Columbia College Chicago

Columbia College Chicago

I’m teaching at the Chicago Center for Book & Paper Art this weekend. What a treat to work in a studio that is designed specifically to papermaking! Here’s a snapshot of their equipment. And mind you, this is only the papermaking studio… there is also a bookbinding studio, a letterpress studio and more!

This is the beater room, equipped with 7 lb and 2 lb David Reina Hollander beaters. Not pictured are the valley and critter beaters! Wow. Notice the buckets on wheels which slip right underneath the beater drains and can easily be rolled around the studio.

This is the fridge for storing pulp.

and the hooded stove for cooking plant fibers.

A washing machine for cleaning felts.

These are fancy hose rollers that are all over the studio for easy vat filling, mould cleaning, felt wetting and water fights!


Mould & deckle storage:

Drying racks for felts.



A huge electric hydraulic press, with a couching stand that rolls right up to it, connects and  allows the post to be rolled right into the press bed.


Drying walls!


 
A cool system for spraying off pulpy moulds and keeping the pulp from clogging the drains.



This is a great storage system for student pulp. Each student has their own labeled bucket which fits conveniently on this rack.


And theses are the cutest scissors I’ve ever seen. One of my students brought them!

3 Comments

  1. Marilyn says:

    Scissors were a gift from my daughter from Hazel Boutique at 1902 W Montrose in Chicago.

  2. Shirah Miriam "mimi" Aumann says:

    Thank you, Helen, for a wonderful photo tour through the papermaking studio with its wonderfully efficient set-up. Love it! Mimi

  3. Ankush Dhatrak says:

    The photos are very informative and useful especially for us who wish to start a new studio. Best of luck