charlesrtsua

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • in reply to: Second layer, mounting. #17698
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    You see, you should never apply paste directly to the back of the scroll. Firstly, it will weaken the glue holding the seams together and so if you lift or move it there is danger it will all fall apart, secondly there is danger of making the painting itself bleed and run, third it might weaken the glue holding the backing paper of the silk/painting etc. The key is to avoid getting the scroll too wet; it just needs to be slightly moistened by spraying water over it so the scroll relaxes, the wrinkles and puckering flattens etc so the backing paper can go on flatly on the back.

    in reply to: Second layer, mounting. #17674
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    Those strips of xuan act as a temporary reinforcement attached to the edges so you can allow the scroll to stretch without the backing paper on it. This is especially used for scrolls that use thin silks that tend to contract and expand more than thicker ones such as those containing cotton so need to be pre-stretched and flattened before final backing process etc to avoid wrinkles and creases.

    For that purpose, I always keep the trim-offs of the scroll edges as they are double-ply and strong enough not to tear under the forces involved.

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by charlesrtsua.
    in reply to: Paper mounting. Pigment movement #17644
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    The problem is you’ve used Western watercolour pigment which is not the same as Chinese pigment. Chinese pigments contain more glue and this is so it binds to the paper more and survive the traditional wet mounting process. Western watercolours are not designed to be mounting in the Chinese way and so do not have enough glue and would bleed and run if you add water or soak the paper.

    You could solve this problem by mixing in hide glue to the watercolours and using alum and glue etc to fix and stabilise the pigments but it would be better and easier to switch to using actual pigments that are meant for Chinese painting and mounting.

    in reply to: Gelatin/ Alum sizing: glues for ink, color, and mounting #17637
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    The Chinese also use baiji (白芨) which is the root of an orchid, also used in Chinese medicine and as a natural glue (to make silk strings for musical instruments like the guqin etc); the glue is released by boiling the roots. It had been used during the mounting process in the past but not any more as I think it turns paintings yellow-brown over time, hence why many Song/Ming Dynasty paintings etc are really brown. It’s like how varnish turns old oil paintings brown after many centuries.

    Hide glue (明膠) is mainly used to bind pigments together and I wouldn’t use it for mounting as the wheat starch paste is sufficient.

    Alum is not much of an adhesive as it is a preserver and waterproofer and has insect repellent properties, so a pinch of it is added to the paste mix.

    in reply to: Second layer, mounting. #17608
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    Just search ‘裝裱’ on Youtube and you will find some videos of some pros doing mounting. All you need to do is watch carefully what they do and you should be able to work out the details. The video I tried to link to goes under the title of ‘Scroll mounting in Taiwan – part 2 書畫裝裱 – 卷軸’ at 23mins in where the person starts to paste the backing paper to the scroll (though he has also attached a head wrapper as well but the process of pile-on backing is the same).

    • This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by charlesrtsua.
    in reply to: Second layer, mounting. #17587
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    Your paste might be too wet, hence why the adhesive seems to seep through a stick the scroll flap to the lining. Here’s what you could do:

    1. Fold the flaps down in towards the scroll so the paper side of the flap is not in contact with the paper lining.

    2. Do not use the wet backing method and instead use the pile-on (i.e. paste the backing paper instead and then brush it onto the back of the scroll: e.g. https://youtu.be/JIk9zgQF4_Q?t=23m10s).

    3. Do not stick it on the drying board face down but face up and make sure the flaps are sticking out. After it dries overnight, take off board, spray wet again, paste the edges then attach facing down.

    4. Use a paste not too wet and do not wet the scroll too much.

    in reply to: Second layer, mounting. #17564
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    If you mean how to install the lining flaps for the rods onto the two ends of the scroll before the final backing goes on, you first need to cut out two pieces of xuan of the correct width as the scroll width (after you have finished the two side edges off appropriately by either binding with a strip of xuan or folding in, making sure the width is consistent top to bottom), then the appropriate height for heaven and earth rods (e.g. 10cm for the heaven, 25cm for the earth), plus around 0.5-1cm extra for the seam allowance.

