Assorted Recycled Paper Chains

approx 14 feet long  

Handmade paper used for NA830 paper chains: Our handmade paper is made from recycled cotton rags, these are transformed into a wet pulp ready to be moulded into a sheet of paper. A quantity of pulp is added to ‘the dipping vat’ and the desired dye colour or petals are added. The mould is a frame covered with a rigid metal net screen. The mould is covered by a flat frame called a deckle, to contain the run-off of wet pulp, dipped into a vat of wet pulp, and shaken to distribute the fibres evenly. The sheet is added to a pile, which is pushed down by a hand-wound press to squeeze out the excess water. The sheets are then ready to hang out in the sun to dry. They are peeled off carefully, one by one and hung with pegs (like washing!) on the line. Making paper by hand in India is a traditional art which has been passed down through the generations by craftsmen known as Kagzis; the name is derived from the word `Kagaz' meaning paper.