Paper Making

In September 2020, I decided to buy a paper shredder because I was sick of cutting up all my documents by hand. Then halfway through last year, I found out that you can not recycle shredded paper in the recycling bin. As I do not have a compost bin, nor do I have the time to maintain one, I decided to make my own paper.

I have spent the last six months collecting paper to shred. I went through my old high school study notes and flashcards. All my flashcards were on different coloured cards depending on the topic or the subject. This allowed me to make other colours of paper. I had nine different colours; pink, orange, yellow, green, light blue, blue, purple, black and white.

I then soaked them in water the night before, allowing the thicker paper to soften, making them easier to blend into a pulp.

I also wanted to make the mould and deckle myself, mainly because these can get quite expensive. I brought all my supplies home with me on the bus. Honestly, carrying it all onto the bus was a mission, and I am pretty proud of myself for successfully doing this.

I asked my friend, Kiki, if she wanted to make paper with me. I thought this would be more fun to do with a friend. So the two of us made the mould and deckle together, as well as the first third of the paper.

It was only halfway through that I realised we were using the deckle the wrong way, which was why the paper was awkward to remove from the deckle.

I made my own smaller deckle a couple of weeks later using a $2.00 frame (I highly recommend doing this instead). The pieces are smaller, but I found this a lot easier to work with.

What have I learned/what would I do differently in the future?

• Make sure your vat is large enough to fit your mould and deckle into (so you do not end up going back and forth from the shops)

• Make sure you put your wire mesh on the right side

• Use a frame; it's easier than making your own out of wooden poles

• Make sure your vat has plenty of pulp in it, this way your paper will come out (more) even and will be thick

Here are photos of all the paper I have made so far.