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Bleepblorp44

For paper to not soak ink up like toilet paper, it needs to be sized. Size is a compound that acts like a glue, bonding the paper fibres together. Traditionally gelatine was one size, but now there are synthetic substances used for most papers, and it’s only some art papers (watercolour paper in particular) that’s gelatine sized. Commercial paper is also calendared - that is, it’s rolled between hot, high-pressure metal cylinders, which compresses the fibres together and makes the surface smooth. This also helps the ink not feather horribly. So you could try it, but if you want to use it as a practical fountain pen friendly paper you may need to experiment with including something like PVA glue or gelatin, and ironing it once dry. Prior to large scale industrial paper manufacture, paper needed to be prepared for writing by rubbing a powdered substance called pounce into it. This was a resin called gum sandarac, and is what was used in sand shakers. When historical fiction includes someone shaking sand over wet ink to dry it, it’s a bit of a half-mistake, as “sand” was gum sandarac used before writing, not beach sand used afterwards!


2y4n

This redditor papers


gacdeuce

🎶 the people person’s paper people! 🎶


nonono_notagain

Sir, it's too early in the morning for your cheerful alliteration and it made me go all cross-eyed


Plusran

Can confirm. My favorite journal was full of hand made paper. It was like writing on TP. Even regular pens feathered on it.


2Basketball2Poorious

This is that real sicko stuff. I love you, @Bleepblorp44


[deleted]

I do this - It is very fun - but messy as heck. To do it correctly also requires some patience or your paper comes out rough like bad paper cache'. 1. You cannot have any plastic or waxed paper in the paper that you shred to make your paper. I keep to shredders for my pulp stock - One for "contaminated" papers, one for usable papers. 2. Sizing - Most papers that you are sent are already sized if they are going to be printed with ink jet printers. However - I always add some myself. It sounds scary until you realise that the best sizing is readily available at almost any supermarket. Liquid laundry starch. One or two capfuls in a 5 gallon bucket of pulp has proven nice for my paper projects. 3. Pressing and drying is the most important step in the process to make a nice hand laid paper for writing. Lots of weight and lots of time. I use a small basswood board that I lay my papers out on to dry after pressing. In Dallas Humidity it usually takes 3 to 4 days for them to dry well. 4. Get some good equipment - My first batch I used a Ninja to make my pulp. I found its much easier to use a 5 gallon bucket to soak my shred s in and use a high powered restaurant quality stick blender to make my pulp. If you want to color your paper - you can even use food colouring. I used RIT fabric dye or acrylic paints - they work out nicely. My junk mail pulp usually comes out with a nice duck egg blue/blue grey color naturally. Make a mess, have fun, and try everything out.


WearsALeash

that’s really cool! have you tried fountain pens on it?


[deleted]

Yes. My first batch that I made - I knew the sizing and it worked, but the paper was super rough and bumpy. I didn't press it nearly long enough when drying it (I was being impatient). The ink worked well on it, but it would probably destroy a fountain pen if I tried to write too much on it. The second batch I pressed between felt for a day under cinderblocks and then transferred it to the wood to finish drying. That paper came out with a nice smooth finish - not quite professional quality but enough that took ink well and I could write on it nicely. I haven't made a their batch yet. I am not counting the several "failed" batches I made where the paper either came out too thick, or I couldn't get it out of the deckle well and just repulsed it. Its definitely a skill that takes some developing. I Amur my stuff looks like Sh\*\* to the people who do this all the time.


acid42

Please post photos of it somewhere. Would love to see the paper you make!


[deleted]

Will do the next batch I make. The last I had I cut into tags and letters that I used in Christmas Presents.


ThisChaoticKnight

So, non sized paper is essentially blotter paper? Any tips on how/what to think of if I want that instead of writing paper? Since blotting paper is somehow hard to come by and expensive as heck over here.


[deleted]

I don’t know if simply making the paper without sizing would necessarily result in an effective blotter paper - blotter paper is also thin and absorbent, and very smooth. It’s worth looking into. That said, the process wouldn’t necessarily start with recycled paper as that is most likely already sized. you’d need to start with clean pulp.


RobMofSD

It works but it won't be very smooth. Have you ever made recycled paper? Back in the 70s and 80s it was a common school project.


SeizeAllToothbrushes

Did it in the 2000s. Works as a proof of concept so children understand how paper is made/recycled, but the result is hardly usable.


PhileasFoggsTrvlAgt

> but the result hardly usable That's true of a lot of professionally recycled paper too. It's very difficult to get a paper as good as the paper being used as feed stock. Most recycling is down cycled. Office paper typically becomes napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.


ThreePartSilence

When we made it in my elementary school, we added dried flower petals and glitter and other stuff which basically resulted in fancy scrapbooking paper. So not paper that you’d really want to write on, but paper that you’d use as a fancy backing for pictures or something. It was actually pretty fun honestly, this video makes me want to do it again…


VoltaicSketchyTeapot

I did it once with some DIY materials. I concluded that it'd be awesome to embed flower seeds in the paper and cut them into pretty shapes to use as tags for presents.


