Recycling Paper

Selecting material for recycling and making pulp

Almost any paper can be recycled. Avoid newsprint and plastic coated paper. Shiny junk mail and magazines give a pleasant grey paper with coloured flecks. Computer paper, photocopy paper and envelopes are good to make paper from. The paper can be coloured with special paper dyes or pigments or with coloured papers, eg tissue paper, wrapping paper and coloured copy papers.
Once you have selected paper for recycling, tear it into 3 - 5 cm squares and soak in warm water for between two hours and two days. The longer the paper is soaked the easier it is to break up. A loosely packed bucket of torn paper will make about half a bucket of pulp. The paper can be pulped with a metal paint stirrer attached to a drill, with a blender or food processor or in a non automatic washing machine. The paper is sufficiently pulped when there are no large pieces of paper in the mixture, the fineness of the pulp is a matter of personal choice.

MAKING THE PAPER

Equipment Required

Mould and Deckle (can be purchased from many craft shops, papermaking suppliers or from individuals ; a vat, (a baby bath or large sink could be used); a press, (2 boards held together with G-clamps work well as a press); a piece of sponge between 1 and 2 cm thick and slightly larger than the mould and deckle; felts or couching cloths - can be teatowels, chux cloths, blanket, vylene or any fabric. The texture of the felts will be transferred to the paper.

Method

Put warm water into your vat to a depth of about 8 cm. Add about 3 cups of pulp and mix well. Hold the deckle onto the mould and lower into the vat vertically, move to horizontal and slowly lift through the water shaking from side to side and back and forth. When most of the water has drained through tilt to one comer to drain some more then remove the deckle. Invert the mould onto a very wet felt resting on the wet sponge. Rock back and forth and rock the mould off the felt leaving the sheet of paper on the felt. Put another wet felt on top of the paper and repeat the process. Ten to twelve sheets can be made at one time by placing a felt between each sheet. The sponge is then removed and the paper is pressed between two boards for an hour or overnight. Once pressed the paper can be hung to dry on the felts. When it is dry the paper will peel easily from the felt but should be pressed lightly between dry boards or under books. Different shapes can be made by using different deckles. Some mould and deckle sets come with an envelope deckle which has the corners blocked. An embroidery hoop can be used as a deckle to make circular sheets of paper.

Making a Latex cast of a three -dimensional object

Attach item to be a base board with cornice plaster or blu tac.
Seal base to board to prevent latex seeping under base.
Dab latex over item in thin coats drying between coats (don't allow the latex to pool or bubbles will form). Item can be heated before applying latex to speed up drying.
Apply about 10 coats, test with a fingernail, should be springy.
Apply reinforced coats by adding sand, sawdust or squares of chopped up pantyhose to the latex. Make sure to reinforce any edges and curves and fill in any undercuts. Give the item between 3&5 coats of reinforced latex, then 2 coats of plain latex.
Finally make a plaster support cast by coating the outside layer of latex with about 2cm plaster.
Because the latex is flexible you can make casts of items with undercuts.
Wash brushes out in a solution of the washing powder BioZet.