Homemade Paper
Materials:
Heavy duty blender
news paper
assorted paper reminents (old copies,printouts, colored paper, etc.)
dryer lint
window screen
2X4's
screws (for building frams)
Fabric Dye
Bleach
Coverable buckets (preferable old 5 gal buckets with lids)
assorted sponges
blankets (old Army issue blankets work best)
Sissors
coffee cups
water (lots of it, best if done out side but over the kitchen sink works
just as well if you are careful)
Prep:
Cut 2X4's into assorted lengths to build frames for the window screen to be
attached to. These will determine the size of your sheets of paper. Cut old
Army blankets in to manageable sizes. The bigger the better.
Cut up old paper and pull apart dryer lint. This you will add to water in
the blender on a setting that will chop and then purrie the mixture. add
water and paper until you have a good light mush. I MEAN A GOOD MUSH!! Kinda
must have the consistancy of slime.
At this point you can place the mush water and all in a bucket with bleach
if you want white paper or color it as you wish to.
You will need to follow any dying directions as nessessary.
Ok now that your ready here is what ya do.
Blend any paper you want to make in the blender until you have a paper
slime. Now you can add dryer lint to make a rag paper, but do not try to
make a pure rag paper as it will not hold together very well. Your ratio
should be 2:1 for paper to lint and 2:1 for paper to water. You may add
leaves and such after you are finished blending.
Using a coffee cup scoop out mush and gently pour it out on to the window
screen (that you have made a frame for and properly attached)
creating a complete coverage of the screen. You may need to make more mush
as needed to cover all of the creen depending on the size you have built.
Once you have completely covered the screen GENTLY press the remaining water
from the form with a sponge. Once you have pressed all the water out pick up
the screen form and move it over to your drying area.
Drying:
Be sure you have a place that is large enough to accomidate the amount of
paper you are wanting to make and in a place where you can let dry for a few
days left alone.
The freshly pressed mush is now ready to be flipped out onto the Army
blankets. Be sure that every thing is flat and if nessessary very carefully
unfold and mistakes as soon as they happen once they dry they are stuck that
way.
REMEMBER..... if you goof up anything or make something your not happy with
you can always tear it up and toss it back in the blender.
YOU CAN'T MAKE ANYTHING YOU CAN"T UNDO WITH THIS.
A fun project for you and the kiddies if you are careful with the bleach and
dye. PARENT supervision is still needed for the blender and sissors though.
Let the paper dry for a couple of days or until completly dry.
This is one of those projects that you can spend all day on and have enough
materials to once finished to last you for quiet a while.
Dryer lint and old pare are always in abundancy in most homes...
but if you don't have enough don't be ashamed of raiding you neighbors for
their old newspapers and the local laundry mat for the dryer lint.