|
|
This month . . .
Making Paper
Experience the Fiber of Learning
It's
easy to take for granted. After all, our lives are permeated by
a plethora of paper. But imagine the challenges early humans faced
when they wanted to communicate in writing beyond the cave walls.
The heavy clay tablets the Sumerians scratched their thoughts
on 6,000 years ago, were, no doubt, cumbersome! Over the centuries,
people tried all kinds of portable writing surfaces ranging from
wood to cloth.
The
ancient Egyptians finally hit on the idea of layering strips of
a wetland plant (papyrus, from which the word paper is
derived) and pounding them together to make flat sheets. Much
later, the Chinese made a slurry of water and the shoots or bark
of certain plants and poured it through woven screens. As the
water drained through the screen, fibers adhered to the surface
and fused into paper. That is essentially how it's been done to
this day.
Making
paper in the classroom is easy to do and can inspire explorations
across the curriculum. For instance, it fits nicely with a recycling
theme because the easiest method of making it is to start with
scrap paper that has already served its purpose. (Those wanting
to dig deeper can try using fresh plant material.) The botany
and chemistry of papermaking is fascinating, and the process is
rife with opportunities for experimenting with a variety of variables.
Its
history, too, has a host of intriguing pages. Budding artists
can try different materials and methods for creating unique textures,
colors, and patterns, and then use their homemade sheets to make
notecards, bookmarks, collages, wall hangings, gift tags, and
holiday decorations.
Intrigued?
All your class really needs to get started is some scrap paper,
a blender, and a few other easy-to-find items, and in less than
two hours they can relive the experience of an ancient artisan.
|
 |
|
Making
New Paper From Old
Ready to
recycle paper into, yes, paper? You'll need to make a milkshake of
recycled scraps (and other cool materials), suspend it in water, pass
it through a screen, press the fibers, and allow them to dry. Read
on for the details.
Materials
Make
Personalized Pulp
The
first job your and your students will need to tackle is creating
pulp: a slurry made from piles of plant fibers (in this case, recycled
paper) that are pulverized in water. Here's how to do it:
-
Make
a heap of scraps. Invite your young sleuths to keep their eyes
peeled for paper they  think
needs recycling. Many kinds of paper will do. Keep in mind that
each will have different qualities that can affect your final product
(see box, below). Do your students want to see the results of using
a variety of colors, or would they prefer to shoot for a specific
color? If they want a product light enough to write on, consider
using about four times as much white (or light) paper as colored
paper. Since paper with black ink can impart a grayish hue to your
creation, you may want to use it in limited amounts, if at all.
Next, let 'em rip. Have students tear the paper into
pieces about one inch square.
Consider separating different types and colors of paper at this
stage so you can have more control when it's time to blend them.
Challenge the class to brainstorm what they might use (in small
amounts) that could add an artistic spark: foil wrapping paper,
dried wildflower petals, herbs, food coloring, glitter, bits of
thread, and so on. Set these aside.
Paper
Personalities
Newspaper
- Doesn't make great homemade paper and the ink can turn
your product gray. But if that's your main source of scraps,
try it out and compare the end product with paper made
from other sources.
Envelopes - A good choice. High quality envelopes
have long fibers that help strengthen homemade paper.
Junk Mail - A good—and abundant—choice
that comes in a variety of paper qualities and colors.
Colored paper - Can add spark to your creation.
Some dyes are very strong and can impart bright hues,
but can add soft tints if used in small quantities. Mixing
too many colors could make your paper look muddy. Consider
using tiny pieces of colored paper to add interesting
flecks to your product.
Copy paper - A good choice. Look for it in office
recycling bins, flyers, and junk mail.
Magazines - Most papermakers limit their use of
glossy paper because the inks make the pulp gummy. Students
may want to use some and compare their product with paper
made from other sources. Small amounts can add interesting
flecks.
Uncoated
gift wrap - Makes a great base for homemade paper.
|
-
Soak
it. Put the torn paper in a tub or bucket of warm water and
let it soak for at least two hours; overnight is better. This begins
to break down the fibers so the mixture is easier to mash in your
blender. 
-
Blend
it. Add soaked paper and water to your blender in a ratio of
one cup of paper to two or three cups of water. It's good to start
with your base color (usually light) and add other colors bit by
bit, so you can see the emerging hue. Blend the mixture on medium
high until it has the consistency of thin oatmeal.
If you want to use your paper to write or paint on, you can blend
in a tablespoon or so of white glue, corn starch, or gelatin (dissolved
in hot water), or 2 teaspoons of liquid starch. These additives,
which are called "sizing," will make the paper less porous
to ink and paint.
