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name: paper-making locale: wenyan-lite source_locale: en source_commit: 82c77053 fence_basis_commit: 82c77053 translator: "Julius Brussee homage — caveman" translation_date: "2026-04-26" description: > Handcraft paper from plant fibres — fibre harvesting, pulping, sheet forming with a mould and deckle, pressing, and drying. Covers fibre sources (cotton, kozo, abaca, recycled paper), beating methods, sizing, and decorative techniques. Use when making handmade paper for art, stationery, or bookbinding, when creating unique textured or embedded paper for special projects, or when learning traditional paper making as a craft practice. license: MIT allowed-tools: Read metadata: author: Philipp Thoss version: "1.0" domain: crafting complexity: intermediate language: natural tags: crafting, paper, fibres, handmade, pulp, mould-and-deckle, art

造紙

以傳統 mould 與 deckle 之抄紙技法，自植物纖維手工造紙。

適用時機

• 欲製手工紙以作藝術、文具或裝幀
• 有植物纖維（棉短絨、楮皮、再生紙）可加工
• 為特別專案製獨特紋理或嵌物之紙
• 教或學傳統造紙之工藝實踐

輸入

• 必要：纖維源（棉短絨、再生紙、楮皮或植物莖）
• 必要：mould 與 deckle（平篩框附可移之頂框）
• 必要：缸或槽足以浸沒 mould（盆、塑膠槽）
• 必要：水（充足）
• 選擇性：打漿之攪拌機（專用於造紙——後不可作食物用）
• 選擇性：壓板與毛氈（couching 氈）
• 選擇性：施膠劑（明膠、甲基纖維素或米澱粉）
• 選擇性：添加物：花瓣、線、顏料、欲嵌之植物材料

步驟

步驟一：備纖維

不同纖維源需不同備法。

Fibre Sources and Preparation:

RECYCLED PAPER (easiest — start here):
1. Tear paper into 1-inch squares (avoid glossy or heavily printed paper)
2. Soak in water for 2-4 hours (overnight is better)
3. Blend in small batches: handful of soaked paper + 2 cups water
4. Blend until smooth with no visible paper chunks (30-60 seconds)

COTTON LINTERS (archival quality):
1. Tear cotton linter sheets into small pieces
2. Soak overnight in warm water
3. Blend to desired consistency:
   - Short blend (15s) = textured, chunky paper
   - Long blend (60s) = smooth, fine paper

KOZO (Japanese paper — strong, translucent):
1. Strip bark from kozo (paper mulberry) branches
2. Soak in water, then cook in alkaline solution
   (wood ash lye or soda ash) for 2-3 hours until soft
3. Rinse thoroughly to remove alkali
4. Beat by hand with a wooden mallet on a flat stone
   until fibres separate (do not blend — hand beating
   preserves long fibres that give kozo its strength)

PLANT STALKS (experimental — iris, daylily, corn husk):
1. Harvest fibrous stalks after growing season
2. Ret (soak) for 1-2 weeks to soften
3. Cook in alkaline solution for 2-3 hours
4. Rinse and beat by hand
5. Results vary — experiment with fibre length and beating time

預期： 備好之纖維漿（紙漿），稠如稀燕麥粥。

失敗時： 若漿過粗，攪拌更久。若過稀如水，加纖維。稠度當輕薄敷於匙背。

步驟二：備缸

設抄紙站。

Vat Setup:
1. Fill a vat (plastic tub, basin) with water — deep enough to
   fully submerge the mould (at least 4 inches of water)
2. Add prepared pulp to the vat
3. Stir thoroughly — fibres must be evenly suspended, not clumped
4. Pulp-to-water ratio: approximately 1 part pulp to 10-20 parts water
   - More pulp = thicker paper
   - Less pulp = thinner, more translucent paper
5. Stir before EVERY sheet — fibres settle quickly

Test: dip your hand in the vat. The water should be milky/cloudy
with evenly suspended fibres. If you can see clumps, stir more.

