Fiber Frenzy Friday - Basic Paper-making Tools

Before I so rudely disappeared from blogging, I tempted you followers with the next blog theme of making paper from junk mail.  I do want to get to that no doubt and very likely will do that for our next Fiber Frenzy Friday.

I think it is more important that we first discuss the basic tools you will need for paper-making.  This way if you decide you want to follow along and make paper you will have a week from now to get your tools together.  Even if you decide you don't want to follow along as I post you will be able to come back and more chronologically understand the tools, process, and later on more advanced techniques of paper-making.

Basic Paper-Making Tools

1. Buckets - needed for transporting water from sink to vats. Also used for squeezing excess water out of sponges.
   
2. Sponges - needed for pressing and sponging water out of sheet of paper
   
3. Vinyl Screen - used to put over wet sheet before sponging out water, also used to cover mold and deckle (used in sheet formation) this is the same thing that is on a screen door.  You want vinyl because this will be submersed in water and you don't want it to rust.  (you will also need staples to attach your screen to your mold, try and grab the waterproof staples)
   
4. Mold and Deckle - 2 frames of the same size (the mold is screened, the deckle is not),          A term popular to handmade paper is the deckle edge and refers to the rough edge that is so desirable in handmade paper.  You can see the deckle edge in the photograph below.                             
   

Couching Cloths - pieces of cloth slightly larger than the sheets you are making. these are a great place to flip you wet sheets onto so that you can free your mold for more paper-making.  :)  Professional couching cloths are somewhat expensive, you can also pick up white felt and just double or triple the layers to thicken it up if you are going to stack and use a press.  or put onto a thin piece of felt, hand press, and line dry.

6. Kitchen Blender - used to pulp/blend recycled papers or fibers

***Now you know the necessary tools for making paper! It's fairly simple to get started.  You can start making your own handmade paper and adding it to your own handmade creations. 

Ideas for Using Your Handmade Paper

• wrapping handmade soaps
• labels/price tags
• cards, business cards
• gift wrap
• handmade cards

Tune in next Friday for directions on pulping and forming sheets of handmade paper out of junk mail! Let's all do our part in helping to reduce, reuse, and recycle!

Monday is our first Motivational Monday, so tune in for a little lift!

Peace, Love, and Handmade Paper!