Mould & deckle, for manufacture of handmade paper

A deckle is a frame used to contain pulp on the mould in the making of handmade paper. This mould and deckle has a watermark 'Valleyfield 1817', representing the Valleyfield Paper Mills, which were founded in 1817. It dates from the 19th century but this sort of device was used from the 16th century onwards.

The device has woven brass wire with the watermark probably hand-stitched into the mesh.

Handmade paper was obtained by dipping moulds of fine wires into the pulp to produce an even layer which was then squeezed and dried. The finish was achieved by dipping in animal size or glue, followed by drying and pressing or glazing. Paper colours and thicknesses depended on the rags used and the degree of bleaching. Bleaching improved with the introduction of chlorine in the 1790s. Machine paper was manufactured from around the 1830s, although the making of paper by hand continued and still survives today.

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