When you make your own paper from recycled materials, not only are you saving paper, you are creating a beautiful product for little or no cost. The mold needed for paper making is simply a frame with a fine mesh stretched over it to catch the pulp. On top of this is placed another frame with no mesh called a "deckle." These, along with a few other household items, are all that's needed to easily create all the recycled paper you could ever need.
Difficulty:Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
PaperDried leaves, flowers, lint, etc.BlenderWarm waterShallow tubMoldDeckleSpongeCotton fabricNewspaperSuggest Edits
How to Craft Paper from Recycled Materials
1
Tear the paper into 1 inch pieces. Usable paper includes junk mail, old wrapping paper and paper bags. Avoid paper that is waxy or dirty.
2
Fill the blender halfway with warm water.
3
Add about 1 cup of paper pieces to the blender. Swap out some of the paper for dried leaves, flowers or some fluffy lint for more texture.
4
Soak the paper without blending for at least 5 minutes. The longer the paper soaks, the less you will need to blend, which would help maintain larger pieces of your flowers or other additives.
5
Blend into a pulp. Use the "pulse" function to make sure everything is even.
6
Fill the tub with warm water 3 or 4 inches deep.
7
Stir the pulp into the water in the tub, mixing it well.
8
Place the deckle on top of the mold, flush against the screen. The deckle acts as a removable frame for your paper so it does not cover the whole screen and become impossible to remove.
9
Slide the deckle and mold into the end of the tub and down to the bottom, holding them tightly together. Shake the submerged deckle and mold to evenly disperse the pulp.
10
Pull the deckle and mold straight up through the pulp and out of the tub. Keep them as level as possible for even paper. There should be a vacuum type sensation when the mold leaves the pulp.
11
Remove the deckle from the mold. Tilt the mold slightly to drain off excess water.
12
Lay out four pages of newspaper and cover with a square of cotton fabric that is slightly larger than the mold
13
Flip the mold over and place on the fabric pulp side down.
14
Press the dry sponge firmly against the back of the screen to absorb excess water. Wring out the sponge when necessary and continue pressing over the entire back of the screen.
15
Lift the screen carefully away from the pulp.
16
Cover the pulp with another piece of fabric and more newspaper.
17
Repeat dipping the deckle and mold until you have made the number of sheets you want, replenishing the pulp when necessary. You should get about 10 sheets of paper out of each batch of pulp.
18
Let the paper dry completely as-is or hang the cotton pieces on a clothesline. Once the paper is nearly dry, you can lay the fabric pieces paper side down and iron them, if desired.
19
Peel the paper carefully away from the fabric and store flat until use.
References
Etsy: How to Make Paper from Recycled MaterialsPioneer Thinking: How to Make PaperPhoto Credit Dried flowers image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
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