Tools needed for Fuyang paper cutting and engraving
Scissors cutting, the basic tool is scissors. Almost every paper-cutting expert has a pair of flexible and easy-to-use scissors, which are usually common scissors for cutting fabrics on the market. The choice of scissors is very particular. The scissors should be lightweight, have a long blade, a straight tip, and a fast blade, and can be used for cutting, chopping and other cutting methods. If you cut several pieces of paper at the same time, you will need several needles in addition to scissors to fix the paper. This method has higher requirements for the creator, and it all depends on the mastery of skills. Among Fuyang paper-cutting artists, there are original paper-cutting artists, such as the three Dai sisters, rural women, and peasant paper-cutting artists Cheng Jianli and Jia Peixiu. Their paper-cutting works are mainly based on scissors. In the old days, paper-cutting artists lived in poverty, and some paper-cutting artists didn't even have a pair of decent scissors. Cheng Jianli once "eat the food of thousands of families and make them pruning." During my field trip, I also saw Hu Zhang, a paper-cutting expert, casually picking up a pair of rusty scissors and cutting out vivid shoe flowers. These paper-cutting artists rely on their skilled paper-cutting skills and can use any rough tools with ease.
Fuyang paper-cutting tools scissors
Tools needed for paper engraving in Fuyang
There are relatively many tools used in Fuyang paper-cutting, including carving knives, wax plates, powder bags, etc.
Carving knife: The carving knife is the main tool for engraving paper. The shape of the knife is mainly a bevel knife, usually 45 degrees, thin and sharp. In the past, paper-cutting artists mostly used alarm clock springs or razor blades. The specific method is: cut the alarm clock spring into small sections 4 to 5 cm long, then cut out the oblique opening, clamp it on bamboo chopsticks or bamboo pen holder, wrap it tightly with tape strips, and then polish it sharply with a grinding wheel and sandpaper. The blade has good toughness and is suitable for carving fine parts, but it can only hold about twenty pieces of paper at the same time. Many artists are still accustomed to using this kind of blade. If you want to carve many layers of paper cutting, you need to use other blades. For example, a scalpel blade needs to be clamped on bamboo chopsticks or a bamboo pen holder after buying it. The size of the knife depends on the blade. The large knife carves straight lines and thick parts, and the small knife carves fine parts and curves. Fuyang paper-cutting artists usually have about 10 carving knives of different sizes.
Fuyang paper carving tools carving knife
Wax plate: The wax plate is one of the important tools for paper-cutting in Fuyang. The wax plate is made of a piece of plywood or plywood the size of an ordinary book, with wooden strips nailed around it to make a rectangular groove about 2 cm thick, and then filled with butter (or lard, mutton fat) and an appropriate amount of beeswax (or Put paraffin) in a pot and heat it. After the oil melts, add incense ash (or plant ash, flour), stir evenly, pour it into the wax plate groove while it is hot, fill it and press it flat. Put the ordered paper on the wax plate and carve it. It is convenient to use the knife, saves effort and does not hurt the knife. Wax plates require different softness and hardness due to different seasons of use. The proportion of oil in the wax pan used in winter is larger, and the wax pan is relatively soft to cope with the cold weather in northern Anhui. The wax pan used in summer has a smaller proportion of oil and the wax pan is relatively hard to suit the hot weather in summer. Generally each engraver has two or three wax plates. Each wax plate is durable and can be reprocessed according to the above method after being used for a long time, and it will be a usable wax plate.
Fuyang Paper Cutting Tool Wax Plate
Powder bag: When using a newly made wax plate in summer, when carving paper-cuts, the paper-cut works will often be stained with oil, and it is difficult to remove the remaining paper scraps on the wax plate. When carving the work, you can first apply a layer of powder on the wax plate, and then place the ordered paper on the wax plate to carve. The powder bag is made of five or six layers of gauze with some talcum powder in the middle.
Materials needed for Fuyang paper-cutting
The most basic material for paper-cutting is paper. As the saying goes, "First come those who are close to the water, first come first". The development of papermaking technology in Xuancheng, Anhui Province has undoubtedly promoted the development of paper-cutting in Fuyang. Fuyang paper-cutting has different requirements for paper due to the two methods of cutting and engraving. The paper used for cutting must have a certain hardness so that it is easy to handle and hold the knife to the paper with ease. The older generation of paper-cutting artists mostly use red paper. Carving requires thin and tough paper, with as many as ten to twenty layers at a time. High-quality red rice paper is usually used.
