You can test your pulp with a PH strip to see if it is acid free, it should be 7 or slightly greater according to: You can make acid free paper by adding calcium carbonate and liquid starch. The starch will prevent ink from bleeding on the paper when used for writing. I made my paper thicker for an art journal, so I got one to two sheets of paper from each batch measuring 9' X 12'. When drying the wet pages it is important to use a flat smooth surface and smooth cloths because any rough towels will texture the paper. I also used less pulp in the deckle achieving better results for thinner paper. I soaked the paper in water overnight and blended it longer to achieve this thickness and I used a rolling pin and ironed it. The paper I made did not fold very well, although I have a couple of sheets I made tonight that will fold nicely. Ironing the paper with a smooth cotton cloth did make a significant difference or you can use a rolling pin and wax paper. If there were a way to press the pulp harder between a press of some sort you could achieve a smoother thinner paper. Most of the pages I made were card stock paper. To see kiteman's deckle look at his video: I would add a way to secure the back of kiteman's frame so it would be re-movable but would also allow you to clamp the screen to the frame section, somewhat like they use for picture frames with glass. He made a frame that is much easier to remove the paper. My husband built me a frame but after using it a few times I wished I had asked him to make it into 2 pieces like kiteman's. The frame I used was 9' X 12', but it would be fun to make a deckle from a mini collage picture frame for smaller pages. I recommend a thin cotton from a very worn sheet or perhaps a nylon stocking could be stapled to the back of the frame. You could use a cloth on the back (I think), but it would take a little longer for the water to drain through. If you use a picture frame, I suggest one that does not have a beveled edge making it easier to remove the paper. It worked well enough for me to know that I wanted to build a durable deckle because I will be making a lot more paper! I made paper all evening one night and it held up fine. If the paper does not turn out simply add water to the blender with the paper pulp and repeat the process!įor the deckle I used a picture frame and covered the back with screen wire and duck tape. This will give you a lot of experience and practice without wasting supplies and you can experiment along the way. I recommend making 1 batch using a picture frame and junk mail with nothing added except water. Follow through and I will show you how to make some beautifully crafted paper! I made about 8 sheets of paper the first day I did this, as I fumbled through the process not knowing what to do. The directions seem long only because of the different types of paper you can make. This method is quick and easy and quite fun to do. This instructable will show you how I made paper using junk mail, grass, flowers, herbs, spices, and essential oils.

I wanted to make the paper for gift tags, crafts, and journals. I actually wanted to try using plant fibers but the weather did not permit so I made paper from junk mail instead.

Last year kiteman published an instructable on ' How To Make Paper' which has been the inspiration behind this instructable. I also wanted to show what I made from the paper. I know there are a lot of paper tutorials but I wanted to make my paper with flowers, leaves, and scent the pages. For the holidays I decided to make gifts without purchasing a lot of things.

Artisan craft kitchen