Making Bamboo Paper

[funvida]

Hi, I want to know how to make paper from bamboo, please some body could help me with all the steps and amounts to do it.

Thanks Patricia.

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Patricia,
Are you interested in small or large scale papermaking?

I am going to cook up some very small batches next week, - about 2Kilo/4lbs dry weight at a time, because this is the largest stainless steel pot I have.

I have only made bamboo paper/pulp a few times from Phyllostachys aurea and Phyllostachys edulis (aka P.pubescens).

I have some pics from this time which I need to upload.

When I start cooking bamboo again, I will post pics as I do it, with the recipe I used.

There are many methods and variations of the papermaking process that need to be explored.
We will be starting a Bamboo Papermaking forum here so that we can explore this very interesting subject in great detail.

Mark

[funvida]

Hi Mark, thanks for answering me so fast!

I was making paper yesterday with 500 grms of "Soda Caustica" for one kilo of bamboo, it start making bubbles, and it was like a volcano, i was a little bit scared. The only good thing is that a piece of bamboo Phyllostachys that I introduce to mix the pulp get a little darker.

What items do we need to make the paper? please lend me your recipe because I download one from internet, but maybe the amounts are wrong.


Thanks again Patricia

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Patricia,
Are you using sodium hydroxide?

I use a product called 'Red Devil' Lye. It's used to unclog greasy kitchen/bathroom drainage pipes ...

Warning: Never add sodium hydroxide to hot water!

Mix sodium hydroxide with cold water first

I will start organizing my notes this weekend and provide you with the recipe I used.

Mark

[TribalWind]

waiting anxiously in the wings to see some of your paper !
this sounds like a fun project

[Mark Meckes]

The recipe I used was from the Book ...

Papermaking with Plants by Helen Hiebert - 1998
ISBN 1-58017-087-0
Storey Books Publication www.storey.com

Papermaking with plants : Creative recipes and projects using herbs, flowers and grasses

Though the book does not cover bamboo papermaking, it is very well presented, covering many types of garden plants.
This is a great help in learning about how different recipes and procedures are used based on the plants characteristic.
Bamboo is considered as one of the tougher of plants to break down into pulp, but this is relative to the species and age of culms used.

There is a section on Common Alkalis for Papermaking which I'll write about soon.

Meanwhile ...

The recipe I used was...
15% Caustic Soda - (NaOH - sodium hydroxide) aka Lye per dry weight of bamboo.

= 70g / 2.4 oz per 500g / 1lb dry weight in 8L / 8 qts of water

The author, Helen Hiebert, reccommends using sodium hydroxide as a last resort with tough fibers ... that will not break down within 2-3 hours

First add caustic soda to small amount of cold water then add to unheated cooking water before adding bamboo.
caustic soda can splatter explosively if added directly to hot water

[Mark Meckes]

Oh, BTW, the Bamboo Papermaking Forum has been started, and relevant posts have been moved to this forum.

[Kagazwala]

Hello Mark and Patricia

I read through your posts and am anxiously awaiting a
detailed tutorial on how to make bamboo paper.

Kindest Regards
Mustansir Kagazwala

[CaroleMeckes]

Hi Kagazwala
Here are some pictures of Mark's experience of making bamboo paper:

#1. Before Mark cooked the bamboo he cut it up into small rectangular strips because he thought it would cook faster cut up.

The recipe he used was:

15% Caustic Soda - (NaOH - sodium hydroxide) aka Lye per dry weight of bamboo.

= 70g / 2.4 oz per 500g / 1lb dry weight in 8L / 8 qts of water

The author, Helen Hiebert, reccommends using sodium hydroxide as a last resort with tough fibers ... that will not break down within 2-3 hours

First add caustic soda to small amount of cold water then add to unheated cooking water before adding bamboo.
caustic soda can splatter explosively if added directly to hot water

He cooked the bamboo outdoors (it smells funky - which is why he cooked it outside) on an electric burner. He probably cooked it about 10 hours.
It looked like this after cooking:


After you are satisfied that the bamboo is cooked enough, you strain it and then rinse it many times to get rid of the caustic soda that it was cooked in.

When you are satisfied that you have rinsed the bamboo thoroughly,
you pour the pulp into a mold. here is an example of a papermaking mold.

Here is a link to a paper making site - which explains the routine well:
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/makingpaper.html

just substitute bamboo for the pieces of paper.

Getting back to Mark's paper - here are some of his pictures:
I don't see any pictures easily of the paper while it is in the mold.
I'll have to get his computer out - not right now - to see if I can find some of the pictures in the mold - but here are some other pictures which he posted:
Before Mark put the cooked pulp into the mold - he pounded it to make the pieces smaller:


Partially beaten pulp ready to press:


Here he has the paper being pressed:


ready for air drying: