[Darkwood-SCA] A&S: Papermaking Class

[Cassandra Rossignol]

Greetings,

I am teaching a beginning papermaking class for Caer Darth's June A&S 
meeting from 1pm to 5pm this Sunday, at Rose & Santiago's house (directions 
posted on Caer Darth website), and I have been asked to post the details 
.  ...So here they are.

This will be a mostly hands-on presentation, with explanation and 
demonstration of basic techniques and related topics, such as:

    * Paper vs. Papyrus - Brief historical overview and tools & techniques 
used around the world
    * Making stationery that is ink & printer friendly
    * Making art stock & other decorative papers
    * Shaped deckles (customized sheet shapes)
    * Cotton & abaca paper
    * Kozo ("rice" paper)
    * Choosing and preparing indigenous fibers (iris, artichoke, etc.)
    * Pigments
    * Inclusions
    * "String theory" application technique
    * Hand casting and hand-placed pulp, including cut-outs
    * Embossing
    * Watermarks
    * Rain paper
    * Multiple-pull sheets & element bonding
    * Pulp additives (color retention aid, formation aid, acid protection, 
surface sealants)

Tools to Bring:  If you have any of the following, it would be very helpful 
for you to bring them to the class.  (Please Note:  This list supercedes 
the one posted to the Caer Darth website.)

    * TABLES:  Hip- or waist-high sturdy ones that won't be damaged by 
water.  Ideally, we should have one per participant, but if there aren't 
enough you'll have to share - so please bring as many as you can.
    * DRYING SURFACES:  Portable, non-porous, and stiff - on which to place 
your wet sheets of paper.  They can be sheets of smooth plastic, plexiglas, 
sheet copper, sheet aluminum, silk screens, cookie sheets, or whatever. 
Anything other than wood that won't rust or bleed color, that will fit in 
your car (horizontally) for the drive home will be fine.
    * CELLULOSE SPONGE:  A very large rectangular one.  It must be 
cellulose, not poly or natural, and should have already been thoroughly 
rinsed clean of any sizing or soap that may be in it.
    * HEAVY WEIGHT PELLON:  One disposable yard of the heaviest-weight you 
can find.  Either regular or iron-on is okay.  Note:  Any creases in the 
pellon will be faithfully reproduced in your paper's surface.
    * TOWELS:  Having at least one clean bath towel will make life easier 
when couching and moving water around on your workspace.
    * BUCKETS:  We'll be working out in the yard with lots and lots of 
water, so to minimize the muddiness factor it would help for each 
participant to have a 3 gallon or 5 gallon bucket in which to drop 
squeezings and run-off water, for disposal elsewhere.

What to Wear/Bring:  Anyone participating will get WET.  Papermaking is a 
very wet process.  Participants should expect to get drenched from the 
waist down with clear water and bits of paper pulp.  So wear something that 
won't mind lots of water and has either short sleeves or no sleeves at all. 
Participants opting to work with pigments may end up with temporarily 
interestingly colored hands and/or clothing.   I suggest each person bring 
a towel, a change of shoes, and if you don't feel like drip-drying a change 
of clothes might be a good idea, as well.  We'll be working outside, 
presumably in the sun, so sun block and/or a sun hat is a good 
idea.  Ornate belt buckles and jewelry worn on the hands or lower arms are 
contraindicated.

Donations of $7.00 per participant (or whatever you can afford) are 
requested to help offset the cost of supplies.  We'll be providing pulling 
tubs, mold & deckle sets, white and colored cotton & abaca paper pulp, 
aqueous dispersed pigments, inclusions, no-see-um mosquito netting, window 
screening, masking tape, tinfoil, retention aid, formation aid, and a 
hairdryer - as well as a very LIMITED SUPPLY of work tables, and pre-cut 
pellon.

RSVP by email by noon of Friday June 18th with the number of expected 
participants and list of tools you definitely can or cannot bring with you 
to the class, so that I can go shopping for the right amount and type of 
supplies needed.

Hope to see you there!
-Cassandra 
Rossignol  (<mailto:cheekymonkey at monkeymanor.net>cheekymonkey at monkeymanor.net)

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