1environ on Handmade Paper Making
Handmade Paper Making
https://www.1environ.com/the-handmade-paper-process/
Around 500 years ago, William Caxton first started printing books on his printing press. Until then, all books had been written by
hand. On the other hand, the papers on which the books were printed continued to be made by hand until the 19th century. Then
the first papermaking machines were introduced in England, and the art of handmade paper started fading away.
Today, very few artisans continue to make paper the traditional way. To make handmade paper every sheet needs to be handcrafted individually. It takes several years of practice to master the skills and nuances of making paper by hand. Our craftsmen and craftswomen have been learning this skill for decades, with some practising this art in their families for generations.
Cotton rags
First, we start with the cotton rags. These rags are
post-industrial cotton waste from textile mills. If not
used in papermaking, these rags would end up in
landfills. These are sorted and cleaned by hand to
ensure no dirt or stones enter the production
process. Cotton rags may be substituted by any
other recycled material, such as rice stubble or
coffee husk.
The Beater
After the rags are sorted and cleaned, they are mixed with
water and added to a Hollander beater, a large oval tub with a
heavy roll rotating in it. As the roll turns, it breaks down the
cotton rags into small cotton fibres. This turns the cotton rag
and water mixture into a slurry. Making the perfect slurry is
essential in the papermaking process because the cotton rags
should be broken down so that the resulting slurry is just the
right consistency for making paper.
Sheet Formation
The pulp is then added to a rectangular storage
tank called the vat. The key craftsman is called a
vatman, and he stands at the vat and drains away
the fibres by dipping into the vat what’s called a
mould. This is a unique piece of equipment we
make in-house and is essentially a wooden frame
with an inbuilt screen and a removable edge called
a deckle. This holds the pulp in.
The vatman will lift the mould and deckle through the slurry,
forming a thin layer of cotton fibre on the mould screen. The
paper must be a consistent weight from sheet to sheet and
from end to end. It must not be cloudy, and it must be
excellent in every way, so our artisans spend many years
learning this intricate skill.
Couching
Couching is a papermaking term, which means
taking out the wet cotton sheet nestled within the
mould. At this point, the cotton sheet is made up of
99% water, so this is a delicate step since any
mistake will ruin the sheet. Once it is transferred
out of the mould, a special gauze cloth is used to
cover the cotton sheet. This step is repeated until a
stack of around 100 sheets is created.
The Press
The stack mentioned above then heads to the hydraulic press.
Here, the wet cotton sheet stack is pressed to remove excess
water. In this process, the water is drained away from the fibres
leaving a sheet of paper behind.
Air Drying
Couching is a papermaking term, which means
taking out the wet cotton sheet nestled within the
mould. At this point, the cotton sheet is made up of
99% water, so this is a delicate step since any
mistake will ruin the sheet. Once it is transferred
out of the mould, a special gauze cloth is used to
cover the cotton sheet. This step is repeated until a
stack of around 100 sheets is created.
Calendaring
Calendaring is where the now completely dry sheets are
interleaved with zinc plates and put through heavy rolls with
very high pressure. There is some slippage in the zinc plates,
and combined with the pressure, this step polishes the surface
of the paper sheets to give them a shiny and smooth texture.
Finally, our paper sheets, handmade from recycled cotton rags,
are ready to be loved by artist and enthusiasts around the
world.
