Cut the tissue paper and obtain your chemical bath containers. You will need one bath for the acids, one bath for water that is quite large and one bath in a sink for final washing. All of these containers must be glass or porcelain. Casserole dishes work well for small batches. Cut the tissue paper to the sizes you would like your paper. Cut about 50 sheets for five batches.
Mix your acids. Mix 4 parts of the sulfuric acid with 5 parts of the nitric acid, slowly stirring constantly with a glass rod in a beaker or other glass container. Always pour the sulfuric acid into the nitric acid, not the other way around. Cap the container to keep out moisture from the air, and allow the acid to cool for 24 hours.
Pour the acid carefully into your acid bath and fill the water baths with water. Add one sheet to the acid at a time, carefully pressing it down into the dish with two glass rods. Add about 10 sheets per batch and allow them to soak for 10 minutes.
Remove each sheet with the tongs and transfer to the water bath. Make sure your water bath is deep enough or your paper will heat up too quickly and will take on a gelatin texture.
Move the sheets to a final bath and rinse for two hours under running water. Meanwhile you can complete your other batches; this mixture should be enough for about 50 sheets.
Remove the sheets from their final water bath after two hours and place between blotting paper. The sheets will need to dry for around five to six days before they will be usable.