Arnold E. Grummer
Page 9
Board drying can deliver an amazing surprise. When I saw a board with a knot on its surface, I decided I wanted to reproduce the knot’s texture-swirls on a sheet of paper. I carried out the process of board drying, placing the wet sheet over the knot. But, when I took off the dry sheet expecting to see texturing, what I actually saw was a meticulously detailed and accurate reproduction of the knot — in full, gorgeous, true color.
This was a whole new world to explore! I tried more board surface knots. Another surprise: Not one of them was reproduced on my paper. This made my first lucky result even more valued. Will it ever happen again? The hunt must continue. Perhaps the “right” board has to be found, one not overly cured and certainly without any finish. The situation needs further exploration. Join me. Beat me to another successful sheet.
Air Drying
Air drying produces a soft sheet with a variegated surface. From an art standpoint, the surface produced by unfettered shrinkage forces can be highly dramatic. The precise nature of the air-dried surface can vary widely, depending on the pulps used for the sheet, the rate of drying (high or low relative humidity), and whether any type of restraint is placed on the surface during drying.
Left totally unrestrained, pulp shrinkage can result in a sheet that might be relatively flat or extremely curled. Almost always, the surface will not be very smooth. Sometimes, sheet flatness can be maintained by putting weights on either end of the papermaking screen during drying. A window screen or very light cloth can be placed over the sheet and kept taut but relaxed with weights at either end. As with most techniques, air drying is a great field for experimentation.
Step 1. Prepare pulp and make a sheet of hand-made paper through step 5 (see page 54).
Step 2. Set the paper-making screen, with the wet sheet on it, somewhere to dry. Allow it to dry solely by evaporation. To help speed things up, the screen and sheet can be pulled across the surface of a wrung-out sponge to remove some water, and the sheet can be set on or near a drying force, such as a heat register or a sunny window.
Rugged and untamed, this surface of an air dried, pulp-painted sheet shows the power of unrestrained shrinkage forces.
Air Plus Pressure
A combination of air and press drying creates a cameo, textured image area on an otherwise smooth surface, creating dimension, kind of like embossing in reverse. One procedure is described below; variations will likely occur to you after trying this project.
Try It
Step 1. Locate a foam food tray or piece of wood larger than the sheet of paper you’re making. Cut an image (tree, animal, heart) into the material that will be an open space for air drying.
Step 2. Prepare pulp and make a sheet of handmade paper through step 5 (see page 54). Remove the papermaking screen and new sheet from the hand mold and place them on a drain rack or smooth surface. For experimentation, try adding a bit more pulp, possibly of another color, in the area where the cut-out image will be.
Step 3. Place the foam tray or wood carefully on top of the new sheet. Press down slowly and uniformly. The board will compress the covered part of the sheet, while leaving the cut-out image area at the original height.
Step 4. Turn the assembled pieces (foam or wood, new sheet, screen) upside down, so the foam or wood is on the bottom and the screen on the top. Remove water from the sheet by pressing on the screen with a sponge.
Step 5. Remove the papermaking screen carefully and replace it with a couch sheet. Press down on the couch sheet until it has removed all the water it can, carefully remove it, and replace it with a dry one. When removing a wet couch sheet, the paper sheet might tend to rise with it. Use your fingernail or a knife to keep that from happening.
Step 6. Turn the whole package over again, so the couch sheet is on the bottom and the foam or wood on top. Place a weight (book, container of water, brick) on the foam or wood board to provide pressure. Change the couch sheet as it gets damp until the paper sheet is dry. In the finished sheet, the part that was dried under pressure will have a smooth surface, and the air-dried cutout will be rough.
Variation
For another effect, you can make a sheet as usual, remove it from the deckle, and do the following:
Put a cover screen over half of it and sponge only the half covered by the cover screen.
Remove the cover screen, put couch sheets over only that half, and put pressure for drying only on the couch sheets, permitting the other half of the sheet to air dry.
Change couch sheets as they get damp until the sheet is dry.
Bonded for Life
Another favorite project involves the self-bonding technique. No glue, tape, or adhesive is used to hold the pages of this book together.
Materials
Papermaking supplies (see page 25)
Instructions
1. Use tin cans, shapes, or a standard hand mold to make a sheet of paper in the usual way.
2. Remove water so the sheet holds together but is still reasonably damp. Transfer to couch material. Lay a couch sheet or cloth on the newly formed sheet, leaving a ¾″ border of paper exposed on the left edge.
3. Make a second sheet. Remove enough water so the paper can be handled but is still damp. Lay the second paper directly over first. On the left edge where damp sheets meet, the pages will self-bond. Use a spray bottle to lightly mist and re-wet this area. Separated by the couch material, the rest of the sheet will become an open page for the book.
4. Continue to make and layer sheets, as described in step 3.
5. Use as much pressure as possible to press the stack of sheets with couch material.
6. Change couch sheets as needed until the papers (your new book) are dry. If the handmade paper is thicker than standard text weight, there is no need for front and back covers.
