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Cylindrical Paper Containers

C. How to Make Cylindrical Vessels from Handmade Paper

These cylindrical vessels can look like handmade pottery as the vessel becomes slightly distorted as the work progresses. They are made using tin cans or other rigid cylindrical containers as moulds around which the paper vessel is built.

Click on each of the photos for detailed instructions & click on What you will need for the requirements list. Or follow the text below for how to make your handmade paper container.

Requirements for making your Cylindrical Paper Vessel

What you will need:

• an unopened fruit or vegetables tin (e.g. tomato tin)
• an old sock (or a square piece from an old T-shirt)
• cling film
• handmade lokta paper
• washing up bowl
• adhesive (wallpaper paste)
• 1.3 cm (1/2 inch) round brush or similar
• masking tape

How to make your Paper Vessel from handmade paper

1. Cover the tin with cling film leaving some surplus at the top (photo 1). The surplus will let you pull the tin out later on.

2. Place the tin inside the old sock (photo 2) or wrap the tin with a piece of the old T-shirt.

3. Cover the sock (or T-shirt) with cling film (photo 3).

4. Prepare the adhesive and the handmade paper [see ‘Prepare the adhesive and the handmade paper’ from Making a Pencil or Brush holder, for details of the techniques].

5. Build your cylindrical vessel directly onto the cling film by sticking handmade paper to it (photo 4). When doing the bottom, you may like to rest the container on a small mug (photo 5).

6. When the vessel has enough layers, pull the tin out carefully (photo 6) and remove the sock (or piece of T-shirt) and cling film (photo 7). You can then start working on the inside of the cylinder and add lokta paper there.

7. Decorate your container and finish it [see ‘Decorate the pencil holder’ from Making a Pencil or Brush holder for details of some suggested techniques].

Back to:
a) Handmade Paper Vessels (the main paper projects page)
b) Handmade Paper Beads (coming soon)
c) Gift Wrapping with Handmade Paper (coming soon)
d) Origami with Handmade Paper

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Last updated on 20 December 2023
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