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Show PARI T THE INVENTION AND EVOLUTION OF TH PAPERMAKING MOULD THE PRINCIPA TOOL OF THE ANCIENT MAKERS O PAPE O matter at what remote period the art of papermaking ha its beginning in China, the mould was from the first th most important tool of the craff, and through the centurics in bot the Orient and Occident it remains to this day the chief implement of the makers of handmade paper The carliest papermaking mould, like that of the present time consisted of a square or rectangular framework of wood, not unlike a very shallow box without top or bottom; one surface of th wooden frame being covered with ial,-at first wove cloth, then bamboo strips, and later metal wires-close enough t retain the macerated paper fibre upon its surface, and yet ope enough to allow the water to drain away. Across the framework number of ribs or bars were placed which acted as supports to th mould covering. Many varieties of wood have been used in pas centuries for the mould framework, but during the entire histor of the craft bamboo, oak, pine, mahogany, pear, and fir have predominated The earliest papermakers, the Chinese, probably used a moul made with a bamboo framework over which was stretched a picc of coarsely woven fabric. As the wet sheet of paper could ot hav been taken from the cloth, the sheet was dried on the mould an then removed. In this carliest form of papermaking a number o moulds would have been necessary if much paper was to be produced, as it would have required at least a day for each sheet t dry before it could have been removed from the cloth covering 18 Digital Imag © 2004 University of Utah. All rights reserved |