Make
Recycled Paper at Home
Make recycled paper at home to create
unique cards, invitations and stationery. Do your part to help the Earth and
recycle your old newspapers, copy paper and wrapping papers. Easily make
recycled paper in an afternoon from items you already have on hand by following
the steps below.
Instructions
Create your recycle paper making mold
and deckle from old picture frames. Choose the same size frame as paper you
wish to make. Remove any glass. Staple the piece of screen tightly to the back
of one of the frames. The second frame just lies on top of the first during the
paper making process.
1) Locate
recyclable paper to use. You need the equivalent of 50 sheets of copy paper to
mix up enough pulp to create several sheets of recycled paper. White or colored
copy paper from the recycle bin works best. Newspaper also works but does not
create as nice an end product due to the high volume of ink and thin quality of
the paper. Nonglossy wrapping paper also works and adds some interest to your
recycled paper.
2) Shred
the recycled paper. Shred different types and colors separately. If shredding
by hand, shred or cut into 1-inch pieces. Do not use a machine shredder unless
it crosscuts. If using long thin shreds in long thin strips, you will need to
tear them into shorter strips.
3) Place
the shreds in dishpan tubs and cover with water. If using colored and white
papers, soak them separately. Soak several hours or overnight.
4) Create
the pulp in a blender. Add a handful of soaked paper and fill the blender ¾
full with warm water. Blend on puree setting until large lumps disappear. Blend
the pulp until it reaches the consistency of oatmeal. If desired, add very fine
glitter or crushed dried herbs or flowers at this time to add interest to
paper.
5) Pour
the pureed paper mixture into a dishpan or similar container. Use about 4
blenders full of pureed paper and fill the rest of the tub up with warm water.
The pulp mixture should be about 90% water after it is mixed in the tub. Use
your hands to mix it well.
6) Begin
to make the new paper by placing the frame with no screen on top of the back of
the frame on which you stapled the screen. Holding the two pieces tightly
together, dip them into the pulp holding the frames vertically. As soon as they
are under the pulp's surface, turn the frames horizontally so that pulp will
rest on the surface of the screen as you raise it out of the tub. Raise the
frames out quickly but carefully so that the layer of pulp stays as even as
possible.
7) Hold
the two frames over the tub of pulp so that the water drains off as much as
possible. Carefully lift off the top frame to expose the layer of pulp now in a
paper shape. Be sure to cover your drying area with the cotton fabric. After
the pulp has drained and settled a few minutes, flip the screen-covered frame
holding the pulp over quickly and carefully onto your cotton covered work
surface.
8) Use
the sponge to firmly but gently take off as much water as possible by going
over the surface of the screen several times. Repeat this, continuously
squeezing water from the sponge, until the pulp on the screen begins to lighten
visibly in color due to the drying from the sponge. At this point, you should
be able to lift the screen frame off the paper carefully and leave the new
paper in tact on the cotton sheet to dry.
9) After
the new recycled paper has dried overnight, carefully run your fingers under
the edges of the paper to lift it off the cotton fabric. Turn it over to finish
drying if necessary. Place dry paper under some heavy books to flatten any
warping overnight. Use your new recycled paper to write letters or to create
cards or crafts after flattening overnight.
