There are many techniques used in the process of aging paper. But since nowadays not everybody is able to pay for expensive materials, I try to use what I have at home, specially those things that can be recicled. So I will tell you which ingredients I use for that special purpose.
Ingredients:
- Red Tea Bags (or green or black or whatever)
- Coffee Leftovers
- Hot Water (2 L minimum)
- Bowl or Tray
- Paper
Process:
Heat 2 liters of water, once warm put a minimum of 4 tea bags inside (you can throw as many bags as you wish but four were the ones I had, therefore the ones I added and it worked well). Then pour the infusion into a bowl or a tray the size of the paper you want to age. It is time to squeeze once again those forgotten Nespresso capsules found in the machine's drawer or at least the liquid coffee that remains somewhere in your kitchen. Pour as much coffee as you want since you decide on the color of your paper, but I poured like 4 cups...and on.
Now pick the papers and put them inside the time machine, try to soak the whole sheet if you want a uniform result. Let the paper have a bath, like 8 hours long, but as I have been saying all the time, let it there as much as you want.
Let it patiently dry, et voilà...here we have a treasure from 1889.
Optional Tip (Spots): If you want to add some spots a rudimentary way of doing it is through fire. My first advice is to go outside to avoid burning the house. Use a candle put the paper on it ( mantain a certain security distance) and wait until a brown shadow appears. This happens very quickly so be careful not to make wholes and first try it on a rough paper. Results look great if you are aware of what you do.
For those who want to try the complex way and are able to buy the materials, I have found a wonderful explanation on that in Curious Goods. I haven't tried this yet, and though it doesn't difer at all, the walnut crystals give a magic touch to the final result creating high realistic spots.
Categories:
Experiments