The result was a nice soft even pulp. As it passed through my fingers it tended to clump up, so I added white Kraft paper to the mix. This seemed to disperse the cotton a bit and reduced clumping.
I pulled a sheet using only 1/2 cup of pulp to see how it performed. It turned out quite thin. I ended up coating with Methyl Cellulose in the end to stiffen the paper up. We'll see what we can fold with that.
Next I pulled a sheet with almost 2 cups of pulp. I had wet folding in mind when I did this, and I knew 2 cups would be about the limit. The paper did turn out quite thick.I can't wait to try a mask or something else as soft and curvy!
I'm surprised you were able to break down denim in a blender. That's a really good way to burn one of those up. If you want an easier way to work with denim or white cotton rag, check into buying sheets of half stuff. That's rag that has been broken down in a beater, then dried into sheets that can easily be rehydrated and broken down in a blender into usable pulp. Check out twinrocker.com for the different types of half stuff they have available. (Don't purchase cotton linter. The fibers in that are too short for what you're doing.)
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for the tip! I'm thinking of making my own beater, but half stuff is something else I haven't tried. I need to get into abaca and hemp fibers for my origami! Sounds like half stuff is the way to go for now.
ReplyDeleteA number of years ago the state police enabled me to obtain some raw hemp that was being (ahem) grown locally. It broke down into the most beautiful, crisp, tough paper. It would have been perfect for origami. Not sure, but I think Twinrocker carries hemp half stuff.
ReplyDeleteWhat needs to be done to prep raw hemp aside from beating?
ReplyDeleteRaw hemp is going to be beyond your capabilities with a blender. It's tough stuff and absolutely requires a Hollander. But to answer your question, hemp is cut to 2-3" lengths, cooked in lye for at least four hours, six is better, then beaten in a Hollander for 6-8 hours. (As a time reference, cotton rag takes about 2 hours in my beater.) I checked Twinrocker and hemp half stuff isn't available from them, and I don't know of any other sources. :(
ReplyDelete