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Show PAPERMAKIN IN INDO-CHIN 5 Beating the Bark for Making into Pape After sorting, the material must be reduced to usabl pulp from whichsheets of paper may be formed. Throug the adtion of the lime treatment and the alkaline cook ing the fibers of the bark undergo a mild disintegration but for the aé&ual needs of paper formation the materia must be further reduced by beating and pounding until each tiny filament becomes practically anindividual unit The beatingor pounding is accomplished by mechanica means with man as the motive power. Every country i the Far East employs a slightly modified method of reducing vegetable substances to fiber suitable for makin into paper, but,as with all other opcrations of the papermakers' craft, the ultimate result is almost identical. I Tonkin there are two methods of beating and the mos ancient form is shown in Photographs 5 and 6, while th improved stampe of helve hammer principle piétured i Photograph 7, is of later conception. In the more primi tive of the beating appliances the pestle is supported by spring of bamboo that balances its weight; the mortar i throws the washed bark from the wicker baskets into th mortar, a handful at a time, and the adult worker bring roughly cut from stone. The helper, usually a young boy the heavy pestle down violently upon the material a hal dozen times before each additional batch of bark isadde by the boy. This pounding requires arduous labouras th i worker must put considerable energy into the downwar Digital mage © 2005 Marriott Library University of Utah, All rights reserved |