Hemp paper.

Newsgroups: alt.drugs.culture,alt.drugs.pot,alt.drugs.pot.cultivation,alt.folklore.herbs,alt.hemp,alt.hemp.politics,alt.hemp.recreational
Subject: Re: Anyone got a recipe for making hemp paper??? YES!
From: Wef <wef.miso.wwa.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 22:17:09 -0600

> I was wondering if anyone has the procedure (recipe) for making home-made hemp paper (or/and rice paper).

Making any type of paper depends on two things.
1) A quality blender
2) A quality deckel (also 'deckle' or 'derckle')

A deckel is a screen where you pour out your pulp. A simple deckel is a 2 x 4 frame with fiberglass screen material pulled over it and tacked down. You should make your own deckel! The final shape of your paper could depend on your deckel shape, but I cut the paper I make.

I've made paper for years. The best is a rough edged sheet with the middle cut out. These work great as mattes for pictures or photos. You get creative after making paper for a while. I developed a technique were I would make a smooth pulp, color it with natural dyes, pour it on my deckel, and then add dried flowers to the just under the surface of the slurry. Real beauts...

To make hemp papier:

Needs:

Blender
Deckel
Water

Ingredients :

Newsprint or another paper product that is "soft"
Hemp stems (no smokeable matter please)
Water

Directions :

Pre-soak ripped up paper in a water solution overnight.
Pre-soak the hemp stems in a water solution overnight.
Add water to your blender, half full.
Add some of the pre-soaked paper and hemp stems.
Blend. Pause. Stir.
Blend. Pause. Stir.
Add more water if needed to keep the slurry fluid.
Cram more paper into the mix if you can, a little a time, between blends.

Experiment with consistencies = Less blending will give to a chunkier paper. More blending will make your paper smoother. The smooth papers that we use in our laser printers are produced by a chemical process. You will never be able to make paper that thin at home with your deckel. If you let the pulp settle before you pour, you can pour off some of the water that collects at the top.

When you are ready to pour your pulp, ready your deckel. The deckel should be propped up so that it is level horizontally. I put my deckel right over my slop sink, so that the watery, pulpy goo drips right down the drain. You must let your slurry drip on something other than mom's favorite loveseat.

Pour away and either evenly spread the goo out over your deckel, or form any shapes you want to with your paper. After pouring, the waiting begins. If you keep your deckel in a well ventilated area, with a low humidity, your paper will dry in about 24 hours.

Experiment and have loads of fun...

_______

Remember, that hemp does not make a very good "hobby" paper. All the hub-bub about hemp paper is in the industrial sense. We want our nation to stop relying on hysteria and political dogma about hemp. The hemp paper industry would be a very wise business for America. Hemp grows like a weed without the need for pesticides. We could save our ancient forests that are coming down by the acre for paper products.

I feel as though I'm wasting my breath. Gotta wait for a Senator with the first name "Elvis" I guess....

From: mindful.sprynet.com (Don Tyler)

Wef <wef.miso.wwa.com> wrote about making hemp paper:
>Pre-soak the hemp stems in a water solution overnight. ...

Wef, as a law-abiding citizen, I would, naturally, never have anything to do with a plant which my government wouldn't want me to touch, BUT, once about statute-of-limitations years ago, I did get a chance to handle some hemp stems belonging to some degenerate criminal, and I couldn't help but notice that the sticks seemed to have a great deal of lateral strength, that same strength which made them so good for rope, I presume. Seems t'me that just dumping some stems in the blender and whirring will end up with twine wrapped around the blender blades in short order.

Strictly for our academic knowledge (of course), would you say that the soaking process makes this not a problem, or (as I suspect) should the stems be cut into lots of very short pieces to avoid this tangling problem?

(Marginally related, but funny story. Statute-of-limitations years ago, I knew of a backyard plant grown from the most magnificent seed, maintained with loving care, looked like a god-blessed Christmas tree nearly six feet tall. But before it could top out, some Vile Fiend (we suspect the landlord) snuck by and confiscated the plant. What idiot stood there in the middle of the night and tried to BEND A HEMP PLANT STALK to break it, I've always wondered. Must've had that whole six-foot plant bent back'n'forth, back'n'forth for a long, long time. What a bunch of unnecessary work! When I saw the remains, there was the two-inch-thick stalk sticking out of the ground, frayed into a thousand thousand fibers. I reached down, and with no effort at all,
plucked the taproot out of the sweet, soft earth. The foo' probably put the whole plant in a blender and dried it in a microwave, too. What a maroon! IF I were interested in such things, which of course I'm not, I would sure wish I could have seeds like that again!)

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Re: Anyone got a recipe for making hemp paper??? YES!
From: Ruth_Scheuing.mindlink.bc.ca (Ruth Scheuing)
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 97 23:01:51 -0800

hemp indeed is a very common source for paper making and it is easy to use. Simply cut it into 1-2 inch bits (dried or fresh) and boil it in washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) this will break down some of the organic compounds and leave the fibres only; afterwards it could either be beaten to a pulp, or a blender might do; simply use very small amounts, if you want to keep your blender alife) there should be books to give you plenty of infomation; papermaking ranges from the very simple to the very technical; e-mail me if you want details. I am actually looking for hemp fibres to spin; good luck Ruth