CHAPTER XVII
HAND-MADE PAPER
THE making of paper by hand is unique in this respect, that it is still carried
on in practically its primitive form, side by side with the most highly developed
paper-making by machinery. When we look for the reason for this state of
things, we find it in the very high quality and excellence of hand-made paper
compared to machine-made for certain special papers, such as drawing and
filter-papers, bank notes, and superlative qualities of writing and account-book
papers, etc. This is shown by the many attempts made to give to machine-
made papers the qualities or appearance of hand-made by cheaper methods.
Hand-made paper is generally made from the best grades of linen and cotton
rags. Papers for very special purposes are made from new rags. The reason
for this is that the process is very costly, and it would be poor policy to put
low-grade stock through such a process.
The rags are treated in much the same way as for machine-made paper, but
as the quantities to be dealt with are very much less, they can be allowed more
careful sorting and more time for treatment than is the case where machines
have to be kept supplied.
These high grades of rags require very light treatment in boiling and
bleaching, and the resulting paper is, or should be, of very high quality and
purity.
The boiling is usually carried out in open pans without pressure, very little
lime or caustic soda being used, so that most of the original strength of the
fibres is retained.
After boiling, the rags are picked over again to remove any 'contraries'
such as black threads, buttons, etc., which may have become exposed during
the process.
The rags are broken in, in breakers fitted with drum washers to carry off
the dirty water, clean water being run in all the time until the water leaving
the breaker is as clean as that entering it The colour of the stuff is then im-
proved by adding a little bleach, which is afterwards carefully washed out,
until a starch iodide test shows no trace of chlorine in the stuff
When we come to the beating, which is done in small hollanders with very
light rolls, we find that longer and freer stuff, and also more highly fibrillated
or wet stock, can be more successfully dealt with by hand than on the ordinary
282