too thin. Beat longer or more pulp
• Mould warps wet: wood warps. Marine-grade or seal w/ waterproofing. Aluminium avoids entirely

→

• forage-plants — fibre plants can be foraged; plant anatomy helps ID suitable sources