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Recycled paper making

What you need

  1. Waste paper: 2 sheets of used A4 paper or equivalent for each person.
  2. Lots of scrap paper
  3. Enough J-cloths for each sheet of paper to be made plus 10 extra.
  4. Large deep rectangular bowl or stacking box.
  5. Washing up bowls and water
  6. Potato mashers   
  7. Frame and Deckle (see instructions below)
  8. A flower press or 2 sturdy boards.
  9. Pegs and string

Soak the paper

Tear the waste paper into pieces about 1 inch square and soak in a bucket of water, at least overnight, longer if possible. The longer it is left to soak, the easier it will mash.  Higher quality  paper e.g. computer paper needs the longest soaking time, whereas newspaper can be used without soaking for a long time.

Making the frame and deckle

You will need: 4 pieces of wood - 26cm x 2cm x 2cm and 4 pieces.- 20cm x 2cm x 2cm. You will need to glue the wood together to make 2 rectangles.

  • When the glue is dry, nail the frame and smooth with sandpaper.  
  • The frame: cut a piece of old net curtain that will overlap the frame by about 5cm on all sides.
  • Fold the net curtain around the frame.  
  • Using a staple gun, staple the net to the frame so that it is taut.

The 2nd frame is called the 'deckle'.

  • Place the deckle on top of the frame (net-side up).

Pulping the paper

Then put 2/3 handfuls of the soaked paper into each washing up bowl. Add water to half fill the bowls. There should be a high proportion of water to paper. With 2-4 people working on each bowl, use potato mashers to mash the paper to pulp. Keep the head of the mashers under the surface of the water to prevent splashing. The pulp, when ready, should resemble porridge. This WILL take between 15-30 minutes depending on paper quality and soaking time. Put half the pulp from one bowl into the stacker box and dilute with more water until 3/4 full.

Use a large flower press, a homemade press or two sturdy wooden boards. Put 3 or 4 J-cloths on the base of the press, or one of the wooden boards. Place a piece of scrap paper on top of the J-cloths with the used side face down. Write the name of the first person to make recycled paper at the bottom of the scrap paper.

Making sheets of paper

Holding the frame and deckle firmly together scoop them deeply into the pulp and keeping them level, move them gently from side to side. Lift the frame and deckle, still level, out and hold them over the bowl to drain.

Rest on a smaller bowl for  a few moments to drain excess water.

Carefully lift the deckle off the frame and then place the frame at an angle  of 90 degrees onto the base of the press. Carefully lower the frame down on to the scrap paper, pulp side down.

Press down on the wooden part of the frame and gently wipe the net with a J-cloth to absorb as much water as possible, taking care not to disturb the pulp underneath. With one hand on the side of the frame that touched the press last, start to lift the opposite edge, wiping with the J-cloth to release the pulp. Remove the frame carefully.

You will now have a wet piece of recycled paper on top of the scrap paper in the press. Put a J-cloth on top of this, followed by another sheet of scrap paper. Write the name of the next person on the bottom of the scrap paper. Repeat this process, adding more layers as needed.