Studio Practices: Paper Making - 2
This week I’m exploring paper making, not only as a break from work but also as an experiment to see if I can introduce handmade paper into my projects, as well as understanding if it’s possible to incorporate paper making into my regular studio practice.
The last post spoke about turning scrap paper into pulp. This pulp can go on to becoming sheets of paper, or the pulp can be used as some sort of ‘clay’ to be used for sculptural projects.
This post will go further into two sections: Making a frame or deckle and Making paper.
A deckle is a frame with mesh stretched over it. To turn pulp into sheets, the pulp is sieved through this flat mesh to evenly distribute the fibres.
How to make a deckle:
Things you will need:
- Two wooden frames of the same size: either picture frames, old painting canvases with the fabric removed- here I’m using two old screen printing frames
- A staple gun or nails
- Fine mesh : either cloth, mosquito/screen mesh, metal mesh (make sure it’s rust proof)
1. Take two identical wooden frames (in size and frame thickness) - one will hold a mesh, the other will be as is
2. Get some mesh material. I’m using this fabric mesh I had lying around
3. You can also use mosquito mesh/screen door mesh. I actually prefer this, but I didn’t have any spare
4. Start stretching the material over the top of frame 1
5. Secure the stretched edges with a staple gun or nails. Make sure there are no wrinkles and that it is fairly taut
6. Now this is an important arrangement to keep in mind: frame 1 (with mesh side up) sits at the bottom and the blank frame sits on top of it
Making Paper :
You will need:
- A basin larger than your deckle
- Lots of water
- A sponge
- Lots of old smooth fabrics/towels - maybe old bedsheets folded
- Tea Tree oil (optional)
- A glass/non-porous surface for drying
- A lot of place to lay paper to dry
- Heavy books to flatten
To setup:
- Keep in mind- this is a very watery and messy process
- Fill the basin with sufficient water and keep ready on the left of your workspace
- On the right, cover a table with layer of towels, old bed sheets etc anything to place the soggy paper on to drain out. The paper will pick up the texture of the cloth it is placed on, so choose the topmost layer of cloth accordingly
- Find a non-porous surface like glass to transfer your paper to for final drying
7. Fill a large basin/vat with plenty of water
8. I added a few drops of Tea Tree oil for its anti-fungal properties
9. Disperse the pulp into the water
10. Use your hands to disperse the pulp, stirring the water with your hands is enough. You will see the pulp suspended in the water.
11. Arrange your frame and keep it ready (read step 6 in How to Make a Deckle)
12. Orient it landscape and hold them firmly on either side of the frame
13. Begin by inserting the bottom of the frame into the pulpy water. You want to basically scoop up some pulp.
14. While scooping up the pulp, gently move the frame from side to side so the pulp gets evenly distributed onto the mesh.
15. Gently lift out of the water and remove the top (blank) frame. You will notice that the paper collected on the mesh. The top blank frame has helped contain the pulp and prevent it from flowing out.
16. You will see the layer of pulp sitting on the frame. Gently tip the frame to the right and let the water drain out. Do not to disturb the pulp.
17. You can wipe off the excess from the edge of the frame, this helps the paper release better.
18. Get ready to flip the frame over onto the layers of fabric you have kept ready, this will soak the excess water away and leave behind only the paper sheet.
19. Gently but swiftly flip the frame over onto the fabric - pulp side down. Be careful not to disturb the pulp.
20. Gently press down onto the towels. You can also use a sponge to dab and remove excess. You can let the frame rest for awhile to let the water drain out/dry up before lifting off.
21. Once the pulp starts losing water it will slowly release from the mesh. You can either let the frame sit there for a while or keep trying to reduce the water content by dabbing with a sponge. A fan on high speed will help.
22. You will see the paper has stuck to the cloth is releasing from the mesh. If it doesn’t that means the pulp is still too wet.
23. Once the paper is quarter or half dry on the cloth, you will be able to pull it away and place it on a glass sheet to flatten. At this point another round of dabbing with a sponge will flatten it further.
24. While it’s damp you can roll the edges with your finger to create an interesting edge
25. Once the papers are dry you can press them under heavy books to finally flatten.
If you want coloured paper the vat of water can be tinted with inks and dyes to produce colored paper.
Alternatively, you can tint small batches of pulp in small bowls and then pour onto the deckle to form colored sections of paper.
Important Note:
Anything that is damp needs air circulation to dry, do not press damp papers without periodically checking on them.
If they are not dried properly they can develop fungus or mold. The same applies for any other wet materials and tools.