The Druid Sustainability Resource Forum

[adriayna]

I've been practicing recycling my papers into handmade paper for a number of years now. This is especially true of the many handouts, student papers, etc that I recieve from my educational studies and teaching. Handmade papers are simple to make, make beautiful gifts, envelope, and stationary, and can be made chemical free from simple materials from around the home. They can also be art themselves, especially through pulp painting techniques and the layering of pulp.

Has anyone else made handmade paper or is there an interest? I can post more information if there is interest .

[Tully]

Please, do post your methods. If there's not a direct interest right now for a discussion, there may be in the future.

Plus, the board is meant to be a resurce-sharing site, kind of like a big how-to book on things like this.
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"Cattle die, kinsmen die, one day you yourself must die....I know one thing that never dies:
the dead man's reputation."

Havamal- Sayings of the High One

[NateFlory]

I would be quite interested in soem simple techniques on making paper. All the really "simple" recipes I have seen involved chemicals of some sort or another, in addition to Paper/Blender/Screens.
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¡¡dlәɥ puәs
http://www.everthorn.net/Musing/

[PanIdaho]

I'm definite interested in papermaking - it's on my list of things I want to try. I've got my eye on a book about using fibers from the garden for making homemade papers.

Please post! I'm sure we'd all love to have the info - and thanks!

Teresa

[Tully]

See? Never discount Druidic Curiosity....
_________________
"Cattle die, kinsmen die, one day you yourself must die....I know one thing that never dies:
the dead man's reputation."

Havamal- Sayings of the High One

[adriayna]

Well, there are certainly chemical free methods .

My method is rather simple - water, paper to be recycled, a blender, and a screen (also known as a mould and deckle). Additives-florals, herbs, even recycled dryer lint... anything really . If you don't plan on writing on the paper in large quantities (but instead using it for envelopes, backgrounds, etc), you can get away with leaving it just how it is. If you are planning on writing, you do need to make it a bit less absorbent. Chemcials may be invovled here for something called "sizing" (which makes the paper less absorbent). Liquid starch works well (I've even heard of people using a condensed potato starch, but I haven't tried it myself).

I found a few basic articles online that help describe the process:

Here is a nice visual guide to pulling paper sheets:
http://gort.ucsd.edu/preseduc/paperdix.htm

Here is an article that uses basic materials:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71713276.tip.html

There are also ways of making handmade paper from all-vegetable materials. This is a bit more tricky, and doesn't seem to be available on the Internet. It involves layering thinly sliced root vegetables (such as potatoes or carrots) and pressing them till they dry.

Papers can be made electricity free. You soak the fibers for a loger period of time, and like the ancient Egyptians, beat the pulp with a stick until the fibers become loose. Requires lots of energy (and makes you realize why books were so expensive before modern papermaking and printing techniques).

I've made my own recycled papers for handmade books. I'm finishing up my druid journals with many of my recycled papers .

I'd be happy to answer questions if anyone plans on trying it out or wants to know more