Mold and Deckle

To make a mold and deckle you will need:

1. 1/2" x 1/2 " wood, four 10" pieces and four 8" pieces
2. Varnish
3. Wood glue
4. Fine-mesh nylon netting
5. Stapler

To assemble the mold and deckle:

• Arrange the pieces in a rectangle. You will be making 2 frames, but only one will have mesh netting. Glue them together, using an angle iron to get the corners square.
• When the glue is dry, hammer in 2 small nails at each corner to hold the sides in place.
• Paint the entire frame with varnish. Two coats is best and allow to dry overnight. This seals the wood so it will not discolor the paper.
• Cut the netting 10" x 12". Wet the netting and staple it to the frame using a staple gun. Start by stapling the middle of one side, the the middle of the opposite side, pulling as tightly as you can. Then staple the other 2 sides.
• Now staple all around the frame, making sure the netting is taut. As it dries, it will become tighter. Cut away the extra netting.
• Brush around the edges and sides of the the frame--this will help keep the netting tight.

Note: You can also use picture frames that are the same size, but they do need to be flat so they don't slip when you are making the sheets of paper.

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