How to Make Homemade Paper From Pulp & Fibers

You can make paper at home.

Making paper is a fun and creative way to recycle and ultimately pay respect to Mother Earth. This project can introduce the entire family to the importance of recycling through the art of making paper, and it doesn't require any technical skills or equipment. Homemade paper can be made with recycled newspaper, magazines, sticky notes, paper towels, paper egg cartons, and just about anything that is made out of paper.

Things You'll Need

• Scrap paper (old paper towels, magazines, newspaper, etc.)
• Blender
• Mold (nylon screening)
• Deckle (old picture frame)
• Staple gun or tacks
• Dishpan or foot basin
• Liquid starch
• Sponge (large)
• Wax paper
• Gloves

Instructions

1. Make your mold. Stretch a piece of window screening over the old picture frame and staple in place. Make the screen as taut as possible. Set aside for later.

2. Collect the items that will make up your homemade paper. What goes into your paper is entirely up to you. Let your creativity flow. Add scent to your paper by including flower heads or potpourri. Experiment with different spices to see what interesting colors will result.

3. Rip paper into strips. Let the smaller children participate by ripping the paper up into strips. The strips don't need to be perfect, just small enough to fit into the blender. Add color with magazines sheets, construction paper, old birthday cards, junk mail and old store fliers.

4. Add paper to blender. Fill blender halfway with paper strips--the rest of the paper will be used in the next mixture--and then fill with water. Cover and blend on high for 30 seconds to one minute. The more you blend the shorter the fiber pulp will be. Check to see if mixture is smooth. Blend a few more seconds if bits of paper exist.

5. Pour and stir the contents of the blender into the foot basin or dishpan. Continue to make mixture until you have at least two inches of pulp in your tub.

6. Add 2 teaspoons liquid starch to the pulp mixture and stir well. This step is optional but highly recommended if you plan on writing on your paper. The starch will prevent the ink from soaking through to the other side.

7. Submerge your mold into the pulp mixture. Level the pulp onto the mold by shaking gently to ensure the pulp is evenly distributed.

8. Tilt the mold up and out of the mixture slowly, allowing it to drip while collecting the paper on top. If the layer of paper is too thin put the mold back in and add more paper mixture from blender. If the layer is too bulky remove some of the pulp from the mixture and repeat.

9. Remove mold with layer of paper on top. Place a piece of wax paper on top of the newly formed paper and flip mold over onto the wax paper. Lay both the mold (now on top) and the wax paper on the table. Press sponge through the screening to soak up excess water. Wring out excess water from the sponge into the basin. Repeat until the majority of the water is removed.

10. Lift mold up and away from the homemade paper and the wax paper. Once it dries, your new paper is ready to use.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a bin to collect old paper products from around the house for your next paper-making project.

References

• All About Paper
• The Eco-Art of Homemade Paper