WORKING PAPER
Machine for making paper (www.museodellacarta.it)
The precise place where born the first paper is not yet known. It 'sure, as there
is contact between the Amalfi and the Arabs, it is timely for the Amalfi its
first "bambagina", the paper cutouts made of rags. This name comes
from El-Arab city Marubig, which had a monopoly of production.
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Machine for making paper |
In a decree of Frederick II (died 1250) precluded the
curie of Naples, Sorrento and Amalfi bambagina use
the card for the drafting of public documents. Required
the use of parchment because it was more durable.
The paper was worked by hand until 1700 when, with industrialization, is spent
working with machines. In the late eighteenth century there were sixteen active
cards, which now operate only ten.
In the Valle dei Mulini, Amalfi, is the Museum of handmade paper. It 'consists
of an old mill and a library with about 3,000 texts on the origins of the paper.
Several stages were for the working paper.
The raw material was made from rags, cotton, flax and hemp, harvested in stone
vats called "cells", crushed and reduced to the form of mash with wooden
hammers (hammer) at the ends of the nails were placed in iron. The shape and
the size of these spikes determined the consistency of mush, and the thickness
of the sheets of paper.
The hammers moved by the force of water falling on a wheel counterweight (roton),
drove a shaft (spindle).
The prepared slurry was collected in a large bowl covered with tiles. In it
put the "form", which had the wood trim (cash) and the watermark in the
middle, consisting of a network of wires of brass or bronze. The watermark contain
trademarks that distinguish between the paper industry. These marks, visible
in silhouette, symbols representing civic, religious and heraldic.
The oldest leaves, the thirteenth and fourteenth century had the arms of the
city or the eight-pointed cross and the emblems of ancient families.
The slurry, once attaccatasi form and drained the water, was transferred to a
special wool felt. The result is a pile of paper very wet, which alternated as
many felt wool. The stack was pressed by a wooden press to release the water.
Subsequently the papers were detached one by one from felt and brought in "spreading" to
be dried by air currents. That's because the spanditoi were constructed in the
upper part of the paper. Eventually the sheets were ironed and grouped in bundles
in the room of 'allisciaturo. In the eighteenth cell hammer was replaced by "machine" Dutch.
In this way, the pulp was more refined and production increased. The new machine
showed large metal cylinders, on which were attached watermarks. The pressure
of water flowing through pipes in brickwork, attacked the pulp with watermarks.
The pulp is detached and passed through two rollers felted for the removal of
water.
The papers were preasciugati with a steam boiler. The paper sheets thus produced
was put out to dry further in spanditoi.
The paper was used for documents of the Duchy of bishoprics, parishes and write
deeds. Was used in short Angevin, Aragonese, the Spanish viceroy and the Bourbon
court.
That of Amalfi was very valuable and sought after. Today it is used for participation
wedding, for baptisms, first communions for, and to prepare brochures for major
works. Even the VaticanState uses the Amalfi paper for his correspondence. You
can watch the production process of paper visiting Amatruda paper mill. |
