Fiber: Alabama kozo was collected, steamed, and stripped off the branches by Glenn House of the University of Alabama, and we received it from him in a dried state. Soaking and cooking: The fiber strips were soaked in filtered water overnight and then the outside bark was scraped off. The remaining fiber was cooked in an approximately 20% soda ash cook for two to three hours.
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Rinsing and beating: The fibers were rinsed back to a neutral pH and the black bark and damaged areas were picked out. The fiber was then beaten by hand approximately 30 to 90 minutes. There was a lot of variation in the grade of the fibers. Sheet forming and drying: The sheets were formed on Japanese sus and getas made at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Couching was done onto cotton sheeting and felts, followed by light pressing in a 20 ton press. The sheets were brushed onto plywood boards, glass, and aluminum for drying.
