Book Arts and Photography

How to make Methyl Cellulose paste.

https://youtu.be/xC6p63xnSj0
I don’t use mythel cellulose paste too often. I like when a paste give a stronger bond. But when you need a paste to make book cloth, methyl cellulose is a one paste to use. I keep methyl cellulose powder in the classroom as you never know when you might need it. When I need paste to make book cloth, I like to have a thicker paste. In this video, I heated water till approximately 150 degrees (70 celsius) and then added 18th of a cup of powder to 1 cup (275 ml) of hot water. I needed a full cup of paste to make the two sheets of book cloth. I did have some left over. It is better to make more than you need. It really does take time to fulling formulate. I would hate to be in a situation where I needed a bit more paste and had to make it on the spot. As it happened another student was working with a faux leather book cover and wanted to try using a mix of PVA and Methyl cellulose (MC). When you mix the two at 50% to 50%, you keep some of the bonding qualities of the PVA but gain some open time to work the book cover. At the end of the video can see that the PVA does not look all that different. It is important to label your jars if you want to be sure you know which jar contains the past or adhesive you want to use. I will be working on a video on how I used the book cloth from this vide.

Making more paper from corn husks

Two stages of corn husk preparation. The full corn husk has been cooked and still wet. The threaded fibers are the result of being processed in the hollander pulp beater.

Corn husk (left) has been cooked and dried. Fibers (right) were removed soon after the beating process started.

Corn makes for a good meal and lovely paper!

Corn husks from one of the University of Wisconsin-Madison corn research stations were dried and given to our Papermaking lab. We are in the process of using the husks in our hand papermaking projects. We will add images and information as this projects moves forward.

Chinese lantern flower or Bougainvillea + cotton

Shanna Kaczynski, Sarah Ripp and Kathyrn Petke have been collaborating on sheet formation. Kathyrn brought in some puffy plants which I think are called Chinese lantern flowers or maybe they are Bougainvillea. Shanna harvested some dill will. There is no shortage of wild dill weed in Wisconsin during the summer. Sarah Ripp provided some white cotton fiber. The plants were dried under pressure for several days and added to beaten pulp in the vat during the formation process. The result are sheets with randomly placed dried plant matter on a white sheet. The Bougainvillea have lost some color but the texture and shape add visual interest to the sheet.

Andrea beats rags to a pulp

Often, in class, the question is posed. “Is this pulp beaten enough?” Often my reply is, “It depends” In Andrea Brdek’s case, this pulp is almost ready for what she wants to do.
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Using retention aid

These instructions were included in the shipment of Retention aid.

Carriage House Retention Aid is a cationic poly(arnine) specifically manufactured for the retention of pigments, dyes and other fillers in paper pulp.

Directions for using retention aid

Please note that all pigments, dyes, and other chemicals should be handled with care. For more information as to the proper precautions in working with art materials, contact: Cent for Occupational Hazards, 7 Beekman St., New York, NY 10038. The Center has several detailed publications on this important subject.

Use and Instructions:

Retention Aid is used by first making a stock solution. This is then measured out for use and diluted further before adding to the pulp. The dry powder has an indefinite shelf life. The mixed solution is best used within one or two days, but will store longer under most conditions.

Making stock solution:

The stock solution is made by mixing the dry powder with water to make a concentrated solution. To allow the solution to mix properly, it is best to make it the night before it is needed, though in most circumstances a solution free of lumps can be made within an hour. The ratio of the powder to the water is 1 tsp. powder per 1 pt. of water. Slowly add the powder to the water while mixing, until all powder is into solution. If necessary, use a blender to break up the clumps.

Use of stock solution:

The stock solution must first be diluted with 1 gal. of water before it is added directly to the pulp to allow for even dispersion. Add your pigment to the pulp. Once you have the color you want, slowly begin adding the retention aid solution. Continue to add until the pigment is retained.

Use with sizing:

If you are using sizing, the order for mixing is: pigment, retention aid, sizing. Allow about 5 min. between steps for proper mixing.

Carriage House Paper

1 800 669 8781

Adding pigment to fiber

A resent observation. A student was using pigment to add color to the cotton fiber. She added too much pigment to the pulp. When she squeezed the pulp to, she noticed that alot of the yellow ran out. When this happens, you need to rinse the pulp. Do not add more retention agent as that will not keep the pigment from running out. Adding more retention agent is not going to keep the pigment in the pulp. It is simply over saturated with pgiment. Rinse the pulp with fresh water to flush out the excess pigment prior to forming the sheets. Not rinsing it will stain all the felts. It is best to be safe and wear rubber gloves when flushing out the pigment if you think it is at excess levels.