Paper is made by beating clean plant fibre into pulp in water, lifting a thin layer on a screen, pressing and drying it, and sizing it so ink does not blot; ink for records is made from soot and a binder, or from oak galls and iron. Both are hard work, so save them for texts that must last, and use berry juice and charcoal only for short-lived notes. Lye and acid make children’s involvement a matter for strict adult control.
The route from fibre to a written page for a community whose schools and printers are gone, with the detailed recipes held elsewhere.
Only The Records Justify The Labour
The parent article notes that paper “requires pulped plant fiber, a screen, and pressure”. It is labour-intensive, so papermaking is for what must last: the community’s key procedures, seed records, and a reference text for each critical skill. Practice belongs on slates (Slates & Chalkboards).
Paper: The Steps In Outline
Step 1: Gather clean fibre. Rags from linen, hemp or cotton are the easiest and give good paper. Plant fibre needs more work. Which plants suit is covered in Plant Fibers (the paper-fibre article) and Fiber Sources (the papermaking one). Do not confuse these with the cordage articles of the same names in the shelter pages.
Step 2: Cook and rinse. Plant fibre is cooked in alkali such as wood-ash lye. See Soaking & Cooking.
Step 3: Beat to pulp. Beating Pulp.
Step 4: Form the sheet on a mould and deckle, couch it onto felt, press and dry: Paper Making. This is the education-system article; the photographic-paper article of the same name is unrelated.
Step 5: Size the paper so ink does not spread: Sizing.
Ink: Match The Ink To The Job
| Ink | Made from | Lasts | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon (soot) | Fine soot in a binder such as gum | Very long | Important records. Carbon Black Ink |
| Iron gall | Oak galls and an iron salt | Long, but can eat into the page if too strong | Records. Iron Gall Ink |
| Charcoal with binder | Charcoal, water, egg white, sap or glue | Short | Practice, temporary notes |
| Berry or hull juice | Fruit or walnut hulls | Fades, from months to a year | Labels, lists |
The parent article names walnut hulls and berries as usable; they are usable for short notes only, as the Ink Making page explains (Ink Making). Test any ink before trusting it: write a line, let it dry, wet a corner and see if it runs, and leave another line in daylight for a few weeks to see if it fades.
Common Mistakes
- Unsized paper. Ink blots and bleeds through.
- Weak binder. Soot flakes off.
- Using a fading ink for the only copy of a procedure.
- Making one batch of ink too strong. Excess iron can damage the paper over time.
Lye, acid, boiling liquid and fine soot
Wood-ash lye and other alkalis burn skin and can blind: wear eye protection, keep children away from the cooking and rinsing, and have clean water at hand. Iron-gall ink is acidic, and soot is a lung irritant, so do not breathe it while mixing. Pots of boiling fibre scald. Children may help beat clean pulp or press sheets, but handling lye, hot pots and dry soot is adult work.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Preserving Books
- Combine with: Writing Instruments for the pens and brushes that use these inks