PREPApeRe YOURSELF

Written By Lux Fabre

Written for the Bemidji State University art department.

This is my personal how-to and notes for setting up a paper studio

check out my paper at home post for something chiller

 

In case of workshop, break class; A GUIDE ;

You will need:

  • Paper -any paper will do- cotton for starters 

I know needing paper to make paper sounds stupid, but this is for DEMONSTRATION 

  • Utility tub (maybe 20 gal or 10)

  • Deckles (of various sizes? For fun!)

  • 12” cone strainer (not sure what size MESH, see photo for reference)

  • Two, 5 gal buckets, one with holes drilled in the bottom (this one is called “holy bucket” 🙏)

  • Felts (How many?? What size ?? ) I would say about elebin big ones (don't quote me on that)


Part One : Pulp 

  • Soak paper 5 minutes in tub

  • Fill beater ⅔ of the way up, or until waterline is above the highest point of the plate 

  • Rip paper and feed into beater piece by piece with the machine running 

  • For basic cotton blend, beat for 1-4hr ( have 1 batch prepped B4 workshop)

  • place the strainer in the holy bucket, position it under the beater drain

  • Pull the plug

  • Remove pulp from the strainer into the second (hole-less or WHOLE) bucket.

  • Repeat till beater is drained

  • There will be lots of gross sounds and textures for everyone to enjoy 

  • Clean the beater by running water through it twice then wiping it out. 


Part Two: Forming Sheets

  • prepare felts by getting them wet and having them on standby

  • I like to put my first felt down on a piece of plywood of the same size for stability

  • Fill tub with water approx halfway or less 

  • Put 2-3 big handfuls of pulp into tub

  • Submerge deckle with a scooping motion to get pulp above deckle 

  • Pull straight out of water and let drain from the screen

  • Remove mould, and flip the frame butter side down DIRECTLY onto felt (i believe the proper term is to ”COOCH it” however, i won't be saying that.)

CORRECTION: couching is the process of transferring a freshly made sheet of paper from the mold to another surface. The word "couch" comes from the French verb se coucher, which means "to put to bed"

  • After you've put enough papers to bed on one felt, carefully tuck them in by placing another felt on top 

  • Add another handful or two of pulp to the tub

  • Repeat till you can't do it anymore or you run out of pulp


Part 3: Drying

  • We now have a big soaking wet, dripping  paper-felt lasagna (add waterproof apron to the list)

  • We will need -something- to squish the water out, for large amounts of paper you may be interested in a hydraulic press at 2000 psi (i'm interested in alternate methods / solutions for the pressless) 

  • Press water out 

  • Remove lasagna from oven

  • Once you start peeling paper sheets off the felt you will want to put them on a drying rack, they might dry wrinkly warped. Unless, you want to know the recipe for the other lasagna (drying apparatus)



RESTRAINT DRYER for crisp paper

Will need:

  • More Corrugated Cardboard than you could ever imagine

  • Blotter paper for absorbing moisture

  • Pellon (pellon you can use instead of felt, good for finer paper) 

  • Plywood for even distribution of weight

  • Weight ( bricks/cinder block)

  • A box fan or 2


Part 4: clean-up

  • Don't worry about it! Not important








  • Brush off felts and hang to dry

  • Eliminate all paper flakes and globs off of everything (don't let it go down the drain) 




Lux Fabre
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