papermaking studio

I have been taking a paper making class Wednesday evenings at the Springfield Art Association. Last night was my second session and I thought I'd share some of what we are doing. Below is an image of the Hollander Beater. The loose plant fibers go into this beater with water and are beaten to a fine pulp that is suitable for paper making. Depending on the fiber and how fine you want it, preparation in the beater can take up to 24 hours!

Last night we were using dyed Abaca, or banana leaf fibers. When pulling a sheet of paper, a screen with a wooden frame is dipped into a vat with the fibers suspended in water and then gently shaken and pressed into a piece of felt.

drying felts

Last night we were using an air compressor to spray paper pulp onto a large frame; and when I say large, I mean huge. You'll notice that it is suspended from the ceiling. This is a way to make large single sheets of paper when the size becomes unmanageable with a vat and a screen. Here we are layering up different colors of Abaca to get a mottled look. 

We also experimented with a vacuum table. Paper will conform to objects and dry with their impression or texture. We hand built small items and patterns out of oil based clay and then laid them down in a box with a pegboard bottom. Then we pulled a sheet of paper from a screen directly on top of our objects. The box was ceiled with plastic sheeting and a shop vac was hooked up to the bottom, creating a vacuum chamber. The paper will dry around the objects and hold their indentations.

So far I am loving this class. Last week we got a crash course in fibers, were working with cotton and experimented with pulp painting, stencils, and other forms of creating designs on one sheet of paper. Next week we are going to begin working with Kozo and other traditionally eastern fibers.