#PAPER AND DYE FROM WITHERED FLOWERS
##GENERAL INFORMATION
Pounded paper (shown in video) made from flower fibres results in a thin but very strong paper. It is more rigid than for example office paper and has more texture. You can see all the details of the fibres used.
Blended paper in comparison, especially the ones made with stems are more brittle and have even more texture and a rough feel. Somewhat like pressed paper waste composites (such as the ones used for fruit and vegetable packaging), but more rough to the touch.
Physical form
Surfaces
Color without additives: yellow/brown
Fabrication time
Preparation time: 2 Hours
Processing time: 2-4 weeks
Need attention: every 8-16 hours after drying to press.
Final form achieved after: 2-4 weeks
Estimated cost (consumables)
0,01 Euros, for a yield of approx. 4 small sheets of paper (if you get flowers as waste)
##RECIPE
###Ingredients
-
Bouquet of withered flowers, the ones the florist throws away
- Flowers will provide the cellulose and fibres to make the paper
-
Soda ash (carbonate soda), 15 g
- To wash off dirt and grit
- Water, enough to cover the dried flowers
- a coffee filter to filter the fine particles from the flower dye
###Tools
- A drying rack
- Metal wire or fish wire
- Rubber bands
- A cooker
- A pot
- A spoon
- A mortar and pestle to pound the flowers (you can also do this with a blender but you will cut the fibres short doing that, resulting in a more brittle paper that is less strong).
- A picture frame to create a mould & deckle. The picture frame should ideally fit into your sink or into a large oven dish that you can fill with water to distribute the fibres evenly.
- A sheet of fine mesh to create a mould & deckle
- A staple gun to create a mould & deckle
- A strainer, to rinse and strain the boiled flowers
- A funnel, to capture the flower dye
- A coffee filter, to filter the flower dye
- A glass jar, to store the flower dye
###Yield