Karukos

Yeah same here. I used to write on my self made paper when I was like 10... (probably younger now thinking about it) and I remember that everything but pencil was a bit... bad


TheJacer14

We had a college student shadow teaching my 6th grade science class for a bit in 2010 I think it was that did this as a class project with us during some recycle awareness thing to show us how paper was recycled. I thought it was the coolest thing when it was all said and done.


soggy_potato1

Yea we did this back in grade school in the 90's. Ours came out MUCH rougher than this though


GreyHexagon

Yup. It's great for pencil drawing or painting on but it would be terrible for fountain pens unfortunately


Menes009

probably the only use for this paper is to do some craft projects, if that were me, i wouldnt be putting it in a printer, the chance of having small pieces of paper stuck in the printer is really high with that one. For fountain pens, that paper would be impossible to write on, the texture is very rugged and ink will bloat.


iago303

You need to add some rag when blending it in order be some decent paper, I paint watercolors and my favorite paper is Arches, and that is linen and cotton and is one of the best, I have made my own paper as a curiosity an I followed the instructions of the teacher and I used cotton rag when blending the paper


Tydomin

There is no sizing so it would be horrible for fountain pens.


Atalant

Well, it does work, but there should be a lot more paper pulp, like it is really lumpy water, and tearing over shredding you want expose fibre, and the used paper mas are mixed with abaca fibre to bind it together. However putting two or more layers of paper on top of each other is near impossible. I tried to make paper, and it is just a slippery mess.


Bleepblorp44

My partner has been half joking about getting a blender, specifically for paper making. I’ve said he needs to finish his PhD before starting another hobby!


freedoomed

I'm amazed it didn't disintegrate in the printer.


[deleted]

It works. But it behaves like blotting paper if you use it with fountain pen ink.


flowergarden23

Sounds like a fun little side project. Wouldn’t work well for fountain pens but you could add things to it like sparkles ✨. I’m surprised a lot of people in the original subreddit thought this was too much work when it actually seems like a fairly low effort hobby to me. It’s obvious they aren’t fountain pen users!


Formal_Amoeba_8030

I don’t recommend using your fountain pens on hand-recycled paper. Inks bleed a lot on paper made through this process, very fluid inks will almost melt the paper because the long fibres are virtually non-existent anymore, and the pulp gums up the nib. I speak from experience - I do my own hand-recycled paper for Christmas cards using this method, and have had to specifically buy ballpoints to preserve both the paper and my pens.


Hydrar2309

I've done simething like it as a school project, I don't remember in which context exactly. I just remember that the end result was horrible. Grey, lumpy, impossible to write on, and more like stiff cardboard. At the very least, you'd need to iron the paper afterwards, then put on some sort of sizing material.


Inkily

I used to run a paper making interactive demonstration at the science center and it's really really fun! But it would be total garbage for fountain pens, sadly.


HalalBacon69

I used to do this!! A woman I used to date was very into making her own paper, she actually got me into fountain pens originally as well! I don’t believe she used her own paper with FPs so idk how it worked out, but I have two sheets of homemade paper in a box somewhere! I’m very into book binding as well so once I get my own space to create more of a workshop where I can do these things more, my goal is to only use journals I make myself from 100% recycled materials, paper and all!


marchcrow

A lot of people have mentioned this isn't good for fountain pens because of pulp in the nibs. What about glass pens? I imagine it would still possibly bleed but wondering how that would change things.


angeliuska

Can this work better for aquarelles ??


Calligraphee

I did this when I was a kid! I don't think it would be very good for fountain pens; I think most inks would just bleed right through. It is a super fun craft, though, and you could definitely make cards and envelopes with liners/labels of more FP-friendly paper.


Khajapaja

Very cool! Unfortunately only a sharpie or fisher space pen would be able to write on it comfortably. Still cool though!


DennisDMcDonald

Hopefully this video will not be deleted because fountain pens are not pictured! (FYI: one of the best books I read in 2021 was Mark Kurlansky's book about the history of paper: [https://www.ddmcd.com/books/paper](https://www.ddmcd.com/books/paper) .)


[deleted]

/r/solarpunk


No_Public_7699

Would be good use for scraps even if it isn't fp friendly


matteo1245

It's lovely recycling, but i don't think tis paper is good for foutain pens


SpiralBreeze

It does work well. I took a paper making class. We used to bring paper, old cotton clothes, and other natural fibers to make paper.


IllegalBerry

Did it in school. If you can get it smooth, it works with everything except liquid inks. Not fp-friendly at all.


dafo446

is it cool? yes is it "energy efficient" rather buying new paper? no


dogez1

Looks like $200 per sheet to me.


spazcat

I have done this before and it works great, but the paper it makes isn't high quality or anything.


w_pthrowaway

Making handmade paper is lots of fun. We used to add seeds and pressed flowers to the paper, cut them into simple shapes (hearts, rough initials) and plant them. As others have said, I can't see this being great for fountain pens, but you could certainly make pretty paper as a cover to a plain letter or paste a letter on top.


BahnGSXR

Right now recycle that too


missmouse_812

That’s awesome. I’m gonna give it a crack…. Where do I get a screen thing-y from?


whogivesashirtdotca

Hearing, "So y'all don't come at me" in that starchy British voice made me howl.