Making a Deckle & Mould

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Making a Deckle & Mould"

Sharon Bruce
6 years ago
Views:

countries, although the majority of papers are made using the same technique now.

1 Making a Deckle & Mould The deckle and mould is used to pull a sheet of paper out of a paper pulp bath. There are a number of different deckle and Moulds mainly used in traditional paper making in different countries, although the majority of papers are made using the same technique now. WHAT YOU LL NEED 4 lengths of 1 by 2inch wood A sheet of curtain netting (as big as the frame) Staple gun and staples Duct tape Wood Glue Sand Paper

2 Basics of Deckle & Mould Mould: The mould is a screen upon which the sheet of paper will be formed. The screen needs to be porous enough to let water pass through, but also needs to be tight enough in order for non of the fibrous material to pass through. It s on the mould that the fibrous material will sit on and start to form it s first bonds. Deckle: The deckle is the frame that your paper will be sized to. It famously creates the soft feathered edges that hand made paper is well known for. You can easily change the size of your paper by changing the size of your deckle. The Deckle can also double up as a enclosed area to hold the pulp (This will be explained later) Steps Throughout this tutorial I will be showing you how to make a western style deckle and mould with a small deckle box. This type of deckle and mould will allow you to control the amount of pulp used for each piece of paper. Cutting the wood Glueing the frame Adding the curtain netting Adding duct tape

You can either cut this with a marked angle or a mitre block i(f you can get your hands on one.) 1 Cut your piece of wood down to the correct size.

3 Step 1: Once you ve decided how big you want your sheet of paper we can start making your deckle and mould frames. I m making mine to 10x20cms. Firstly you need to measure your wood from the inside edge of the frame and cut outwards from this measurement at a 45 degree angle. You can either cut this with a marked angle or a mitre block i(f you can get your hands on one.) 1 Cut your piece of wood down to the correct size. I ve measure my pieces 45 degree cut cutting 2 to 10cm and 2 to 20cm making sure the edges are cut at 45 degrees. (This will form the basis of your mould frame) TOP TIP Measure you re frames from the inside edge (which will be smaller than your outside edge due to the 45 degree cuts) as this is the size your paper will be!!

Step 2: Now you ve got the wood for your frames cut to the correct size, you need to glue them together so they will hold your paper sheet successfully. 1 Using a G-clamp clamp down your wood.

2 Glue your second wooden frame piece to the first and clamp in down. Take your second piece of wood and place wood glue on the face of the 45degree edge.

Push these together so a strong bond is made and then use another g-clamp to clamp this second piece of wood in place.

4 Step 2: Now you ve got the wood for your frames cut to the correct size, you need to glue them together so they will hold your paper sheet successfully. 1 Using a G-clamp clamp down your wood. Start by clamping just one piece of your wood so that it s stable and can be used as an anchor point to connect your other frame pieces to. 2 Glue your second wooden frame piece to the first and clamp in down. Take your second piece of wood and place wood glue on the face of the 45degree edge. Connect this face with the 45degree face of the wood that is currently clamped down. Push these together so a strong bond is made and then use another g-clamp to clamp this second piece of wood in place. (this corner piece is now glued and clamped securely in to place) 3 Take your corner bracket and screw it down tightly over the glued corner. This will temporarily hold your corner joint in position whilst the wood glue dries. Glued Frames 4 Repeat this technique until you ve done all 4 corners of the frame. You will now have a securely glued frame which just needs to be left to dry. Once dry the frame will be solid and you can decide whether or not to remove the corner brackets.

Place the frame you made for your mould on the netting and mark a line 10cms from the edges of the frame and cut this shape out of the netting.

5 Step 3: You ve left your frames to dry for at least 24 hours now, it s time to stretch a sheet of curtain netting or other similar fabric over the frame. 1 Take you re netting (This can be anything that lets water pass through it but will not allow any fibres to pass through, fly netting also works well). Place the frame you made for your mould on the netting and mark a line 10cms from the edges of the frame and cut this shape out of the netting. Your netting will now be 10cms larger on all sides than your frame. 2 Place your frame on top of your cut sheet of netting (as central as possible) and staple the edges of the netting to Corners Folded and Stapled the underside of your frame. This part is very similar to stretching a canvas. Start at the centre of each side tacking it down tight and work your way around the frame taking the netting closer and closer to the corners until all of the netting is taught. Fold the corner sections over and staple down.

Make sure to cover the staples on the underside of your frame. This will support the netting and will also add strength to the sides of your mould.

6 Step 4: The Frame can now be used for paper making but will work better if duct tape is added around the edges of the frame. This will add strength to the edges of the frame and to the curtain netting. 1 Using duct tape (or a similar type of tape), tape around the edges of your frame. Make sure to cover the staples on the underside of your frame. This will support the netting and will also add strength to the sides of your mould. 2 Working your way around this taped frame you need to staple over the tape (this adds more support to the frame and tape) staple the tape on both sides of the frame. The staples will support the tape, Edges being taped without these the tape will come off after a number of dunks in the pulp bath. TOP TIP The duct tape will stop any paper pulp from passing under you deckle edge!

7 Finished Deckle & Mould Your deckle and mould is now finished and ready to use. The Section covered with a curtain netting is known as your mould and the frame that is free of netting is known as your deckle. The Deckle will sit on top of your mould when you are pulling a sheet of paper. TOP TIP If using your frames a lot you can oil them to stop them from absorbing much water.

Harriet Chair with Modifications

Harriet Chair with Modifications This modification of the Harriet chair includes a slat back, padded seat, and is 2 inches wider than the original plan. The overall dimensions of the finished chair: 38