# KOMBUCHA PAPER ### Tactility & sound impression <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XaFScq8vYMQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ### Description This is a thin translucent paper-like material, made of a dried kombucha SCOBY. ### Physical form Surfaces Color without additives: varies, often yellow/brown-ish ### Fabrication time Preparation time: 1 Hour Processing time: 5 days Need attention: every day Final form achieved after: 5 days ## Ingredients * **Kombucha SCOBY** - 1 piece of 2-3 mm thickness, grow one with [this recipe](https://class.textile-academy.org/2020/loes.bogers/files/recipes/kombuchascoby) * **Turpentine** - 1 tbsp (15 ml) + a little more * **Beeswax, melted** - 1 tbsp (15 ml) * **Boiled Linseed/Flax oil** - 1 tbsp (15 ml) you can get the boiled variety that is used as a wood varnish at a hardware story, this is not the same as the one from the supermarket. ## Tools 1. **Gloves** 1. **Mask** 1. **A glass jar**, to mix the treatment 1. **A pot**, big enough to put the glass jar in (bain marie) 1. **A spoon**, for stirring 1. **A cooker** 1. **A silicone mat**, to dry the paper on, baking paper also works. 1. Optional: a brush ## Yield before processing/drying/curing One sheet of kombucha paper. ## Method 1. **Preparing the after-treatment for a kombucha sheet** - Wear gloves and a mask, this process creates fumes that are not very pleasant nor healthy, work in a well-ventilated area. - Take the kombucha sheet out of its bath and dry it off with some kitchen paper. Put it on the silicone mat. Some kombucha SCOBY's will be a bit uneven and might have a hole or a tear. You can rearrange it a bit and put these bits back together, in the drying process these parts will reattach if they're overlapping. - Melt the beeswax so you can take one tablespoon of it. (Put a chunk of wax in a glass jar that I melt au bain marie. You can then let it cool inside the jar where I store it for later). - Mix the turpentine and the linen oil, warm up slightly over the steam of the bain marie (this helps to mix it with the hot beeswax without making lumps and flakes). 1. **Apply the treatment** - While both liquids are warm, mix them. - While still warm: apply to one side of the kombucha sheet with a brush or with your fingers. Massage it in. Doing this over the steam of the bain marie helps to keep it liquid (it solidifies very quickly). - Let the kombucha sheet dry. 1. **Apply the treatment on the other side** - When the first side is totally dry, carefully peel the kombucha off the silicone mat or baking paper and flip it so you can treat the other side. - Reheat the mixture in a bain marie, add another teaspoon of turpentine (it will have evaporated somewhat during the first round). - Rub it in on the other side and leave to dry again. 1. **Drying** - Let the sheet dry completely - Once dry, press it between baking paper under a stack of heavy books so it becomes totally flat and even. ### Drying/curing/growth process [Free text] - Mold depth (surfaces and solids) or diameter (strings): [number] mm - Shrinkage thickness [number] % - Shrinkage width/length [number] % **Shrinkage and deformation control** Do not peel it the kombucha scoby off the silicone mat in between stages. Just let it be to get a very flat sheet. It will start to curl if you take it off the mat and manipulate it a lot. **Curing agents and release agents** None, any flexible surface to dry the sheet on will work fine as long as you can peel it off (don't use acrylic or glass sheets, it will get stuck). **Minimum wait time before releasing from mold** 3 days or when dry **Post-processing** Keep pressed for a few more days. Store dry and flat. **Further research needed on drying/curing/growth?** Not sure ### Process *Preparing tools and ingredients, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Melting the beeswax au bain marie, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Applying the warm mixture for the second time (after the top has dried), note: it is easier to do this over the steam of the bain marie to keep it warm and liquid, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Two kombucha papers: one that was left alone during the drying process (top), one that was moved and lifted during the drying process (bottom), Loes Bogers, 2020* ## Variations on this recipe - The same process can be used to create more leather-like sheets. Follow the exact same recipe but use a SCOBY that grew into 10 mm thickness instead of 2-3mm. - The kombucha paper takes on the shape it dries in, try drying the paper on top of a mold. - Try out different treatments for the kombucha, such as coconut oil or other natural and essential oils. ### Cultural origins of this recipe [Free text] **Needs further research?** Yes/No/Not sure [Notes] ### This recipe draws together information from these other recipes - **Open Source Kombucha**, by thr34d5. n.d., [link](https://thr34d5.org/2019/08/28/open-source-kombucha/) - **Biofabricating Materials** by Cecilia Raspanti for Fabricademy 2019-2020: [link](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week05A/) ### Known concerns and contestations\* Yes/No/Needs further research [Describe them here free text] ### Sustainability tags - Renewable ingredients: yes - Vegan: yes - Made of by-products or waste: no - Biocompostable final product: yes - Re-use: no Needs further research?: Not sure ## Material properties ### Comparative qualities The kombucha paper is translucent, sometimes with visible traces of the yeast and bacteria strings. The color varies with the liquid the SCOBY was grown in. It is comparable to parchment paper or tracing paper in terms of sound and translucence, but has less uniform shape, thickness and color. ### Technical and sensory properties - **Strength**: fragile - **Hardness**: resilient - **Transparency**: translucent - **Glossiness**: matt - **Weight**: light - **Structure**: closed - **Texture**: medium - **Temperature**: medium - **Shape memory**: high - **Odor**: moderate (the turpentine in the treatment lingers for a while) - **Stickiness**: low - **Weather resistance:** needs further research - **Acoustic properties:** needs further research - **Anti-bacterial:** needs further research - **Non-allergenic:** needs further research - **Electrical properties:** needs further research - **Heat resistance:** low - **Water resistance:** water resistant - **Chemical resistance:** needs further research - **Scratch resistance:** moderate - **Surface friction:** medium - **Color modifiers:** none ## About this entry ### Maker of this sample - Name: Loes Bogers - Affiliation: Fabricademy student at Waag Textile Lab Amsterdam - Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands - Date: 13-03-2020] – 20-03-2020] ### Environmental conditions - Humidity: not sure - Outside temp: 5-11 degrees Celcius - Room temp: 18 – 22 degrees Celcius - PH tap water: 7-8 ### Recipe validation Has recipe been validated? Yes By Cecilia Raspanti, Textile Lab, Waag Amsterdam, 9 March 2020 ### Estimated cost (consumables) in local currency 0,64 Euros, for a yield of one piece of paper ## Copyright information ### This recipe is in the public domain (CC0) Yes ### This recipe was previously published by someone else Yes, this is a variation (using thinner SCOBY to create paper) on **Open Source Kombucha**, by thr34d5. n.d., [link](https://thr34d5.org/2019/08/28/open-source-kombucha/) ##References - **Open Source Kombucha**, by thr34d5. n.d., [link](https://thr34d5.org/2019/08/28/open-source-kombucha/) - **Biofabricating Materials** by Cecilia Raspanti for Fabricademy 2019-2020: [link](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week05A/) ### Images of final product *Kombucha paper, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Kombucha paper, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Kombucha paper, Loes Bogers, 2020*