Handmade Papermaking

Greenspiration products are individually handmade. Each piece of paper is created in a mould and deckle, couched in cloth, pressed by hand and dried by steam or sunlight. Intricate designs of pressed flowers, leaves, bark and other plant material are then rendered by skilled and dedicated artisans to produce an exquisite line of handmade paper products.

HANDMADE PAPERMAKING FROM ABACA FIBER

Papermaking is largely an art. Individual creativity aside, papermaking techniques vary widely according to the base materials and ingredients used, desired dimensions and texture, and even climatic conditions. Finally, papermaking methods will vary significantly with the extent of the maker's commitment to be environmentally-friendly. The reader is therefore advised to get acquainted with other methods to get a comprehensive view. Experiment, learn, and have fun in the process. You may even develop your own technique. The following are pointers for papermaking based on Greenspiration's process using abaca fiber.

I.	Material:	Abaca:
	Scientific name:	Musa textilis

Basic Materials and Equipment:

1.	Mould and deckle	12.	Mucilage
2.	Basin - Big enough for the mould and deckle to fit in	13.	Caustic soda
3.	Rolling pin	14.	Stainless steel or enamel-lined kettle
4.	Brush, Sponge	15.	Weighing scale
5.	Mortar and Pestle	16.	Measuring cup and spoon
6.	Blotting paper or Flannel cloth	17.	Stove
7.	Drying boards e.g. Plywood, formica or glass	18.	Knife or scissors or cutter machine
8.	Mixer or Blender	19.	150-mesh metal screen or mosquito net material or stainless strainer
9.	Pails (capacity of 30 liters)	20.	Ladle
10.	Rosin size	21.	Gloves
11.	Alum

II. Procedure

Soda Process

1.) Cut the clean fibers into lengths of about one inch.  Weigh one kilo and place

it inside the stainless steel or enamel-lined kettle.

2.) Prepare 10% caustic soda solution by dissolving caustic soda flakes in water.  Preparation of the 10% caustic soda solution is as follows:

If you are pulping a kilo of fibers, weigh 100 gm. of caustic soda flakes,
then dissolve in 1 liter of water

3.) Add the caustic soda solution into a kettle containing the fibers.

Use stainless cooking vessels.

4.) Measure 10 liters of water and add this into the same kettle.

5.) Boil the above preparation for about 3 to 4 hours in order to dissolve and

remove non-cellulose matter and separate cellulose fibers

6.) Test by getting a small amount of cooked fibers and squeeze them with the fingers.  If fibers break off easily with only slight pressure applied, then cooking is enough.

7.) Wash cooked fibers three (3) times with water or until it is not slippery to the touch.

8.) Beat in mortar and pestle until desired texture is achieved.  Test fiber by getting a pinch of pounded or blended fiber and dropping it into a clear glass of water.  If it is cloudy, you have reduced the abaca to a pulp.  If it still shows strands, beat some more.

9.) Remove water by squeezing. Weigh pulp.

10. Prepare pulp slurry by distributing the beaten pulp into a container of water until desired consistency is attained (enough to be able to move pulp around when chemicals are added.)

11.) Add 1% rosin - size, i.e. 1 kg. abaca pulp + 1 gm. Rosin size.  Then add alum, 2% i.e. 1 kg. abaca pulp + 2 gm. alum dissolved in warm water.

12.) 2 cups thick mucilage is then added.  Okra juice or tororoae may be used. Slurry should be stirred while all these chemicals are added on by one. (We have found the Asian Indian variety of okra to have the best adhesive properties for this papermaking.

13.) Fit the mould and deckle.  Stir the slurry by hand to be sure that pulp is well distributed and mixed.

14.) Dip the mould and deckle into a basin of slurry, positioning the deckle toward the paper maker side and allowing the slurry to flow slowly toward the other side throwing excessive slurry back to the basin.  Slowly tilt the mould and deckle back to the maker side and then tilt again towards the opposite side.  This process is repeated until most of the water has drained through the screen.

15.) Separate the mould from the deckle, take out the mould and lay it on pieces of blotting paper. Cover the formed sheet with blotting paper and turn it upside down. Wipe off the water left on the screen with a piece of flannel cloth.  Separate the mould slowly from the sheet.

16.) Cover the sheet with 2 or more pieces of blotting paper and use a rolling pin on top, to squeeze out water. Cotton or similar absorbent materials also may be used.

17.) Separate the sheet from the blotting paper and set it aside on top of the wooden board padded with blotting paper or flannel cloth.