The sheets shown here are naturally bonded in the papermaking process.
Chapter 7 Paper Casting
In paper casting, you reproduce a shape by pressing malleable pulp onto that shape and leaving it to dry.
Think of lining the inside or outside of an ice cream cone with wet plaster and letting it dry. The plaster will dry in the shape of the cone. Wet pulp behaves similarly. The same pulp that makes a flat sheet of paper can become a three-dimensional shape.
Laying the Foundation
Because papermaking fibers are microscopic, wet pulp can be worked into or onto a surface’s most minute details and crevices, which are then reproduced when allowed to dry. Consequently, wet pulp is an ideal medium for casting.
Most of what you need for paper casting is the same as for flat papermaking (see page 25). The primary differences are the molds you use, the type of fibers you need for pulp, and any special additives and release agents. All are covered in this chapter.
Molds
Commercial casting molds are available in three types: plastic, flexible, and rigid.
Plastic. Cookie stamps, soap and candy molds, and many other kinds of plastic crafting molds have interesting detail that will emboss the surface of the finished cast. Hundreds of designs are available in plastic, varying in size from a few inches (candy molds) to a few feet (cement stepping stone molds). Since this plastic has such a hard, shiny surface, the dried cast separates easily from the mold with few problems. Unfortunately, most plastic molds lack surface detail, which may be a disadvantage.
Flexible. Flexible molds are good for three-dimensional pieces of art because they are strong and elastic. Polymer clay casting molds are an example of a flexible mold. However, because cotton linters and recycled papers start out as such a watery medium, flexible molds can be difficult to use. Pressing to remove water and encourage bonding is difficult.
Rigid. Rigid molds are made of fired clay or composite resins. They come in many sizes and shapes, and have multipurpose uses. The same mold might be used for paper casting, cookie or butter stamping, metal embossing, or casting of various products to make jewelry. Rigid molds are generally the most desirable molds for paper casting.
They accommodate water and lots of pressing and patting, and further have fine detail and depth. With care, rigid molds can be used over and over and will produce a clear, interesting finished product, ready for various art applications and useful gift projects.
Unglazed ceramic molds are the traditional choice for paper casting molds. The absorbent nature of fired clay draws water into the mold, bringing fibers along into the details and crevices of the image for a superlative cast.
Shown are just a few possible options to use as casting molds:
plastic push molds for polymer clay
antique brass plate (found object)
glass candle diffuser from a dollar store
textured metal picture frame (see page 136)
commercial terra cotta casting mold
commercial bisque clay casting mold
metal wall art (see page 124)
casting molds
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will plastic candy molds work for paper casting?
A: Most paper-casting molds (see previous page) are made from kiln-fired clay. Clay molds pull water, and fibers with it, into the details of the mold, producing high-resolution results. Plastic molds generally won’t deliver the detail one anticipates. Applying linter or recycled fiber to a nonporous surface encourages formation of air bubbles between the mold and pressed-in pulp. Pock marks may appear on the cast’s surface. If you have some candy molds at home, by all means try them out. If you find the results suitable, the variety of inexpensive plastic molds outweighs any concern.
Casting with Everyday Objects
Paper casting is a limitless world in which your imagination can roam endlessly, and your decorative and artistic senses can find a thousand paths to pursue. There are certainly some everyday things around the house, or maybe your grandmother’s attic, that can be used for paper casting. Keep an eye on the amazing and functional shapes and forms found in fast-food restaurants, ice cream parlors, and grocery stores. There are neat tray and small-box forms everywhere. A round shape is universally pleasing and can be useful as well.
Set a glass or similar round object in the middle of a larger round pulp patty (see page 132). With a plastic spatula, push the pulp patty’s edges up around the bottom of the glass, let the pulp dry, and you get all types of coasterlike creations. Spray them with clear polyurethane (see page 127), and they will develop moisture resistance. You also can do your own thing freehand with a turkey baster as a drawing or forming tool. Through surface embedment (see page 64), you can celebrate and immortalize contemporary entertainment and commercial icons, a memento from your kid’s card games, or the graduation card of a grandchild.
Pulp
As with other papermaking, any fiber—new or out of your wastebasket — can be used for paper casting. The resources in your wastebasket will give you a broad range of colors and hues that are free. Professionally dyed colored pulp is abundant and free in the form of throw-away colored paper.
Cotton linters have become the “fiber of choice” for paper casting, and the preference is easily explained. Cotton linters sold for casting have been appropriately “beaten.” This process modifies the fiber by shortening it. Short fibers are most desirable for casting because they can enter the casting’s most minute detail.
Linters’ exceptional whiteness allows the eye to see dimension and shadow on the finished cast. The shrinkage rate of the drying pulp is very low, preserving both detail and proportion of the mold. Cotton linters, in terms of an art medium, are economical. These qualities and their exceptional replication of detail provide the characteristics most desired in pulp for paper casting.
Paper Casting Tips
Are you using recycled pulp? A general guideline for the ratio of wastepaper to water is a torn-up 8½″ × 11″ sheet of paper to 3 cups of water. Run the blender until chunks of paper are no longer visible.
