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Show OLD~PAPERMAKIN 1 had shghfly d;fi'erent:ated methods of working n toda there is a secrecy among the maker ofhandmade paper and in visiting the few existing mills modified methods may be noticed. However, the fundamental principles of both moul construction and making paper by band have undergone few changes since the original inventio by the Chinese. A description of the art as practiced in the fifteenth century will not be far removed from the methods used centuries preceding Aside from the appliances that were used in th preparation of the pulp, there were four essentia utensils used in all old paper mills. These were th vat, the moulds, the felts, and the press. In ever antique engraving depicting the papermaking art this necessary equipment may be seen In the fifteenth century the vat for holding th liquid pulp was simply a round or oblong woode tub, about five feet in breadth and bound wit stout hoops. The earliest engravings representin the making of paper show no appurtenances to th vat, but during the seventeenth century severa inventions were made which greatly facilitated th worlk. The most important of these was the introduction of a charcoal heater which was annexe to the vat for warming the pulp; and by the mor rapid evaporation, the artisans were enabled t make a greater number of sheets of paper ina day In France this heater was known as a "pistolet." I Diital image© 2004 Marriot Libary, University o Utah. Al righs reerved |