18.) As soon as you have a pile of wet paper, press them en masse.  A press may be a screw press, a letter copying press, vulcanizing press or simply 2 wooden boards whose surface area is bigger than the formed sheets.  The latter be done by placing the pile of wet formed sheets between the smooth-surface boards lying flat, and with heavy objects laid on the top to squeeze out the remaining water.

19.) Transfer the sheet to formica/plywood/glass panel.  Brush firmly to make its surface cling evenly unto panel.  Remove cloth if desired, brush with care and gently to align fibers.

20.) Let dry.  Remove only when thoroughly dry.

21.) If a smooth paper is desired, the dried sheets may be pressed again.

III. Glossary of Terms

Alum - a chemical compound added to the pulp slurry containing resin, for effective resin sizing.

Beating  - the operation involved in the reduction and flattening of fibers into the fine parts required for papermaking

Binder   - substance added to the slurry to make paper firmer and to prevent the projection of fibers form the surface of the sheet.  Starch is commonly used.

Blotting Paper  - soft spongy paper that absorbs water when it comes in contact with any wet object.  This is available in any office or school supplies outlets.

Caustic Soda Solution - a mixture of sodium hydroxide with water.

Cellulose - fibers obtained by treating vegetable matter with caustic soda solution.

Cooking chemical or solution - chemical like caustic soda mixed with water and is used in cooking the fibers
Deckle  - wooden frame that confines the pulp in the frame.

Drying Board  - a flat surface where formed sheets of paper are allowed to dry.

Fiber  - a natural substance that contains chiefly cellulose, has a length many hundred times greater than its width, possesses considerable tensile strength, pliability and resistance against heat, light and some chemical at a certain temperature and pressure.
Gelatinize  - property of the slurry to have jelly like consistency.

Mould  - the sieve or screen that strains the pulp and on which the sheet is formed.

Mucilage  - the slimy substance of okra extracted by soaking then blending the sliced okra fruit with water and straining the solution.  The solution is mixed with the pulp’s slurry.

Rosin  -  substance used to size paper.  This is prepared by cooking resin in caustic soda solution in a water bath (6 parts resin, 1 part sodium hydroxide, 12 parts water. )

Sizing  -  chemical, often resin or cooked starch, added to the mixture of pulp and water or  applied on the paper surface to increase the resistance of the dried sheet to penetration of liquid particularly water and ink.

Slurry  -  pulp in water before lifted on the screen.

Starch  -  preparation is done by cooking 100 gm. of cassava or corn starch in 3 cups of  water for about 5 minutes.

150 - mesh metal screen  -  device made of stainless steel, that has 150 openings per linear inch, used to allow only liquid or smaller particles to pass through and can be mounted on a frame.

ABACA FIBER AS ONE OF THE RAW MATERIALS USED FOR HANDMADE PAPERMAKING

Greenspiration is proud to be the leading exponent of abaca as base material for handmade paper. Its being the longest of natural fibers and high cellulose content are just a few of abaca’s virtues as a tree-free, organic and earth-sustaining raw material. These are evident in our product’s elegant texture, color and strength.

Abaca (Musa textilis), commonly known as Manila hemp, is a precious natural wonder. It has served human civilization in myriad ways, indispensable in providing durable cordage to shipping and many industrial uses for several centuries before synthetics displaced most natural materials. It is truly a tree of life, providing useful materials from its leaves and stalks to its corms, leafsheaths and fiber. Today abaca use is as wide-ranging as it is inconspicuous: from currency and bank notes to tea bags and surgical masks; high capacitor papers to alcohol and waxes; coating for pharmaceuticals to chlorophyll dye and organic fertilizer.

The Philippines, her tropical climate and volcanic, clay loam-type soil being ideal for abaca growth, produces 85 per cent of the world’s abaca. Accordingly Filipinos have put this natural endowment to extensive use in virtually all aspects of their lives. Philippine crafts are particularly reliant on abaca-derived materials. Perhaps its crown jewel is the much-admired sinamay, prized for its simple elegance and versatility as a crafting and packaging material. This woven abaca fiber and a host of other processed abaca materials are used in décor, fashion, costume jewelry, foot and headwear, novelties, in addition to agriculture and construction.

Today, we can say that abaca is back. Many who have in the past favored the short-term convenience of synthetic and fossil fuel-derived materials now find the long-term consequences too costly. In fact it is the intensifying global concern for environmental preservation that is fueling the resurgence of abaca as the natural raw material of choice.

We at Greenspiration join hands with the world’s artisans in applauding abaca’s return to the top of the list of leading natural raw materials.