Kenaf can be found around the world, most typically in climates that are tropical or very warm. It can be found in Africa, the Carribean, the Orient (particularly Thailand), Central America, and the southern United States. A majority of the research into kenaf in this country is taking place in south Texas, most notably at the Texas A & M Research Center, in Beaumont, and at Kenaf International, in McAllen. The long woody fibers of the plant have been utilized in many ways around the world. The pith and bast fibers are used to make rope, the seeds are sometimes pressed and used as a cooking oil, and, in the Sudan, the leaves are eaten as vegetables. Most recently kenaf fiber has been used on a commercial basis for newsprint. Originally kenaf was targeted as a pulp source during the 1950's when the U. S. Department of Agriculture launched an intensive search for new materials for paper production. More than four hundred plants were tested and kenaf was found to produce the highest quality and largest yield. The fiber has since found its way into the hands of artists, predominantly in the south. Only now is it being looked at as an inexpensive source of art paper pulp that may be grown at home. The intrinsic properties of the plant make it an excellent choice as a cash crop for farmers, who grow the plant for the newsprint industry. The tall thin stalks grow from a round base to a height of more than twenty feet. Professor J. W. Sij at the Texas A & M Research Center says that in most of their trials growths average in height about twelve feet. Researchers have developed a method of processing the whole stalk for newsprint purposes. This includes the outer fibers, the inner bast fibers, and the pith of the stalk. Business entrepeneurs are excited about kenaf because its rapid growth rate means an abundant yield in a very short period of time. Compared with kozo, which takes about two years before the bast fiber is ready for use, kenaf can be grown with greater ease and is ready to harvest in seven to eight months. Kenaf also has unique characteristics that allow for greater brightness and higher tensile strength and it has the natural ability to resist yellowing when exposed to sunlight, unlike regular newsprint. For the hand papermaker this means that the fiber will remain lightfast when pigments or fiber reactive dyes are used. Beyond these qualities, kenaf is primarily valuable for its rate of maturity, which leaves the planting field ready for a new crop the following year. A major problem facing both the hand papermaker and the newsprint industry in the use of kenaf is the shortage of processing facilities in the United States. Currently the fiber is being processed in cotton gins in south Texas, although availability of the gins can be scarce in October when they are in full operation for the cotton harvest. Plans are on the drawing board now for a new mill in South Texas, but obstacles remain in convincing local farmers to produce the new crop. This is further hindered by the lack of literature available on kenaf; the little that does exist in writing is highly technical. Currently the only fulltime kenaf mill is located in Thailand. There is a low level kenaf production in that area, however, due to the use of poor qualities of kenaf and problems with management. The Three Rivers Mill, in Quebec, Canada, has produced high quality newsprint from kenaf fiber, but production is limited. One alternative to the predicament of availability lies in growing kenaf at home. In the U.S., the most ideal situations for this are found in the warmer climates of the South and Southwest. Stalks can be cultivated in rows and groomed into windbreaks and hedgerows. The bright yellow flowers in the summer provide an extra benefit. Kenaf is normally planted in early Spring and thrives through the hottest of summers. It can then be harvested in late October. While seeds are normally planted in late March or early April in the south, northern states may have to wait until May or until no threat of frost remains. As a general rule the hottest climates produce the best and strongest kenaf. (1) For the hand papermaker kenaf is a very economical source of high quality paper pulp. The cost of the fiber is normally less than abaca in sheet form and considerably cheaper than kozo. Only the bast fiber of the kenaf is used in hand papermaking and the fiber can be purchased either as raw fiber state or prepared.(2) In the raw state it is very fibrous and is about 95% clean. There may be some pith in the fiber which is easily removed by hand. Kenaf can be found and purchased year-round but the best time to order is in August, in anticipation of the October harvest. Depending on the thickness of the sheet and the overall dimensions, the artist will find that kenaf is comparable to abaca in yield per pound. In sheet production at Texas Hand-Made Paper Supply (THMPS), approximately twenty sheets of paper with dimensions of 20" x 27" {with a 0.04 mm. thickness} can be produced. Kenaf is also excellent for blending with other fibers to stretch their yield. The method for processing kenaf is simple. Clean the fiber by removing the pith, then soak it for eight hours. Place the fiber in a large pot full of fresh water. Add 50-60 grams of soda ash per pound of fiber and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the covered pot for about two hours, stirring the fiber about every twenty minutes. If the kenaf has been soaked for longer than eight hours the simmering step may only take one and a half hours. When the fiber has finished cooking, remove from heat and rinse well under running water to remove excess soda ash and other impurities. At this time the fiber is ready to be beaten but it is suggested that the pot be refilled with fresh water and the fiber boiled for additional 15 minutes to remove remaining impurities. Do not be surprised if the fiber does not appear to be cooked at this point. It will not have the same properties as kozo, gampi, or mitsumata and will not pull apart as they do at this stage. In fact the fiber will tend to be "hairy" and clump in a mass. The kenaf has now indeed been adequately cooked to attempt beating. Kenaf can be beaten by hand but this process is time consuming. It is virtually impossible to process kenaf in a kitchen blender. The most efficient way to macerate kenaf is to beat the fiber for fifteen to twenty minutes in a Hollander beater. Kenaf breaks down very quickly in a Hollander and if beaten more than twenty minutes may produce very thin, glassine sheets. When the Hollander is drained the fiber/water mixture will appear very thin and liquid; after the mixture has been drained through a sieve, however, a great deal of pulp will be accumulated. No sizing agent is needed for kenaf but methyl cellulose is recommended if one is used. By no means is a formation aid (either true or synthetic tororo-aoi) necessary because kenaf has a natural formation aid which acts similarly. This is one of its most unique properties and links it with other plants in the hibiscus family. For best results the pulp, warm tan in color, may be used in its freshly-beaten state or it may be bleached. Tests in fiber reactive dyeing show that the fibers break down considerably. It is recommended that the fiber not be beaten in the Hollander as long when fiber reactive dyeing is conducted. Tests in using pigments have sometimes uncovered varied problems caused by the natural formation aid in kenaf, which can counteract the charge of the pigment, whether positive or negative, resulting in clumping of the kenaf fiber. Individual experimentation with pigments will allow the paper artist to formulate his or her own method of pigmentation. Kenaf is capable of adapting well to either the Japanese nagashizuki or Western method of sheet forming. Very often the fiber is used in place of kozo at THMPS. The results are very much the same and in some instances we experience more control over the kenaf pulp. When we use Western molds the kenaf transforms itself and works as well as abaca and other fibers with greater ease in couching. Experiments with the fiber at THMPS have resulted in the inclusion of the fiber in a majority of commissioned works. The versatility of the fiber allows that it may be combined with other fibers to increase the strength of the finished product. We have combined bleached kenaf with cotton rag sheets for use in collographic printing and have produced sheets of paper with great strength and low tearing qualities. In the future it appears that kenaf has the potential to become a primary source of art paper pulp in the United States. Its high quality yield combined with the low cost in relation to other fibers will provide the hand papermaker with a new alternative for both sheet production and artwork.     Notes: (1) At the present time kenaf seeds can be purchased from Texas Hand-Made Paper Supply (P.O. Box 710356, Dallas, TX 75371). (2) Kenaf fiber can be purchased from Texas Handmade Paper Supply and from Twinrocker (RFD, Brookston, IN 47923).   </div>

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