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Unbleached Abaca

$10.50 per pound
  • Buy 15 for $9.25 each and save 11.9%
  • Buy 45 for $8.25 each and save 21.4%
  • Buy 100 for $7.25 each and save 31%

Buy 1-14 pounds for $10.50 per pound

Buy 15-44 pounds for $9.25 per pound

Buy 45-99 pounds for $8.25 per pound

Buy 100+ pounds for $7.25 per pound

The boat has arrived ! 

We are excited to have finally received a container of unbleached abaca from the Philippines, as this is our most popular pulp. This abaca is the color of wheat with tiny flecks and produces extremely strong paper. 

Description »

Unbleached abaca is in sheet form and sold by the pound. It is our most popular pulp. Each sheet measures 27.5" x 30" and weighs about one pound. However we may cut sheets to fit more easily into boxes. Unbleached abaca can be processed very easily in a kitchen blender or other form of mixer if a Hollander beater is unavailable.

Abaca is the Philippine word for Manila hemp, the fiber that comes from the stalk of a special type of banana tree, Musa textilis. This fiber came into use in the U.S. primarily for the making of tea bags and filter paper which required a thin, porous paper capable of withstanding hard use. Abaca paper has incredible "wet strength", enabling the artist/papermaker to pick up a wet, newly formed sheet of paper and manipulate it into any shape without tearing the sheet. It also has a long fiber length and is excellent for sculptural applications as well as being a remarkable substitute for Japanese-style papermaking, eliminating the need for hand beating the bark fibers. Longer beating times in a Hollander produce wonderfully crisp and translucent sheets. We strongly recommend abaca as a versatile, all-purpose pulp.