How to make paper
How to make paper: turn used paper into a recycled sheet at home. Materials and 6 practical steps. Learn how fibres are formed, pressed and dried.
Paper starts as fibres mixed with water. A screen catches the fibres; pressing and drying turn the wet layer into a sheet. You can try the same sequence with used paper at home.
From plant fibres to a sheet
Paper fibres contain cellulose. Wood and other plants supply new fibres; used paper supplies fibres that can be separated again in water. Pulping breaks the material down into a wet fibre mixture. As the water drains away, the fibres begin to bond together.
On a paper machine, the watery pulp forms a sheet on a moving screen. Water drains away, then pressing and drying remove more moisture. At home, a small screen replaces the moving screen.
What you need
Gather clean used paper, water, a craft-only blender, a tub larger than your frame, a sponge, absorbent cloth and a tray. Remove staples, plastic and bindings; leave out food-soiled paper. Have an adult handle the blender.
The mould is a frame covered with mesh. The deckle is a matching empty frame placed above it to hold the pulp within the sheet’s edges.
Make a recycled sheet
- Tear the paper small. Cover it with water and leave it to soften for a few hours or overnight.
- Put a little soaked paper in the craft blender with more water than paper. Close the lid and blend into pulp.
- Add the pulp to water in the tub and stir. Hold the deckle on top of the mould, with the mesh facing up.
- Lower the pair into the mixture, level it underwater, then lift it out level. Let water drain while the fibres settle across the mesh.
- Lift off the deckle. Turn the mould onto absorbent cloth on a tray. Press the back of the mesh with a sponge to remove water, then gently lift the mould away.
- Leave the sheet to dry completely before peeling it from the cloth. This may take a few days. Use the dry sheet for a drawing, note or card.