pH of paper

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I am at present living in Uganda, and have been working with three
individuals here to get them going on paper making as a small scale
cottage industry project.  We are trying to keep all the processes
within the tools available at the village level, which means clay
pots over wood fire for cooking, lye as a cooking agent, and
pounding with a wooden mortar and pestle for beating.  We have one
stainless steel pot, but they are not available here commercially.
This is one I brought from Kenya.

My question concerns the pH of the paper we are producing.  When we
use the clay pot on a wood fire, we get a ph of 9.  When we use the
stainless steel pot on a gas burner, it is 7.  My question is what
is most desirable from the view of stability of the paper, and why.
If we need a buffer, what might we use (keeping in mind that
chemicals are not readily available from a local paper making shop),
and what would it do?  We are trying to understand the processes
fully, and to produce a technically desirable paper as well as an
aesthetic one.

If you could inquire from your membership list to see if anyone has
any suggestions or knowledge they would be willing to share with us,
we would be grateful. Respectfully,

Bev Peden

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:35
                 Distributed: Monday, October 16, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-35-001
                                  ***