Medieval stampers: construction and use in pulp preparation for hand papermaking

After more than 30 years exploring the craft of papermaking, Jacques Brejoux came to the conclusion that further improvement of his papers depended on building a full scale set of medieval stampers for pulp beating. Years of work and 30,000 Euros later, Mr. Brejoux has realized his goal and the accomplishment is one of the most significant events in contemporary hand papermaking. In this lecture he will describe the entire project and the unusual papers that have resulted—a majority of which are designed for use in book and paper conservation. (This event is free and open to the public)

JACQUES BREJOUX

Jacques Brejoux is Proprietor and Master Papermaker at the Moulin du Verger, in Puymoyen, France where paper was first made in 1539. Brejoux has devoted his career to making paper by hand. Over the past 15 years Mr. Brejoux has produced tracing paper, very lightweight “cigarette” paper, "papier Joseph," 100% raw flax papers, Islamic style papers and a range of additional papers intended for use by conservators and artists. His latest research has focused on the development of multi-ply papers made from stamper-beaten 70 year old linen rags. The finished sheets are modeled after historical prototypes and are designed for use in paper cased bindings.