Zhongyang Luliang folk paper-cutting tools
The main tools for paper-cutting are scissors, carving knives, wax plates, paper, grindstones, powder bags, and bricks. Scissors are the main tool for paper cutting. During the investigation, the author found that the scissors used by paper-cutting artists to cut paper are ordinary scissors sold in the market for cutting clothing materials.
According to paper-cutting artist Wang Jiru, when choosing scissors for paper-cutting, they usually choose ones that are lighter, have a thinner tip, are moderately tight, and those with a sharp tip and a sharp blade are more suitable. For beginners, it is very important to have a good pair of scissors. Only with the right tool can you cut with ease. Every expert who cuts window grilles has a pair of flexible scissors in their hands. For these people, the scissors in their hands can be regarded as their lifeblood. The carving knife is also one of the main tools for paper cutting. There are two main types of carving knives: slant-point knives and round-edge knives, both of which are sold in stationery stores. Bevel-tip knives are mainly used to engrave straight lines and curves, while round-edge knives are mainly used to engrave round holes and tiny arcs. The production of carving knives is relatively simple and you can do it yourself. The raw material of the carving knife can be a blade, an old spring, a saw blade, or a watch strip. Just use a grinding wheel to grind it into the shape you need, and then tie it tightly to a small wooden strip or bamboo pole with a thin string and you can use it.
The wax plate is also an essential tool for paper cutting. The wax plate usually uses a 15-20 cm square wooden board with 1 cm wide wooden strips nailed around it. The wooden strips should be 1 cm higher than the wooden board. Then heat and stir the sifted plant ash and yellow wax in a pot and pour it into the wooden board. Put it in, flatten it and let it cool. It is very comfortable to use. Paper is the basic material for paper-cutting, and of course it is the most indispensable thing. A good choice of paper can bring a lot of convenience to cutting and carving. If it is a single-color paper-cut, people usually use ordinary red paper sold in the market or dyed rice paper, so that the paper-cuts are generous and beautiful.
With the improvement of peoples appreciation level and living standards, paper-cut patterns using wax paper or suede paper as materials have appeared. This material is mainly used in factory mass production. Because these wax paper or suede papers are slippery and easy to lose shape, artists usually sandwich a piece of absorbent paper (such as single rice paper or powdered paper) in the middle during the paper-cut creation process and then staple them together. Add dampness and carve again. And what we usually seeColored paper-cuts are all made of single rice paper or pink paper. The damp and flattening method mentioned above is to staple the selected paper into a piece of cardboard (20 to 30 pieces of color are carved at a time. Without it, it will not form a piece of cardboard, which is difficult to master), and use a wet towel to stuff the upper and lower sides of the cardboard. Moisture (preferably it can be fully damp), and then press it with bricks that have eaten a small amount of water for three hours. Wait until the bricks have basically absorbed the moisture in the paper before carving. If the paper dries out after a long time of engraving, press it with a damp cloth or towel to make the paper anti-moisture, which will make it easier to engrave. The powder bag is made by grinding talcum powder or potato powder and then firmly using a cloth bag. Sprinkle it on the wax plate of the carving paper to avoid adhesion that occurs at all times.
Since the carving knife is an indispensable tool for making paper-cutting tutorials, it is necessary to prepare a whetstone for sharpening the carving knife. Each paper-cutting artist usually has two grinding stones with different thicknesses. When they encounter a place where a carving knife is needed during the paper-cutting process, they sharpen the carving knife while carving, always keeping the blade sharp.
