papermat

Biomimicry Through Papercraft

Biomimicry Through Papercraft

Artist Julie Dodd has decided plunge headlong into the medium of paper. Almost all her work uses it, and often to express issues of environmentalism, with the topic of reuse folded into the pieces themselves as she works with discarded materials.

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Weave Your Old Maps Together

Weave Your Old Maps Together

One of the most popular projects on Make: Projects originated on the pages of CRAFT when it was a print magazine: the Woven Map Basket. Weaver Jane Patrick (who was previously editor of Handwoven magazine and is currently creative director for Schacht Spindle Company) wrote a simple how-to for taking old maps, slicing them, and […]

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How-To: Fireproof Paper

How-To: Fireproof Paper

OK, it’s probably more accurate to say “flame resistant” or “flame retardant” paper, because the fire does actually damage the paper, but it won’t catch flame and burn on its own. The treatment couldn’t be simpler.

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Working Paper M1911 .45 Pistol

Working Paper M1911 .45 Pistol

It can be cocked, rendered safe, loaded, cycled, field-stripped, and even fired, so long as the load is no stronger than a bit of homemade primer. And though it’s clear that the coil springs, at least, are actually metal parts, the rest of it is nothing more than carefully cut, laminated, glued, shaped, and painted paper.

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November is Paper Month!

November is Paper Month!

So long, October! Onward, now, into the eleventh month of our 2012 “Year of Materials” with a focus on paper. “Paper,” for those of you twelve and under, is a generally inexpensive, flexible, thin, sheet-like material made by pressing together moist fibers—commonly derived from plants—and allowing them to dry. “Plants” are living organisms, commonly green in color, with cellulose-containing cell walls, obtaining most of their energy through photosynth…

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