After drying the paper, he applied various binding and sizing mediums to pigment and paper. Howell appreciated the wide range of papers that could be made simply by adjusting the roll height and beating time. When beating linen rag he started with two-inch squares of fabric. He used damask table linens (as he often did), here referred to as "T.D." Howell described the degree of rag wear under "Condition of material" as "quite strong—worn." Howell also noted, "Water 10 megohms," referring to the type of water filtering system that he used at the time. Howell calculated the density of the beater load to be 1.5% by comparing the dry weight of the fiber (454 grams) to the weight of the 30-liter volume of water in the tub, expressed as a percentage. To manage the roll height as the beating progressed, Howell factored in a number of conditions. He carefully observed the circulation of stuff in the tub (as liters circulating per minute), temperature changes, and degree of "greasiness" of pulp as it fibrillated. As a rule, circulation slows and temperature increases as beating continues. The temperature of this beater load at the start was 18 degrees centigrade. By the end of the beating cycle, the temperature went up six degrees to reach 24 degrees centigrade. Howell also used the sound of the beater to determine and minimize cutting action, as he preferred to "bruise" the fiber the way a traditional mallet or stamper would do. On the log he periodically noted beater roll speed rpm using a tachometer that he placed on the roll shaft. For this series of watercolor papers Howell made "core tests" to determine drainage (parting with water). While beating, he periodically measured out samples of beaten pulp into a container, allowed it to drain through a screen, forming a cookie-shaped core sample. He then measured thickness and weight of dried core samples for his notes. He was curious about shrinkage rates and density. (Core samples are not shown on this log.) In this load #032981, Howell chose to bring the beater roll height down two turns every half hour, beating the fiber for a total of four hours. For the series of papers made for this watercolor study and on each resulting beater log, he specifically noted how he managed roll height. Howell's particular attention to roll height in this log gives me the impression that he was focusing this study on how roll height impacts the beating of linen.
