Learn to make paper with these step-by-step instructions.

Items you'll need:

1. A blender for preparing the pulp. (It won't be damaged as long as you follow directions carefully.)
2. A sink with a cover for the drain, or else a large plastic bin of similar size.
3. Sufficient room so that spilled water won't be a problem.
4. A sponge.
5. Dishtowels.

Note: Adult supervision is required if children are to use the blender.

Instructions:

Read the instructions in their entirety before starting.

• Clear the area around the sink or plastic bin.
• Carefully examine the two parts of the wooden frame – the mold and the lid. The mold is the lower part of the frame, to which the screen is attached. The lid is the upper part of the frame, which presses down on the lower part. Notice how the mold and the lid fit together. This simple device has been used for centuries in the manufacture of paper.
• Place the two parts of the frame in the sink or plastic bin. Holding these two parts with one hand, fill the sink or bin with warm water until it reaches halfway up the frame midway between the screen and the lid. Leave both parts submerged in the sink or bin.
• Fill the blender 2/3 or half full of water at room temperature (equivalent to 3 or 4 cups in most blenders). If there's too little water the blender might jam. If there's too much pulp the jar could overflow. Take a sheet of pre-soaked scrap paper and tear it up into postage stamp-size pieces.
• Place the pieces of paper in the blender. They should have been pre-soaked for at least 12 hours.
• Put the lid on the blender. Note: Always add water first so as not to jam the blender with too much paper next to the rotor. If it should jam remove the jar from the motor, empty the jar and clean out the rotor, being careful not to damage the blades.

• Run the blender at low to medium speed for about three minutes so as to reduce the pieces of paper to a pulp. Then run at high speed for five minutes to achieve a smooth, even mix. The consistency of the mix will depend on the type of paper you're making. In any case, it should be uniform and free of bubbles. Now you have your first batch of pulp.
• With one hand, hold the two parts of the frame at the bottom of the sink or plastic bin. With the other, pour your mix onto the screen, being careful not to spill any outside the frame.
• Holding the two parts of the frame together with both hands, gently lift the frame out of the water. Keep the frame level for approximately one minute, allowing the water to drain evenly. If the pulp should drain off to one side, submerge the frame once again and try to level the mixture.
• Place the frame on a dishtowel and carefully remove the lid from the mold.
• Fold the edges of the screen over the pulp and then carefully pass a sponge over the pulp to remove excess water. Then flip the mold over and replace on the dishtowel to drain the remaining water.
• Carefully lift the mold and screen from the pulp. If the pulp does not separate easily from the mold, try drying it a bit more with a piece of muslin. Then flip the mold over once again.

Once you have separated the damp pulp from the mold and the screen, place it to dry in the shade.

You now know how to make paper, and you have all the necessary tools. Practice making several sheets. You might try adding a few bits of dried flowers during the final stages of the blending process.

Before emptying the sink or the bin, recover the remaining bits of pulp for future use. If they are left in the sink they could plug the drain.

Phone (57 2) 881 73 03, 889 13 31 Fax (57 2) 883 88 69
Address: Calle 6 No. 4-02 esquina, Cali, Colombia
e-mail: fida@calipso.com.co