Adventures in Paperland - preparing the pulp

Following on from the paper casting, I decided to have a go at the same thing using pulp.  This is quite an easy process as it is basically the same as paper making.  If you're curious have a look at the post I did last year on 27 July 2011.

So, it starts with lots of paper torn into small pieces.  I tend to save up the scraps I have left over from making my jewellery pieces.  Ideally you should leave the paper soaking in water for a couple of days, but I'm always too impatience so I tend to tear the paper and work on it by squeezing the paper by hand so it gets really soggy.

Squeezing the paper by hand

 Once I have done this I get my trusty food blender out which I keep specifically for crafting.  I can't believe it is 30 years old and it was second hand when I got it.  Anyway, I digress.  I transfer small handfuls of soggy paper into the blender and give it a whizz.  If you try this yourself, I would advise giving it  short bursts as the central fugal force can send water out of the top.  Also, keep taking the lid off to redistribute the paper, adding a little more liquid from you bucket as you go.

Eventually the paper will break down into a pulp.  As you check it, you need to make the decision when to stop.  When I make paper, I like some of the words from the book print to still show, but on this occasion I wanted all the print to be eradicated.  To do this I had to transfer half into a container so I could get the pulp finer.

Pulp with consistency of Whipped Cream

Once the pulp is how you like it you need to transfer it so that it is ready to use.

to be continued