gunsan opened this issue on Feb 26, 2002 ยท 14 posts
gunsan posted Wed, 27 February 2002 at 12:27 AM
Yes Bev, and I just sat down and tried to describe the process for JordyArt: I learnt making paper when I was in Graphic school. It is easy, but takes time and is messy. You take newspaper in small pieces and put the pieces in water for 12 hours, so it is really soaked with water. Then you put it in a mixer. I did only make it in small quantities so an ordinary mixer will do. Then you pour in more water so the whole is like a thin soup. An rectangular plastic bowl of some kind will do. A rectangular frame in the size that is smaller than the bowl ,with a thin metal net attached to it, is the tool to make the paper with. You stir the paper soup and dip the frame with the net side upwards, in to the soup and lift it slowly up, so the paper particles distributes equally thick on the metal net side, then the water drip through the net and a very wet mass is left. On a bit of felt (in my making it at home I used a kitchen towel and newspaper), you with a firm hand smashes the frame on the felt so the paper stick to the felt. Then you continue with a new bit of felt (or towel and newspaper) and a new layer of paper-mass and so on. After some time most of the water has been absorbed (read: has dripped on the floor and everywhere), and you could loosen the paper sheets carefully and let then dry in open air. The fun thing about making paper is that you can blend with different things, textile fibers in nice colors, colored paper, even flower petals and what ever you can imagine. Hope I could describe it so you understand, in other cases you can certainly find a description on the net.