These are handmade papers from our own mill Khadi Papers India in South India.
RAW MATERIAL
Khadi rag papers are made from 100% cotton rag. Cotton rags have longer fibres than linters which are the shorter fluffy fibres of the cotton seed commonly used in papermaking. Genuine rag papers are rare and it is the fibre length of this raw material that gives Khadi rag papers their exceptional strength and durability. The cotton rag we use comes from T-shirt cuttings, a reliable source of pure woven cotton.
HOW THEY ARE MADE
Rags are pulped in a Hollander beater. Neutral pH size (glue) is added at this stage. Coloured papers are dyed in the beater using direct dyes from Ciba and Clariant which are ISO 9001 accredited and meet European standards on effluence and toxicology.
Handmade papers are made sheet by sheet, not in a continuous roll. Pulp is poured onto the paper mould, a wooden frame with a woven wire mesh cover, which has a second frame, the deckle, on top.
The sheet is formed on the mould in a vat of water. The characteristic deckle edges of the sheet of paper come from the thinning of pulp between the deckle and mould.
The mould is lifted from the vat and the sheet is laid or couched onto a woollen felt. Another felt is placed on top and the process is repeated. When a pile of sheets interleaved with felts has been made they are pressed to remove excess water. Rough surfaced papers retain the impression of the woollen felt. Smooth papers are cold pressed between zinc sheets.
Papers are loft dried. After drying, sheets are tub sized (surface sized) with gelatine which produces a hard, water resistant surface. This is the traditional way of sizing paper for watercolour, allowing watercolour to be worked over the surface without penetrating the paper.
For details of the papers see our price list
These papers are made in the Katmandu valley and in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal and Bhutan
RAW MATERIAL
Himalayan papers are made from the bark fibre of lokta (daphne bholua) or mitsumata (edgewothia papyrefera). These are native plants which grow at high altitude in the Himalayan forests. This fibre is a renewable resource. Plants are cropped above ground level and can be reharvested after 3-4 years - see people & environment
HOW THEY ARE MADE
The bark fibre is boiled with an alkali to break down the lignin and then beaten with a wooden hammer on a flat stone.
Nepalese mountain papers and Bhutanese resho paper are made by mixing the pulp with water and pouring onto a floating wooden frame covered with a fine cotton mesh. The paper is dried on the frame. This is the most primitive way of making paper, unchanged for nearly 1000 years.
Himalayan washi is made by the Japanese dipping and layering method called nagashizuki. The pulp is stirred up in a vat of water and the mould is dipped into the vat. The mould consists of a frame (keta) with a fine bamboo mat (su) on top. The sheet is couched and the su mat peeled off the wet sheet. The papers are pressed and brushed onto zinc sheets to dry.
Bhutanese tsasho is the only traditional Himalayan paper made on a bamboo mould using a method similar to nagashizuki. Sheets are brushed onto mud walls to dry. Tsasho paper has a distinctive laid pattern.
Himalayan papers are not sized but the fibre is naturally non-absorbent and these papers are ideal for pen & ink and a range of printmaking techniques.
For details of the papers see our price list