and yet..wise japanese artisans set me on a quest to find kudzu. they treat washi with it to make the paper stonger.one would say that any other starch/mucilage would do,but not quite really.
two weeks ago the highlight was being able to find kudzu at an affordable price.this weekend i prepared a light solution of it,painted nepalese paper with it then hung them to dry.
the resulting coated paper was stronger, crispier yet supple in texture with a translucent glow.i noticed two papers could be easily laminated into one resulting in a thicker much stronger sheet.
i'd guess that neither agar agar nor linseed mucilage would have done both creating a much more brittle texture.
the photo is more of a beauty shot than a documented process,bear with me. however you can appreciate some difference in texture on the treated paper on the left.
need to tests how it absorbs ink also what happens if the paper is re treated after writing with ink.
the final outcome is going to be shifu spinning for an upcoming project.
impatient to get going ,but the focus on process is slow. kaizen.
neki desu