-
Perk
it up with other additions. At this point, students might want
to add food coloring, glitter, herbs, or bits of colored paper or
dried wildflowers and blend them for just 10 seconds, or simply
mix them in by hand. (You can also add flowers, herbs, and seeds
to the top of your sheets once they've been made.) Papermakers sometimes
add dryer lint to the pulp at this stage. The cloth fibers add texture
and strength to the final product.
Turn
Pulp into Paper
Once you
have your cellulose smoothie (slurry) in hand, you'll need to
work the magic that will make it whole again. Here's what to
do:
-
Make
a mold. A mold, in papermaking parlance, is simply a screen-covered
frame. A homemade frame or old picture frame works great. Cut your
window screen an inch or two larger than the frame in all directions,
hold it taut, and staple it to the back side of the frame. If you
want your paper to have straight edges and be a specific size, you
can use a second frame (with no screening) called a "deckle."
(This rests on the mold and defines the shape of the finished paper.)
If you'd rather have interesting, uneven edges, don't bother with
the second frame.
-
Take
a dip. 
Fill the rubber tub with two to six inches of water. The goal is
to put the pulp in a watery suspension so it can be evenly distributed
on the screen. Add about one blender full of pulp for every two
inches of water. The amount of the pulp in the water will determine
the thickness of the paper, so you may have to experiment with different
ratios once you see how the sheets turn out.
After stirring the mixture, gently lower the mold at an angle, screen
side up, into the tub starting with one edge and slide it to a horizontal
position near the bottom. If you're using a second frame (deckle),
place it on top of the screened frame. Gently shake the frame(s)
back and forth, then quickly lift the screen straight up, allowing
fibers to cover it and the water to drain through. Drain excess
water back into the tub, resting the screen on the corner of the
tub. (Instead of dipping the screen, some people simply pour blended
pulp directly through the screen and tip it side to side so the
pulp spreads out evenly.) 
-
Flip
and dry it. Use a sponge, cloth, or paper towels to gently pat
off excess water from the back side of the screen. Next, lay a piece
of felt on top of the paper on the screen and turn it over onto
a hard surface (e.g., a cookie sheet). (Water will run right through
the felt.) If your newly made paper doesn't come off the screen,
dry the back of the screen some more, tap the frame gently, or carefully
peel the wet paper off.
This is a good time to add dried flowers or herbs, spices, thread,
seeds, and other items. (Paper with embedded seeds makes a great
gift that can actually be planted!) You can also make imprints by
pressing in plants or heavy lace and  leaving
them on until the paper has dried. To
help your paper dry faster and lay flatter, cover it with another
sheet (or more) of felt, newspaper, or towels, and press down with
your hands, a cookie sheet, or a rolling pin. (This also helps bind
the fibers.) You can continue to pile up layers as new sheets are
made. Try weighing down your paper sandwiches for a half day or
so with books or boards and then carefully peeling off your final
creation. Lay the paper in a dry spot, turning it every now and
then to keep if from sticking, or hang it on a line to dry.
|
Making
Paper from Live Plants
All
plants, from lettuce to lupines, have fiber, but some have enough
to provide strength and elasticity to paper and other items
such as cloth, rope, and baskets. Leaves and shoots of many
common garden plants including iris, daylily, yucca, corn, and
rice (and skins of onions) have been used to make paper. So
have stringy stalks of sunflowers, bamboo, wetland reeds and
rushes, and fibers that reside next to the outer bark of certain
trees. Cotton fibers, which are used in some of the highest
quality papers, actually surround the seeds.
The process
of turning plants into paper is similar to the method described
above, but there are additional challenges. Live plant materials
need to be cooked, generally in a caustic solution such as lye,
to chemically soften the bonds between the cellulose fibers.
The safest solution to use in a classroom is washing soda (Arm
& Hammer is an available brand). Next comes the aerobic
part: beating the fibers to a pulp. (You may want to explore
the origin of the phrase beat to a pulp with your students!)
Beating or blending the fibers enables them to intertwine and
water to penetrate them. As the pulp is made and later drawn
over a screen, the water-filled fibers interlock and a page
is born.
Intrigued
by the possibility of making paper right from plants? Click
here for instructions on a fairly simple method. If you
want to dig even deeper, we recommend the following book: Papermaking
with Plants: Creative Recipes and Projects Using Herbs, Flowers,
Grasses, and Leaves, by Helen Hiebert (Storey Books, Pownal,
VT, 1998; $25).
|
Copyright©
2002 National Gardening Association
|
|
Contents
Pg.
1: Making Paper
Background
Materials
Making
New Paper from Old
Making
Paper from Plants
Pg.
2: Curriculum Connections
Papermaking Investigations
Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle
Paper
Through the Ages
Trees
Measure Up
Pg.
3: Resources
Web Sites We Like
Papermaking
Books
Related
Articles
Close
Encounters:
Young Observers Take Note
Arboreal
Inquiries
Digging
Deeper with Trees
|
