MAKING MY FIRST BIG PIECE OF PAPER

Inspired by a papermaker named Gin Petty*, I used the temporary warmth we had here-- 70 degrees in a Northeast November (2001) --to make my first biiiiig piece of paper (overbeaten flax, sunflower and cotton pulp; the additions included: larkspur (I really meant to use lavender) and dried strawflower petals-- 6 feet long, 3 plus feet wide, on Sunday the 18th.

Saturday I bought timber- three 2" by 6" by 8' to get the 42" by 82" surround I needed. I also bought one Luan sheet, 42" by 82" as a drying board, another set of sawhorses-- steel, fold-up legs and on sale for a money saving $9.99. I really like them!



I was fitting a 41" by 81" piece of triple layer papermill screening I had purchased from PaperTrail (in Canada and so realized the saving of $ translation)... I had bought it to make smaller moulds but wanted to give it a test runs as a single big sheet. The only egg crate I could find was 2' by 4' . I bought 3 pieces, since I didn't count well.

As I couldn't get the screen to lie flat, no matter how I coiled or flipped or wet it, (my interntion was to wrap it under the crate at the each end for the over hang but this didn't work) , I cut the screen to 72".

I couldn't find a wide enough level space under my car port and so picked an area of the yard that seemed flat. It wasn't and this caused some hardship later.



I arranged and then propped up the planks, spread the drop cloth, put in the egg crate-- two side by side and one across the top of them, then the screen and then filled it with water to about 2 inches above the screen.

The egg crate stayed but the screen wanted to float, so I weighted it with rocks.



After draining, I laid a big sheet of ultrafelt on it, to protect it for the night. Did a bit of light sponging and left it, with the board on top of it (for protection) overnight.

and Monday was so beautiful. But I needed another 4 hours of that warm dry air. Good thing I brought it under the carport to dry at sunset last night... just as I was about to lock up I saw sprinkles. So had to dismantle my sawhorse-supported drying table, roll up, and bring the paper, eggcrate and 42" by 82" board, inside.



Here it is. Torn, cockling, with unforseen foxing and most exciting.





*Gin Petty's wonderful and inspiring papermaking journal is at: http://home1.gte.net/kygin/journal/ . She shared with me that she used regular nylon door screen from Wal-Mart. They have it in 3'x7' for $5, and that the regular screen rolls off the cardboard tubing and stays perfectly flat.



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