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There are several Instructables about making paper from recycled fibres. That is a fine activity, and one which kept me gainfully employed for four years.
When I worked in a papermill, even though we were an entirely machine-made mill, most of the questions we got from local schools were about how to make paper by hand, or how to make recycled paper.
This Instructable however, will cover the manufacture of paper from virgin fibres, that is, from plant to paper with no recycling, using a mixture of vaguely-traditional techniques from the European and Japanese papermaking styles. The final paper will probably be best classified as a "craft paper", suitable for scrapbooking or for card making.
The plant in question: the common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), so you have the added attraction of being able to use the left over leaves for brewing nettle beer, or making nettle tea or nettle soup.
You could also use similar processes to make paper from plants like flax, jute or hemp.
When I worked in a papermill, even though we were an entirely machine-made mill, most of the questions we got from local schools were about how to make paper by hand, or how to make recycled paper.
This Instructable however, will cover the manufacture of paper from virgin fibres, that is, from plant to paper with no recycling, using a mixture of vaguely-traditional techniques from the European and Japanese papermaking styles. The final paper will probably be best classified as a "craft paper", suitable for scrapbooking or for card making.
The plant in question: the common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), so you have the added attraction of being able to use the left over leaves for brewing nettle beer, or making nettle tea or nettle soup.
You could also use similar processes to make paper from plants like flax, jute or hemp.
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Signing UpStep 1Raw materials
The fibre-bearing part of the nettle is the stem.
I collected a large carrier-bag full of nettles of a mixture of ages, from fresh growth to mature plants.
Long sleeves, gloves, even hat and eye-protection are all useful here, depending on how energetically you harvest the crop. The worst sting I got preparing this Instructable was through the knee of my jeans, but most parts of me got lightly stung, even through gloves.
I collected a large carrier-bag full of nettles of a mixture of ages, from fresh growth to mature plants.
Long sleeves, gloves, even hat and eye-protection are all useful here, depending on how energetically you harvest the crop. The worst sting I got preparing this Instructable was through the knee of my jeans, but most parts of me got lightly stung, even through gloves.
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(Scribbles note)
http://newsletter.handpapermaking.org/beginner/beg76.htm
I've had thoughts, but they'd be messy, so I'm trying to refine the idea in my head first.
I've been doing more research (I had to resort to actual books, not just the web), and it seems that hammering/stamping is the way to go.
The fibres need to be literally beaten between two resistance surfaces, either by a mallet, as the Japanese Washi makers do, or with one of the modern continuous-flow equivalents (see the links I gave to Hollander beaters).
The fibres need to be smashed and broken to make them more flexible, and to literally fray the outer layers of the fibres - this all means that each fibres contacts many others, forming a smoother, stronger sheet.
I have recently discovered that at least one professional papermaker has had success with a modified sink garbage disposal unit, but I'm also thinking of something like a rock tumbler or ball mill.
I'm curious as to what you plan to do with all this wonderful material now you've made up a batch...
I have, however, exchanged emails with a chap from the University of Manchester School of Materials about ways of improving the process, and thus the finished material.