Papermaking On the Deck

Last weekend I spent 2 days making paper using botantical pulp.  I mixed cooked corn plant material harvested from my garden with recycled printmaking paper offcuts and added a dash of marigold flowers, dried lavender and geranium petals.  I also tossed in some banana and broccoli plant pulp from a previous cooking session.

I finally got to test out my new couching stand and hydraulic jack press, made by my father-in-law Alan.  They worked beautifully. 

I also took some advice from fellow papermakers and resist dried my paper at night, this prevented the paper from curling too much because it dried slower in the cooler weather conditions.  As a final step, I ironed the papers to remove any remaining moisture and to flatten them.  Having some recycled paper mixed in with the botanical pulp also helped to reduce shrinkage and curling.

I'm very happy with the paper I produced and I had a great time working out on the deck with the ipod music up loud.  The repetitive nature of scooping the pulp and forming the sheets was heaven to my soul.

Now I just need to give the deck a good clean to bring it back from a working area to a beautiful deck again!

the vat, mould & deckle, and couching stand

my new hydraulic jack press,
great once i figured out how it worked
(sorry guys, most girls don't know how to use a jack...!)

the stack of finished papers !