In our class, Megan Mulder and I attempt to describe how books developed through time. However, we do tend to focus on the “Hand Press” period (1450-1800) where movable type and manual presses began to replace handwritten texts. Megan’s lectures follow this process, and I teach labs which are meant to reinforce the development of the basic elements of this transition: movable type and printing, paper making, carved imagery for illustrations, bookbinding, and marbled and paste paper). In February, we had the paper making lab in Preservation. As usual, it was a wet experience. You can’t make paper without lots of water.

Each person had a large plastic bin full of paper pulp. I made the pulp by tearing paper I got from the recycled book bins, and mixing it with water in my blender. The torn paper scraps range in age. Pieces of paper quickly turn to pulp as they are blended in water.

For creating the paper sheets, there are 3 parts which you hold together and you dip into the pulp. There is a plastic support piece, a screen, and a deckle (which is a wood frame). When this is dipped into the pulp, a rectangular sheet of pulp is formed on the screen. After the excess water is drained off, sponges are used to remove water from the sheet. Following this, the pulp sheet is sandwiched between sheets of heavy paper, and cloths which help remove more water.

When most of the water has been removed from the sheet, it is transferred to a sheet of wax paper to dry. After the sheets are dry, they are pressed.