Monday, September 17, 2012
Nana nana nana nana nana nana nana nana VATMAN!
I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I had a blast making paper and wished we could do it all semester. I can also speak for everyone when I say that it was much more difficult than we all expected. It seemed like a simple process just watching it. One just dips the mould and deckle into the vat of water and cotton pulp, removes the deckle, and then just takes the paper off. Simple right? Wrong. There were numerous possibilities of error. One could get too much or little cotton pulp on the mould, drip water onto the mould while removing the deckle, or tear your sheet in half while removing the paper from the mould. I can see how it could take many years of practice (and some luck) to master the process. The whole paper making process was a very fun experience. It was fun to do something hands on in a class instead of listening to a professor lecture.
The texture of the cotton pulp was very different. It was nothing like I have ever experienced. It cling to anything and everything including my arm hair. I kept picking off pieces of cotton the remainder of the day. It's interesting how all the strands of cotton just come together to form a piece of paper. I am excited to see the results after the paper dries. It amazes me that this paper making process has been used for so long and is still being used today.
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I agree! The whole process of paper making was very fun, but the pulp was on everything! My jeans still had some of it stuck to them a week later. I wonder why it's so incredibly clingy. However, it all comes right off when you dunk your arm or whatever it's clinging to into a big tub of water. It really was an interesting texture; and I hear paper material isn't vastly different from the material they use to make money. In the U.S., I believe money is 25% cotton and 75% linen. So with just a bit more linen, our paper could be money!
ReplyDeleteThe next time someone asks me what I do in this class, I think I'm going to tell them that I'm learning how to counterfeit money. :P
DeleteHaving seen our paper now, it's definitely clear that I had more than a few vatman's tears in my paper. Personally, I thought it was pretty cool. So yes, while my pages weren't exactly perfect...or anywhere remotely in the same neighborhood, it was nice to see that my paper was guaranteed to be 100% unique. It was kind of like putting my signature on my paper, only all over it.
I wish I had a collection of all my own 'homemade' paper. It would make taking notes much more exciting! I like the thickness and texture of it. I believe we will just be printing on our paper, but it would be interesting to see how different writing utensils would show up on it.
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