Remove the leaves from 2 lbs. of rice straw, available from food retailers or Asian culture shops. Cut each straw to strips about 1 inch long, between the nodes of the straw. Discard areas with nodes, as the nodes can create uneven paper texture.
Fill a bucket or pot with cold water and add the straw strips; the strips must be completely submerged in cold water. Soak the strips for a week in the cold water. When the water turns yellow, empty it and add fresh water. This will bleach the color out of the rice straw, making the paper white.
Rinse the soaked straw thoroughly in cold water to remove any remaining pigment.
Fill a stainless steel pot with 26 oz. of wood ash and 15 qt. of water. You can use ash from your own in-home fireplace or find wood ash at organic supply stores.
Bring the ash and water solution to a boil and allow it to boil for 30 minutes. This will create a caustic ash solution that will strengthen the paper. After 30 minutes, remove the solution from heat and allow it to settle overnight.
Wear protective rubber gloves when working with the caustic wood ash solution. Line a sieve with paper towels or coffee filters and drain the solution into a new stainless steel pot. This will leave you with a solution drained of the ash particles. If you find ash in your solution, drain it again.
Add your rice straw to the caustic solution and fill the pot the rest of the way with water. Boil the solution for three hours; add more water if necessary to keep the solution boiling.
Remove the solution from heat and inspect the rice straw. If the straws crumble when you pinch them in your hands, they are ready to make paper. Rinse the straws in clean, cool water and set them on a flat cutting board.
Pound the cooked rice with a bat against the board or use a mortar and pestle to break up the straws. Fold the fibers of the straw a few times and continue pounding, until the straws form a pulp.
Fill a large, plastic container halfway with water. The container must be at least 7 inches deep and at least 2 inches wider than the deckle and mould pieces you will use to make your paper.
Add the straw pulp to the container and stir to mix the pulp in with the water. Press your deckle and mould pieces together with the deckle on top. While the water is still circulating from your stirring, dip your deckle and mould into the container, front edge first.
Slowly lift the deckle and mould out of the container and shake it lightly, allowing the straw pulp fibers to settle against the mould. Hold it in place over the container for five minutes so the water drains.
Carefully remove the deckle. Gently turn the mould paper-side down onto a layer of blotting paper stacked on top of a layer of newspapers to allow the paper to dry. If you make multiple pieces, stack a layer of newspaper and blotting paper between each sheet.
Roll a rolling pin over the stack of papers with a rolling pin to push remaining water out of the paper. Allow the paper sheets to dry overnight or longer if necessary. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of your mould and your humidity.