Fabricación artesanal de papel a partir de fibras vegetales — cosecha de fibras, preparación de pulpa, formación de hojas con molde y marco, prensado y secado. Cubre fuentes de fibra (algodón, kozo, abacá, papel reciclado), métodos de batido, encolado y técnicas decorativas. Usar al hacer papel artesanal para arte, papelería o encuadernación, al crear papel texturizado o con inclusiones único para proyectos especiales, o al aprender la fabricación tradicional de papel como práctica artesanal.
Fabricar papel artesanal a partir de fibras vegetales usando técnicas tradicionales de formación de hojas con molde y marco.
Diferentes fuentes de fibra requieren diferente preparación.
Fibre Sources and Preparation:
RECYCLED PAPER (easiest — start here):
1. Tear paper into 1-inch squares (avoid glossy or heavily printed paper)
2. Soak in water for 2-4 hours (overnight is better)
3. Blend in small batches: handful of soaked paper + 2 cups water
4. Blend until smooth with no visible paper chunks (30-60 seconds)
COTTON LINTERS (archival quality):
1. Tear cotton linter sheets into small pieces
2. Soak overnight in warm water
3. Blend to desired consistency:
- Short blend (15s) = textured, chunky paper
- Long blend (60s) = smooth, fine paper
KOZO (Japanese paper — strong, translucent):
1. Strip bark from kozo (paper mulberry) branches
2. Soak in water, then cook in alkaline solution
(wood ash lye or soda ash) for 2-3 hours until soft
3. Rinse thoroughly to remove alkali
4. Beat by hand with a wooden mallet on a flat stone
until fibres separate (do not blend — hand beating
preserves long fibres that give kozo its strength)
PLANT STALKS (experimental — iris, daylily, corn husk):
1. Harvest fibrous stalks after growing season
2. Ret (soak) for 1-2 weeks to soften
3. Cook in alkaline solution for 2-3 hours
4. Rinse and beat by hand
5. Results vary — experiment with fibre length and beating time
Esperado: Una suspensión de fibra preparada (pulpa) con la consistencia de avena líquida.
En caso de fallo: Si la pulpa está demasiado grumosa, licuar más tiempo. Si está demasiado líquida y acuosa, agregar más fibra. La consistencia debería cubrir ligeramente el dorso de una cuchara.
Montar la estación de formación de hojas.
Vat Setup:
1. Fill a vat (plastic tub, basin) with water — deep enough to
fully submerge the mould (at least 4 inches of water)
2. Add prepared pulp to the vat
3. Stir thoroughly — fibres must be evenly suspended, not clumped
4. Pulp-to-water ratio: approximately 1 part pulp to 10-20 parts water
- More pulp = thicker paper
- Less pulp = thinner, more translucent paper
5. Stir before EVERY sheet — fibres settle quickly
Test: dip your hand in the vat. The water should be milky/cloudy
with evenly suspended fibres. If you can see clumps, stir more.
Esperado: Una tina con pulpa uniformemente suspendida lista para la formación de hojas.
En caso de fallo: Si las fibras se agrupan a pesar de revolver, la fibra puede ser demasiado larga. Licuar brevemente para acortar las fibras, luego volver a suspender.
La técnica de molde y marco es el corazón de la fabricación de papel.
Sheet Forming Protocol:
THE TOOLS:
- Mould: a flat frame with a fine screen (window screen or brass mesh)
- Deckle: a second frame that sits on top of the mould (acts as an edge)
- Together they create a shallow tray that holds the pulp
FORMING:
1. Stir the vat thoroughly
2. Hold the mould screen-side up with the deckle on top, gripping both
3. Dip the mould+deckle into the vat at an angle (far edge first)
4. Level the mould underwater, then lift straight up in one smooth motion
5. As the mould clears the water, shake gently side-to-side and
front-to-back (2-3 shakes each direction) — this interlocks the fibres
6. Hold level and let water drain through the screen (30-60 seconds)
7. Remove the deckle carefully — lift straight up so water does not
drip onto the formed sheet
THE SHAKE:
- The side-to-side and front-to-back shakes are critical
- They interlock fibres in both directions, creating strength
- Without shaking, the sheet tears easily in one direction
- Practice on scrap pulp — the shake is the skill that takes longest to learn
THICKNESS CONTROL:
- Thin paper: less pulp in the vat, faster pull-through
- Thick paper: more pulp, slower pull-through
- Even thickness comes from pulling the mould through the vat
smoothly and leveling before lifting
Esperado: Una hoja húmeda de papel asentada uniformemente sobre la malla del molde con grosor consistente y sin puntos delgados o agujeros.
En caso de fallo: Si la hoja tiene puntos delgados, el molde no estaba nivelado durante el levantamiento. Si la hoja es gruesa en un lado, el molde estaba inclinado durante el drenaje. Practicar el movimiento de levantamiento: suave, nivelado y seguro.
Transferir la hoja húmeda y eliminar el agua.
COUCHING (transferring the sheet):
1. Place a damp felt or blanket on a flat surface
2. In one smooth motion, flip the mould face-down onto the felt
3. Press the back of the screen gently with a sponge to release the sheet
4. Lift the mould straight up — the sheet should stay on the felt
5. Place another damp felt on top of the sheet
6. Repeat: form sheet → couch onto felt → cover with felt → form next sheet
Couching stack: felt / sheet / felt / sheet / felt / sheet / felt
PRESSING:
1. Place the couching stack between pressing boards
2. Apply even pressure:
- Screw press (ideal)
- Weight (heavy books, concrete blocks — 20+ kg)
- Stand on it (place boards on floor, step on carefully)
3. Press for 15-30 minutes — water should squeeze out from the sides
4. Replace wet felts with dry ones and press again for best results
DRYING:
Option A — Air dry on boards:
1. Carefully peel each sheet from its felt
2. Place on a smooth board (glass, formica, or MDF)
3. Smooth gently with a damp sponge to remove wrinkles
4. Sheets will dry flat against the board (12-24 hours)
5. Peel gently when dry — edges release first
Option B — Hang dry:
1. Peel sheets from felts and hang on a clothesline with clips
2. Faster drying but produces a wavy, textured surface
3. Suitable for art paper where texture is desired
Option C — Iron dry (fast):
1. Place damp sheet between clean cotton cloths
2. Iron on medium heat until dry (5-10 minutes)
3. Produces a smooth, flat sheet quickly
Esperado: Hojas terminadas de papel artesanal — secas, planas (si se secaron en tabla), con bordes barbados y textura de fibra visible.
En caso de fallo: Si las hojas se rompen durante el traspaso, el molde fue levantado antes de que drenara suficiente agua. Dejar que el molde drene más tiempo antes de voltear. Si las hojas se arrugan durante el secado, no fueron prensadas con suficiente firmeza o la superficie de secado no era lisa.
forage-plants — las plantas fibrosas pueden ser recolectadas en la naturaleza; entender la anatomía vegetal ayuda a identificar fuentes de fibra adecuadas