Papyrus Paper Making
Papyrus is an aquatic plant belonging to the Cyperaceae botanic family. It is distinguished by having a triangular culm commonly called stalk , reaching up to 4 meters high at fully maturity .
Harvesting papyrus takes place during summer (June-September).Only
mature stalks are cut and tied in bundles each of 25 stalks.
The rind is first
uncovered with a sharp knife exposing the inner white pith.
The uncovered pith is than cut with a knife in parallel thin
strips of even thickness in the longitudinal direction of the
stalk.
The strips are soaked in
water for a few days to dissolve the soluble carbohydrates.
The strips undergo a preliminary rolling with
a heavy wooden roller against a flat block of wood to get rid of
the sap laden with soluble materials.
The fully hydrated strips
are cut to the required length on a board of wood.
On a piece of cotton
material a layer of parallel strips is put horizontally . Another
layer is laid vertically on the top of the first one. The papyrus
sheet thus formed is covered with another piece of cotton.
Between two pieces of dry
left the sheet is put under the press. The applied pressure
drives the water from the wet sheet to be absorbed by the
covering felt which is changed several times until the sheet is
dried completely.
The finished sheet is examined against the
light. All defective sheets are eliminated.
The sheet is than given to well qualified artists to carry on
their hand paintings.