    Then, fold the two ends of the scroll in towards the face of the scroll, roughly 5cm for the earth, 2cm for the heaven. Then turn the scroll so it faces down, place the fold of one end against the edge of the table. use a plastic sheet and place it around 0.5cm away from the edge to mark the gluing area then apply paste to that said area. Remove the sheet then adhere one edge of the appropriate lining flap of xuan onto this strip of glue. Then you can unfold the part of the scroll flap. Do the same for the other end. After they have dried you can then proceed to back the entire scroll; the scroll flaps would be free and wouldn’t stick to the lining.

    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    There are several ways to avoid ruining ink:

    1. Avoid using bottled or poor ink which tends not to bind well with paper. If that can’t be helped then avoid using the wet backing method and use the pile-on method where the backing sheet is pasted rather than the work to avoid the work getting soaked.

    2. Avoid backing immediately after a work has been finished. Finished works need time to rest so the pigments bind and settle on the paper well.

    3. Prepare the work before hand with an application of alum-glue solution to fix the pigments. This is a must for works on sized paper and heavy pigment work in general.

    4. Don’t use a paste that is too wet. When using the pile-on backing method, the pasted backing sheet should also be placed on some newspaper so the excess moisture is soaked up and the backing sheet is drier and won’t soak the work.

    in reply to: Second layer, mounting. #17539
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    For the final backing (after you’ve backed your work and attached the silk borders etc) should be double-ply xuan (i.e. two layers of sing-ply xuan) or triple if it is a larger work. You can either use double-ply xuan (easier and quicker) or stick two sheets of single together, which can be done at the same time as backing; simply apply paste to the first sheet, then carefully brush on the second on top (you need to be good at alignment to get them both more or less straight on) then apply paste on top after before rolling a sheet of newspaper under the now double-ply xuan and putting to aside to soak up the excess moisture before you use it to back the work.

    in reply to: Preparation of palm fibre brush #17525
    charlesrtsua
    Participant

    You need to boil the brush in order to rid the brush of the natural purple-brown dye inherent within the fibres and reduce the amount of dirt as well as make it softer. There are many ways to do this but this is how I do it:

    1. First, remove the first or three rows of stitching on the bottom of the brush. This depends on the quality of the brush. The best brushes are made with tight stitching and so have more rows than standard brushes with fewer, wide spaced out ones. Removing these stitches makes the brush more pliable and flexible. To remove, use a knife and some pliers to cut, being careful not to cut into the actual fibres of the brush itself and use the pliers to pull the stitches out. If you want the brush stiff then you can skip this step.

    2. Then, trim the tip of the brush so the outer edges slant inwards; i.e. form a soft V when looking down the brush. You could also trim it so it is more like a U. It is really down to what purpose you have for the brush; whether it is for smoothing backing paper down or applying glue to mounting silk etc. You can keep it untrimmed if you are using it to bash down on seams and edges etc.

    3. Sand down the tip of the brush by rubbing it over sandpaper. Use several grades from coarse to fine. Some people just rub it on a paving slab in the garden. This needs to be done to soften the tips of the fibres so it would be less likely to damage the paper.

    4. Prepare a tub of hot water with bicarbonate of soda dissolved into it (or soda water if you have it). Immerse the brush into it and let it soak overnight.

    5. Next day, prepare a large pan on the stove of water and add bicarbonate of soda into it (or use soda water). Bring to boil then immerse the brush into it. Boil for at least an hour, stirring and turning it from time to time. Some people reduce or prolong the boiling time. It all depends on the size and quality of the brush and it really is trial and error on your part.

    6. After it has been boiled, rinse under cold water to wash away the soda water. Then hang to dry naturally for a few days until completely dry.

    7. After it has dried, take the brush and start bashing and brushing it aggressively on some white paper. This will start to dislodge all the dirt and broken fibres. Keep doing it until there is minimal dirt being dislodged. If it keeps giving a lot of dirt etc even after a while, then you must repeat from step 4 again. Otherwise, the brush is now ready for use.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)