預期： 缸內紙漿均勻懸浮，可備抄紙。

失敗時： 若纖維雖攪仍結塊，纖維或過長。略攪以縮纖維，後重懸。

步驟三：抄紙

mould 與 deckle 之技法乃造紙之心。

Sheet Forming Protocol:

THE TOOLS:
- Mould: a flat frame with a fine screen (window screen or brass mesh)
- Deckle: a second frame that sits on top of the mould (acts as an edge)
- Together they create a shallow tray that holds the pulp

FORMING:
1. Stir the vat thoroughly
2. Hold the mould screen-side up with the deckle on top, gripping both
3. Dip the mould+deckle into the vat at an angle (far edge first)
4. Level the mould underwater, then lift straight up in one smooth motion
5. As the mould clears the water, shake gently side-to-side and
   front-to-back (2-3 shakes each direction) — this interlocks the fibres
6. Hold level and let water drain through the screen (30-60 seconds)
7. Remove the deckle carefully — lift straight up so water does not
   drip onto the formed sheet

THE SHAKE:
- The side-to-side and front-to-back shakes are critical
- They interlock fibres in both directions, creating strength
- Without shaking, the sheet tears easily in one direction
- Practice on scrap pulp — the shake is the skill that takes longest to learn

THICKNESS CONTROL:
- Thin paper: less pulp in the vat, faster pull-through
- Thick paper: more pulp, slower pull-through
- Even thickness comes from pulling the mould through the vat
  smoothly and leveling before lifting

預期： 濕紙均勻坐於 mould 篩上，厚度一致，無薄處或孔。

失敗時： 若紙有薄處，提時 mould 不平。若一邊厚，瀝水時 mould 傾斜。練提之動：平、順、自信。

步驟四：couching、壓水與乾燥

移濕紙並去水。

COUCHING (transferring the sheet):
1. Place a damp felt or blanket on a flat surface
2. In one smooth motion, flip the mould face-down onto the felt
3. Press the back of the screen gently with a sponge to release the sheet
4. Lift the mould straight up — the sheet should stay on the felt
5. Place another damp felt on top of the sheet
6. Repeat: form sheet → couch onto felt → cover with felt → form next sheet

Couching stack: felt / sheet / felt / sheet / felt / sheet / felt

PRESSING:
1. Place the couching stack between pressing boards
2. Apply even pressure:
   - Screw press (ideal)
   - Weight (heavy books, concrete blocks — 20+ kg)
   - Stand on it (place boards on floor, step on carefully)
3. Press for 15-30 minutes — water should squeeze out from the sides
4. Replace wet felts with dry ones and press again for best results

DRYING:
Option A — Air dry on boards:
1. Carefully peel each sheet from its felt
2. Place on a smooth board (glass, formica, or MDF)
3. Smooth gently with a damp sponge to remove wrinkles
4. Sheets will dry flat against the board (12-24 hours)
5. Peel gently when dry — edges release first

Option B — Hang dry:
1. Peel sheets from felts and hang on a clothesline with clips
2. Faster drying but produces a wavy, textured surface
3. Suitable for art paper where texture is desired

Option C — Iron dry (fast):
1. Place damp sheet between clean cotton cloths
2. Iron on medium heat until dry (5-10 minutes)
3. Produces a smooth, flat sheet quickly

預期： 完成之手工紙——乾、平（若以板乾）、附 deckle 邊與可見之纖維紋理。

失敗時： 若 couching 中紙撕裂，mould 提時水未瀝足。翻前讓 mould 瀝更久。若乾燥中皺，壓不夠或乾燥面不平。

驗證

• 纖維備為均勻無塊之紙漿
• 每抄紙前紙漿於缸中均勻懸浮
• 抄紙含兩向之互鎖搖動
• 紙厚度一致，無薄處或孔
• 壓水於乾燥前充分去水
• 完成之紙乾、完整且合於擬用之途

常見陷阱

• 每抄紙前不攪：纖維秒間沉。每紙皆需新攪，否末尾紙薄稀
• couching 中撕裂：mould 上水仍多，或 couching 動過慢。瀝更久並以一信心動翻之
• 厚度不均：提與瀝時 mould 不平。慢練該動，專保框水平
• 紙過脆：纖維或未捶夠（過長、過硬）或紙過薄。捶更久或用更多漿
• mould 濕後彎曲：木 mould 可彎。用海洋級木或施防水。鋁框則完全免此問題

相關技能

• forage-plants — 纖維植物可野採；了解植物解剖助辨適合之纖維源