Making Own Handmade Paper

Handmade Paper History
Ancient Egyptians invented the first substance like the paper we know today called Papyrus. Papyrus scrolls were made by taking slices of the inner part of the papyrus stem, flattening then pounded into a hard, thin sheet. The word "paper" comes from the word "papyrus". The Paper that we know today was invented in A.D. 105, It is believed that he mixed hemp, mulberry bark, and rags with water, mashed it into a pulp, pressed out the liquid and hung it to dry in the sun. Paper was born and this humble mixture would set off one of mankind's greatest communication revolutions. Early around 100 A.D. paper is said to have been made using fermented and beaten mulberry bark fibers that were suspended in water and removed with a screen made from bamboo fibers tied with horse hair. Whether this is the true time frame or not, we do know that mulberry paper has made a comeback being a very popular crafting and scrapbooking medium in this century. The fibers in the paper give crafting projects a wonderful texture and dimension. Mulberry paper makes a great background or boarder to highlight other paper especially when it is moistened and torn. Tearing instead of using scissors can provide an interesting ragged edge when embellishing your pages.

Making the Pulp
Add about 1 cup of pre-soaked white paper into a kitchen blender and fill almost to the top with very warm water. Blend on medium high or until the mixture has a oatmeal type consistency. If your blender is having difficulty you may need to add more water or reduce the amount of pre-soaked paper to 3/4 cup. Keep blending the pulp until you have used up all the soaked paper.
Put the paper pulp into a large saucepan and mix it around with your hands. Slowly add your soaked colored paper for a few seconds. You will need to be careful not to overblend. The colored paper should look like confetti. The mixture will we very liquefied. If you plan to use your paper as stationery, dissolve a packet of gelatin in hot water, and stir the gelatin into the pulp mixture. The gelatin, which is known as "size", will make the paper less porous.

Adding Color to Handmade

PaperWhen making handmade paper, adding color is part of the fun! If you're using recycled pulp, use colored paper such as tissue paper or construction paper to add color to the handmade paper. Blend the pulp thoroughly for an even-colored handmade paper. Or blend lightly to create a chunky effect in the handmade paper.
For a pure handmade paper pulp which will accept fabric dye or pigments created for handmade paper, use 100% cotton pulp available in dry pressed form from Botanical PaperWorks, For best results when pigmenting cotton and abaca pulp, use handmade paper pigments which are specially suited for hand papermaking. Retention agent is helpful in preparing the handmade paper fibers to retain the maximum amount of pigment. Use a small amount each time you pigment handmade paper pulp. When the handmade paper pulp has absorbed the pigment, add liquid sizing to seal the fibres. Beat this in well and your handmade paper pulp is ready to make beautiful sheets of handmade paper. Experiment with various handmade papers and keep a sample book with a list of ingredients in case you want to make it again.

Textured Handmade Paper
When you are making your handmade paper, stamp an image or verse on tissue paper, and while your paper is draining on the screen, place the stamped tissue paper image on the top and it will blend with the homemade paper. Very nice effect.Before pressing the water out of the handmade paper, placed the stamped tissue paper images on the pulp and lightly pressed them into the pulp till all tissue was wet and blended in. Then continued with the rest of the procedure for making paper.

Molding The Pulp

Hold the mold screen size up and dip the mold into the pulp right after stirring it. Nest, place the 2nd frame or "deckle" upside down on top of the 1st frame mold. The pulp should be covering the screen. A thin layer of pulp seems to turn out better than a thick paper. Next, let the excess water drip off for about two minutes. Now is the time to add fun embellishments to your handmade paper. You can add food coloring, potpourri, dried flowers, dried herbs and spices, seeds, thread or even lint from the dryer. If you plan on matting pictures or scrapbooking though keep your artistic materials acid free. Finished paper can also be pressed with a fairly heavy lace and left on until the paper dries. You can have fun using monograms for special occasions as well.

Large Scale Production
Handmade paper production requires low capital investment, can easily set up in rural areas and thus can be used to encourage local entrepreneurship. The industry is environment friendly and non-polluting and units can even specialize in the production of a particular type of handmade paper. These units can be used as a means to create employment opportunities in the rural areas. The production of handmade paper does not require skilled labour and local population especially women can be absorbed in this industry. The difference in cost of production of mill-made paper and handmade paper is marginal.
Dipping Method: This method is normally used for fine or thin paper. The pulp is diluted with water and put into a masonary trough or vat. The lifting mould (a mesh on a wooden frame) is dipped into the trough, shaken evenly and lifted out with the pulp on it. The consistency of the pulp in the tank should be kept constant all the time.
Lifting Method: This method is used for all paper and especially for card paper. A fixed quantity of pulp is poured evenly onto a mould, which is then clamped between two wooden deckles (frames) and then dipped into a water tank. The mould in then lifted using a lever mechanism that allows the excess water to drain away.

Final Ideas for Handmade Paper

A few words of encouragement before you get started: Making handmade paper is fun for all ages, whether you are making handmade paper with a class of preschoolers or making handmade paper for your wedding. So enjoy the process, and relax - even mistake sheets of handmade paper can make wonderful, one-of-a-kind cards or handmade papers for scrapbooking.