On Drying Handmade Paper

There is much to say about drying. I remember once being shocked by the idea of ironing paper, then years later, found it very useful to do when teaching adult classes. Heat plus pressure work well.

Pressing is now integral to my process, though as of this writing, (Fall 2010) my hydraulic is out of reach.

My method of late begins with what I call a wet press. After couching the paper, I interleave and/or wrap some army blankets around the post and press at first light, then increasing pressure for a couple of hours.

Then I air dry on a remarkable clothes dryer. It is stacks of mesh shelving with a fan at one end. Created for delicate clothes , it has replaced warming trays and photodryers as my favorite drying tool. http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-11510-4-Shelf-Garment/dp/B000R8E8OE/r\ef=pd_sbs_k_2 As of this writing it is under $30 and a remarkable tool for hand papermakers. And as I now have profound physical challenges and attendant space constraints, the clothes dryer with fan has been *phenomenal* in its ease of use, speed and evenness of drying.

At one point, in the past, I used the Lee Scott McDonald portable drying system, then needed more layers and larger and amended it. It was made of 5/8" marine quality Baltic Birch plywood platens with 1" hook and loop straps to apply pressure, it came with 5 layers of packing material, 12" x 18" drying surface.http://www.toolsforpaper.com/products.php

His concept of the sandwich and airflow were most instructive and informed my His screen sandwich instructions

"A Screen Sandwich consists of a core of one layer of blue tube sandwiched between aluminum screen mesh which together create an air space for moisture removal. Position a polypropylene (wicks water away) felt between the screens and the paper. Place wet sheets of paper on the felt, add another felt, Screen Sandwich, felt, another sheet of paper, and so on, to create your stack. Versatile & long lasting, the Screen Sandwich will keep most paper from cockling when proper pressure is applied. " -

helped me figure out what to try and do.

Then I migrated to semi exchange-drying under pressure in my hydraulic press.

Then I found on eBay incredibly cheap prices for photo dryers and then learned here from Lee and CA about warming trays. (our desert dwelling papermakers don't face these problems)

For short runs or small amounts, I used hot trays and photo dryers.

I mention these to suggest further variations on the theme, thatmight be of use to you.



On Cockling

When I began to do pressing of wet sheets, my cockling abated. Only when flat heat drying (on trays) is cockling most an issue, and I avoid it by moving and flipping sheets around or amend it by pressing the sheets again after dying. The canvas on the photodryers acts as a restraint (or evens out the water loss), so cockling hasn't been an issue with this method.



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PaperWorks Debut| On Armature for Pulp and Papier Maché|Making Paper Overview|
Casting Notes| Making Big Paper|On the Critter | Sally Fox, inventor |Woven Heart|The Cherub, another Revolution in Studio Papermaking! | Papermaking Zines| Handmade Art Paper Beads: Flat, Flag, Scroll Beads| Handmade Art Paper Beads: Doll/ People Beads
Handmade Art Paper Beads: Wet, Sheet-Formed Beads |Curriculum Connections| On Papermaking Moulds and Deckles For Beginners| Shaped Deckles|Wheelchair Papermaking

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