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Pressing Materials

Plants are preserved by the extraction ol’ theii natura! moisture. With prcssed plants, ihis cąn be done by p!ac-ing freshly picked specimens between sheets¹^; absor-bent paper and ihen storing them under weight or pressure in dry conditions for several weeks. To retain their na tu rai shape during Ihe drying-oul period, an even distriburion o: weight is important.

Ęook presses

Th i 5 can be obiained with books, proferably ones of. matching size. Old encydopedias are perfect for this purpose and a ful] set is a valuable aid for the flower enthusiast! A local auction coulri produce a mixed assortment of books from a household, induding large single volumes and books prinled on matt paper. Thcse later are always uscful, regardlcss of size. because the absbrbent paper assists the drying. Yalued or valuable books should never, hovvever, be used for piant pressing because che extra sheets of inserted storage papćrs will eventual!y weaken the spine and distort the hodk's shape.    .

OtlCC the papers and materiał are piaced in storage. they should remain undisturbed lor a minimum period of six weeks.

Depcnding on depth, several sets of plant materiał can be stored in one book, providing syfficient pages are left between each set to leave a smooth, level surface; but it is important not to overload a book to the extent that the cover cannot lie fiat or the sets slope towards the centrę. Apart from damaging the spine.

Cardboard presses

Books can also form ihe top and base of a flower press

when layers of materiał are placedljĄtween the closed covers. A mulli-layered press can bo cnSIy assembled by cutting sheets of corrugated cardboard to rriatch the size of the book covers. You will need twosheels ofcard foreach set of storage papers. Place one shcct ofcard on top of the closed base book and, if necessajry, place iwo or three sheels of ^aper over the card to cover any irregularities in the surface. Place the first set of storage Sheets in position, covcr with morc shects of paper and then place another two layersof card on top, taking care to keep the edges level. Thissiacking can be rupeated so long as the pile maintsins 2 baianced height. U is then weighted with two or threc large yolumes. The little tunnels in Ihe corrugated card alłow wami aif to circu-late through the press to speed up the drying.

If the available supply of books has been cxhnusted, there are other paper sources to consider. Thick disused telephon? directorles, mail order calalogues, maga-zines and newspapers can be used but it is important to flank them with firm covers. Thick paperbacks can curl at ihe edges, while unsupported stack; of gl05SV paper have a tendency to spili on to the floor. Picces ot p!y-wood make Suitable covcrs and inserts of corrugated card will ventilate the paper bulk. Ifricks can be used as weights in place of bcoks but they also should be evenly distributed over the surface of the top cover. With experience, collectors can devise their own ver$ion of the flower press and improeisations ranging from con-vcrtvd trouser presses to slats bound with rubber bands

A dark badegmund highlights tkefinest detaits. Mljilways to the he$t edoantage! In this errangemenl on błock vehvt, the cółoun and deheate shapes of!ke peta!s, ddkfseed pods and a Neodutd Pot tendril are scen clearly wiststlke tinu msect biies in tfze ydlcno Potentilla flower hu also oisible.