Regardless of what pulp is used (cotton linter or recycled paper), the good news is that both can be processed in a kitchen blender. Should a paper casting fail to turn out for any reason, reblend it. Linters can always be redispersed in a blender for another attempt or project.
Preshredded cotton linters
Cotton linter squares
Cotton linters are available in four forms: sheet pulp, perforated squares, preshredded bulk, and liquid pulp. Some are easier to use and some are less expensive, but every form delivers the beautiful results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My ceramic mold is stained from some colored pulp I used. Is it ruined?
A: No, your mold isn’t ruined. Set the mold on paper toweling. Spritz the mold with a solution of 50 percent water and 50 percent bleach. The bleach water will be absorbed into the clay and neutralize color in the stain. It won’t make the stain disappear, but it usually prevents future casts from picking up the stain color.
Cotton linter sheets. This is the most economical form of cotton linter. For best results and long life for your blender, reduce to 2″ pieces, presoak for several minutes, and then put in a blender with 3 to 4 cups of water. Never blend more than the equivalent of a 5″ × 7″ section in the blender.
Cotton linter squares. Cotton linter squares are easy to use, especially for beginning paper casting. Sheets are perforated into 1″ squares, making it easy to premeasure pulp. The number of squares it takes to cover the mold’s image is the right amount to use. Never blend more than 36 squares at a time.
Preshredded cotton linters. Preshredded cotton linter has the advantage of being very blender friendly. Never exceed 1 cup of linter in the blender at a time.
Liquid pulp. Cotton linter pulp that has been beaten and blended is available by the bucket and can be ordered and shipped from specific vendors (see Resources, page 196). Liquid pulp can be ordered with sizing or other additives included. Follow the directions from the supplier for use and storage tips.
Simple Tints for Cotton Linters
Linters are a wonderful fiber source for paper casting, because the fibers easily form a strong, natural bond. When the water is drained away from the mass of wet fibers, the mass is already forming a workable pulp that can be handled easily. The shrinkage rate of the drying pulp is very low, which helps preserve the detail of the mold.
Although a bright white cotton linter cast is traditional and often preferable, many individuals like to add color to pulp.
Do try: Adding small pieces of gift wrap tissue, napkins, or colorful paper to linters in the blender until the desired hue is reached.
Not recommended: Construction paper (messy and ineffective since dye bleeds into the water and stains molds, sponges, and toweling), food coloring (ineffective and permanent staining similar to construction paper), and acrylic paints (both ineffective and foamy in the blender).
Additives
A variety of additives can be used in casting pulp. These are said to yield firmer casting surfaces that are more suitable for painting and to provide other characteristics. Anything put into pulp will have some kind of effect, subtle or obvious. Here are just a few of many options you might try. Be sure you get instructions and any expiration information from your vendor. If they produce a discernible effect on your casting, that’s good. If not, don’t waste your money.
Wax sizing. Many bleached-white bakery sacks are made of heavily waxed paper. Adding some of this paper to cotton linters or other pulp for casting delivers wax sizing to the casting. The more waxed paper added, the harder the surface. The sizing factor prevents feathering and wicking of liquid paints and inks.
Methylcellulose. This sizing agent has mixed reviews for use in castings. Besides providing sizing (see page 33), it is also an adhesive and can cause release problems for a casting. Follow supplier recommendations and use a release agent.
Commercial sizes. Internal sizing is the addition of sizing to pulp before product formation, while external sizing is the addition after product formation.
Calcium carbonate. This hard (ground limeston
e) filler lends some surface hardness and permanency (meaning the casting will last longer). Some of what is added will be deposited at the surface of a casting.
Papermaker’s clay. The state of Georgia is slowly disappearing into paper, because it is a prime source of kaolin clay. The clay works in a similar way as calcium carbonate, but without affecting permanency. It may give paper casts a grayish tinge.
External polyurethane spray. Spraying clear polyurethane lightly on the face of a cotton linter paper casting can result in a very closed, hard-sized, and firm surface. But addition of anything will result in some loss of brightness. Experiment on small, easy-to-make castings to test results with a particular art medium.
Release Agents
Sometimes, when trying to pull or lift a dry casting from its mold, part or much of the casting sticks to the surface. The casting does not release. If a paper casting shows signs of not releasing, try slipping a thin blade under the casting at some place along its edge and proceed with a delicate touch to lift and pry the cast loose. The same cotton linters that release satisfactorily without additives might present more of a release problem with additives or tinting materials. Severe sticking is unfortunately a harbinger of a paper casting fatality.
Often, a release agent can prevent sticking by facilitating a dry casting to release easily and completely. A release agent is applied to the mold’s surface prior to applying pulp.
Common Release Agents
Silicon spray is easily available, is mostly inorganic, and is least invasive of both the paper and mold. It is easily applied and minimally messy. Read all safety comments on the packaging; you may prefer not to allow children to use it. Below are some other options.