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1. Sorting And Cutting
The cotton rags are first sorted to remove dirty cloth pieces, synthetic fibers and non-textile material. Then they are cut into small pieces either by using the traditional sickles and knives or by electrically operated shredders.
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2. Beating & Pulping
After the raw material is thoroughly cleaned, it is first washed with a mild detergent and then beaten into pulp in a ‘Hollander' beater. Any colour or fibre to give the paper its unique texture is added at the end of the pulping.
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| 3. Lifting
After the pulp has been beaten to the required consistency, specific quantities of pulp is mixed with water in sunken vats. The papermakers dip the mould and deckle into the vats. The mould is lifted up from
the water and shaken, and a layer of evenly spread out pulp settles on it - the sheet of paper has taken its form.
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4. Pressing
Each wet sheet is then released onto a fine muslin cloth. Once there is a bundle of wet sheets with interleaved cloth pieces, it is pressed by a hydraulic press to squeeze out a least half the water content of the wet sheets.
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5. Drying
The sheets are then separated and left to dry naturally in the shade. After the sheets are dry, they are peeled off from the pieces of cloth and goes to the first stage of quality check for colour and weight.
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6. Sizing
After sorting, the sheets are hand coated with a paste of starch. This prevents the paper from blotting and gives it the characteristics of erasability, permanence and a long shelf life.
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7. Calendering & Cutting
To smoothen the surface of the paper, it is then calendered /plate glazed, i.e., interleaved between zinc coated sheets, the paper is passed to and fro under heavy mechanical pressure through a small power operated machine. This also adds gloss to the surface of the paper. The calendered sheets are then put through a second quality check again. Finally the paper is cut to the desired size and sent to its destination. |
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