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This information is reprinted from the For Beginners
column of Hand Papermaking Newsletter #84 (October, 2008).
To learn how to order Hand Papermaking bi-annual magazine
and quarterly newsletter, click
here.
Constructing a Basic Mould and Deckle
One can make an affordable mould and deckle with no
woodworking skills whatsoever (unless one counts sanding and
hammering nails into wood as woodworking skills). This mould
will not form sheets with lovely laid lines, but will be a
fraction of the cost, and it will get the job done just
fine. The method I’m about to explain is good for small
sheets of Western style paper.
What you will need:
8 stretcher bars (more on this below)
Sandpaper
Square
Escutcheon pins/nails (16+)
Hammer
Polyurethane
Small paintbrush
Fine mesh window screening
Hardware cloth (a heavy wire mesh with ¼-inch openings)
Wire scissors/cutters
Staple gun with staples
Duct tape
You will need the stretcher bars that are meant for
needlepoint. These are narrower than standard stretcher bars
for canvas, about ¾-inch by ¾-inch by variable lengths, and
pre-cut to join together at the corners. Purchase four
stretcher bars that are 1½ inches longer than the desired
paper length, and four that are 1½ inches longer than the
desired paper width. That is, if you want to make 5½ x
8½-inch sheets of paper, you should purchase four 7-inch
stretcher bars, and four 10-inch stretcher bars.
 Lightly sand the stretcher bars to remove all rough spots
and potential splinters. Fit the pieces together into two 7
x 10-inch frames. You may need to tap them gently into place
with a hammer. Once you have fit the frames together, use a
square or triangle to make sure all of the corners measure
90 degrees. Next, secure the corners by tapping two
escutcheon pins into each corner (see diagram). Having done
this for both frames (one for the mould and one for the
deckle), you can now polyurethane the frames to protect them
from all the water they will be encountering. Build up two
or three coats, allowing each layer to dry completely before
adding the next, lightly sanding away any rough areas in
between coats.
Once the frames are dry, put one aside as your deckle.
(Hint: hold the mould and deckle frames together to
determine which sides lie flattest against one another.
Attach your mould screening to the flatter side of the frame
to ensure the tightest fit when forming your sheets.) Cut
the window screening and the hardware cloth to the exact
size (or just shy of the exact size) of the outer edges of
your remaining frame. Staple the screening to the frame,
with the hardware cloth directly touching the frame and the
window screening on top, stretching it taut as you go.
You will want to staple once every inch around the
perimeter. Trim away any loose flyaway edges of the
screening. Make sure to remove any sharp or rough edges that
may prove injurious. Finally, use the duct tape to secure
the edges of the screening to the frame. The strip of duct
tape on the top surface of the mould should be no wider than
your frame, or else it will affect the size of your sheet of
paper.
Variations: To make a larger mould and deckle, you will
need additional support behind the screening of the mould.
Plastic egg crate will do the trick. Get it cut to size
(this does require power tools) and glue it in place
directly beneath the screening. Also, why not make a sugeta
for Japanese sheet formation? Use the same procedure
described above to prepare two frames of the same size,
treated with two coats of polyurethane. A su can be created
from a bamboo placemat or brush mat, cut to the size of your
frame. Stitch a piece of no-see-um netting of the same size
to the bamboo mat along the long edge, which should be
parallel to the direction of the bamboo rods. For
information on constructing a deckle box, see Marilyn
Sward’s instructions in Hand Papermaking Newsletter, Number
66, April 2004.
Copyright 2008 Hand Papermaking, Inc.
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