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Make Your Own Paper
Paper is made
from cellulose, which is found in plant fibres. Paper is made by washing,
boiling, beating and often bleaching these fibres, which are held
together by the gluish substance called hemicellulose, also found
in plant fibres. The Chinese were the first to make paper, during
the Western Han Empire, somewhere around the year 200 B.C.E. They
specialized their paper making after the standardization of their
written language, and by the 5th century C.E., fine hemp papers were
used for Buddhist sutras and mulberry bark papers for official documents.
Calligraphers would select papers for their texture and quality.
The directions
below use old newspapers instead of mulberry bark, but the process
is very similar, using a net to strain the fibres from a pan of water,
which will later dry into your own sheet of handmade paper!
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Materials
*two newspaper pages cut or torn into 3x3 cm squares
*two tablespoons of white glue
*2-3 cups of water
*a sink or pan filled with 10 cm of water
*one coat hanger
*one pair of panty hose
*blender or food processor
Process
Take
the coat hanger, untwist the hook and bend the wire into a square,
refastening the ends to hold the shape. Stretch the panty hose
over the wire frame, creating a net. Make sure the fabric it
flat and pulled tight, then fasten with knots. Set the net aside.
Add
the paper and water to the blender slowly, about a handful at
a time, mixing until it is a doughy blob, then blend for 2 minutes.
Dump the mixture into the pan or sink, with the glue added to
the water, and stir it around with your hands. Slowly scoop
up the pulp with the net starting from the bottom, to let the
water drain away. Count to 20 as you move the net up. Set the
net aside to dry. When it is completely dry, gently peel
the paper away from the frame. It can be flattened by setting
an iron on high heat with no steam.
Try
adding food colouring, scraps of coloured paper from the recycling
bin, leaves, dryer lint and other materials to give colour and
texture to your paper!
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