In the Beginning...

Over the past couple of years, on a shoe string budget, I have been building my papermaking studio from scratch. I've been keeping a handmade journal of the process, but it was suggested that I keep an online journal as well.

So this is my papermaker's journal. I'm sure it will be peppered with non-papermaking fodder. Dealing with the 'in-betweens' of life. so, We'll see where it leads us.

I began this endeavor while at Grad school. I was the only papermaker in a Printmaking program at Cranbrook Academy of Art - so I set out to build make shift facilities that would allow me to continue with my Thesis work (sculptural prints). Seeing that I was at an art school, it wasn't hard to scrounge up various materials & I had a wonderful wood shop (& wood shop advisor) at my disposal. Unfortunately, when I left Cranbrook, I left a lot of my equipment (work tables, desks, couching tables) - thinking that I could just as easily rebuild them.

What I didn't take into account was being flat broke. Lack of foresight. I neglected to recall the cost of living in the "real world" and ended up spending my savings on a cross country move, deposit on a rental house, & oh yeah, student loan repayment.

It's now a year later & I'm just starting to get a toe-hold on the situation:

To start out, I have a few pieces of equipment, bought, salvaged or built:

Several small pulling vats: a plastic utility sink (from Home Depot), a large cement mixing tub, a 2'x3' storage tub (from IKEA)
Vacuum table: built while in Grad school (pictures and plans to come). size: 4'x4'
A plethora of small, make-shift Mould & Deckles: size range from 4"x6" to 16"x20"
Felts: made of Pelon and old Wool Army Blankets.
Wet/Dry Vac: was abandoned in my studio at school - no one claimed it (probably because it's ancient), so it became mine.

What I still need to make/replace/scrounge:

Couching Table
Paper Dryer
Large pulling vats (to accomodate 4' long Mould&Deckles)
Large mould & Deckles (I'm looking at a range of up to 48" wide, various depths.)
Work Table
Pulper
&, Oh yes, A Beater (I've actually found plans to enable me to build my own - should I be that adventurous. Otherwise I'm looking Mark Lander's Cherub or Critter)

My first goal is to scrounge up enough money to actually buy a table saw - I found one for $150 that will work. Now I just have to find the $150. That combined with a compressor and brad/nail gun will enable me to make a majority of the items listed above.

In the mean time, I just need to get back to making paper.