The invention of paper at the time made a real revolution, as it allowed to abandon the use of too expensive parchment. Thanks to this, the number of books increased, and knowledge became available to more people.
For two centuries, paper has been manufactured industrially and is not a shortage. It can be purchased literally everywhere. In the assortment of stationery stores, there are usually several dozen types: from ordinary printer to drawing and patterned embossing.
But many are interested in the question of what paper can be made with your own hands. Why do they need it? Well, firstly, knowledge has not disturbed anyone yet, and secondly, such paper is used to create exclusive postcards and hand made wall panels .
Traditional raw materials
It is believed that paper was invented in ancient China. There, for its manufacture, first used defective silkworm cocoons, and later hemp, wood ash, old rags and mulberry fibers were soaked with them. Such paper quickly torn, so starch and glue were added to its composition.
Modern raw materials
For many centuries, raw materials and paper technology have not changed. However, new technologies have allowed to increase its production volumes, and it became clear that traditional raw materials are no longer enough. Then, materials such as wood or vegetable cellulose, as well as semi-cellulose, were used. They are extracted quite easily by the sulfate method and have a low cost.
If you are interested in what paper can be made of besides wood, then the most popular raw material is waste paper. It is considered the most preferable from the point of view of environmental protection.
For the manufacture of special types of paper , wool, asbestos and some other types of textile fibers are also used, and money is printed on the basis made with the addition of rag half-mass.
Hande made recycled paper
When it comes to such material, then most often it is made from waste paper at home. Therefore, the most common answer to the question of what paper can be made with your own hands is: "From recyclable materials." The technology is pretty simple. To do this, the waste paper is crushed, soaked for several hours, and then beat in a blender until pulp is obtained - a mass that resembles cottage cheese diluted in water. They scoop it out with a mesh frame, let it drain and, transferring it to a viscose cloth, dry it for several days.
Reed Option
Many are surprised when, in response to a question about what paper can be made with their own hands, they are told that a reed growing on the banks of water bodies is suitable for this. And yet it is true. On reed paper, you can even draw watercolors or gouache, so it is suitable for crafts.
In the process, the raw materials are crushed and boiled. Then 100 g of alkali is dissolved in a glass of water and added to the cane dish. After half an hour, the water is drained, pieces of stems and leaves are washed, the hardest are removed and the remaining ones are whipped with a blender. A little starch is brewed and a couple of spoons are added to the reed puree to make a pulp. Then they proceed, as in the previous case.
Options from straw
Few people know that even today in India and China, about 20% of paper is made from sugarcane waste . The method described above is quite popular and allows you to get high-quality paper. As a raw material in these countries, straw is also actively used. The technology is the same as in the previous case. Therefore, if you are interested in what paper can be made with your own hands, then try to collect an armful of ears in the fall. And then, after processing the stems with alkali, make a pulp.
What can baking paper be made of
As you know, one of the main problems that housewives face is the extraction of confectionery from the form after completion of their preparation. To solve it, usually use special baking paper. However, if it is not at hand, then you can make it yourself. To do this, a regular notebook sheet or printer paper that just needs to be greased with vegetable oil is suitable. In no case should you use printing products on which ink is present.
Making roll paper
Despite all the warnings about the dangers of smoking, millions of people in the world continue to smoke. Among them are those who seek to receive aesthetic pleasure from this process . People in this category are sometimes interested in what cigarette paper can be made of, since they are trying to invent a way to get a more piquant taste for a homemade cigarette. It is believed that rice paper is best suited for these purposes. It can be made with your own hands.
Rice paper
First of all, it should be understood that this name also means very finely rolled dough from the flour of this cereal. However, in this case, we are interested in real paper. It is made from rice straw. If you have such raw materials, then it needs to be soaked for several days in a small amount of water in order to isolate cellulose. Then the swollen straw is whipped with water, the mixture is poured onto a silk net, given the necessary thickness, dried and cut off the edges. It is also recommended to iron the resulting sheet with a hot iron through plain paper.
Dressing
To make home-made paper even more original, it can be decorated. To do this, before you put the leaf to dry, on its surface you can lay out a pattern of dried flowers. You can do even easier: sprinkle dry petals on the surface.
It will be very interesting to look on paper a monogram, laid out of gold or silver threads with tweezers, or a print of some coat of arms. In the latter case, you first need to make a mold with the desired pattern from a mixture of silicone and starch.
Now you know what paper can be made of at home, so you can make an exclusive postcard, panel or other souvenir in the style of hand made.