Paper Making

This week was about paper recycling. I found a kit at a second hand goods store and we set to it. 

First we ripped up paper, old junk mail and magazine paper and soaked it in boiling water for 15 minutes. Then I stuck it in the blender and pulsed. I filled a storage container bottom with water and added the pulp. 

It was a bit hit and miss to how much pulp to put in the water. But I discovered that less is more, when there is too much pulp you are making cardboard rather than paper. 

This is the Deckle. A mesh screen in a wooden frame. covered with fly screen material held down by a wooden frame, ours was A4 sized. You scoop the pulpy water into it letting the water drain out. 

Once we got the deckle and paper drained of excess water I manoeuvred the deckle with the pulp onto a drying board. The fly screen has the paper to be on it and you place that on the board. With the fly screen mesh still over the top we sponged off more water. Then we stuck it outside in the sun to dry on the board.  

The magazine and junk mail bits added interesting splotches of colour. I think it worked out well. Next time we will have a go embossing and making leaf prints on our lovely paper.