| name | paper-making |
| locale | caveman-ultra |
| source_locale | en |
| source_commit | 82c77053 |
| translator | Julius Brussee homage — caveman |
| translation_date | 2026-04-26 |
| description | Handcraft paper from plant fibres — fibre harvesting, pulping, sheet forming with a mould and deckle, pressing, and drying. Covers fibre sources (cotton, kozo, abaca, recycled paper), beating methods, sizing, and decorative techniques. Use when making handmade paper for art, stationery, or bookbinding, when creating unique textured or embedded paper for special projects, or when learning traditional paper making as a craft practice.
|
| license | MIT |
| allowed-tools | Read |
| metadata | {"author":"Philipp Thoss","version":"1.0","domain":"crafting","complexity":"intermediate","language":"natural","tags":"crafting, paper, fibres, handmade, pulp, mould-and-deckle, art"} |
Paper Making
Handcraft from plant fibres via mould + deckle.
Use When
- Handmade paper for art / stationery / bookbinding
- Have plant fibres (cotton linters, kozo bark, recycled)
- Textured or embedded paper for special projects
- Teach/learn traditional paper as craft
In
- Required: Fibre source (cotton linters, recycled, kozo bark, plant stalks)
- Required: Mould + deckle (flat screen frame + removable top)
- Required: Vat / tub deep enough to submerge mould
- Required: Water (lots)
- Optional: Blender (paper-only — no food after)
- Optional: Pressing boards + couching felts
- Optional: Sizing (gelatin, methylcellulose, rice starch)
- Optional: Additives — petals, threads, pigments, plants for embedding
Do
Step 1: Prep fibre
Each source = different prep.
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
→ Slurry of pulp w/ thin oatmeal consistency.
If err: too chunky → blend longer. Too thin → more fibre. Should coat back of spoon lightly.
Step 2: Prep vat
Set up forming station.
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.
