REED AND SPLINT WEAVING
Reeds which are used extensively for basket-making and weaving in
general are procured from the species of palm described in Chapter I.
These reeds should not be confused with the term reed applied to
several distinct species of large water loving grasses. Such reeds are
usually designated under the name of grasses. There are a thousand
species of palm distributed over the tropical regions of the entire
world, but only a few are native in the United States, and these are
of no distinct commercial value. The rattan or cane palms of India and
the Malay Islands grow to an unusual height, and are imported into
this country in great quantities. These rattans and the trailing palm
of the species _Calamus_ have as main export centers Singapore and
Calcutta. These palms are stripped of leaves and bark and split into
round and flat strips of different diameters and widths. The outer
bark, when stripped into proper sizes, is known as chair cane; the
entire palm, with leaves removed, is commercially known as rattan; and
the flat reeds are frequently sold as flat rattan and pith cane.
Inasmuch as these flat and round strips, split from the palm plant and
exported under the name of rattan are called reeds, we shall refer to
them under that name in all discussions to follow. There are two
qualities of reed on the market sold under the names of China reed and
German reed. The former is inferior in quality and the latter is
superior, being strong, tough and durable. The Philippine Islands give
promise of producing a liberal supply of reed of good quality that is
claimed to equal the German product. The problem, however, is one of
gathering and marketing the product. The government has made a partial
survey of the rattan supply, and this justifies the belief that the
Islands will eventually compete with the world market.
=Primitive Methods.=--Briefly the primitive process of converting the
rattan, or raw material, into cane and reeds, or the finished product,
is this: The rattan stems are thoroly dried or seasoned, and the
nodules are pared off with a peculiar native knife. Then the rattan is
sorted into sizes and selection made as to grade. The sorting is based
upon external color and diameter of the rattan. The rattan is then
immersed in water, and the stem is rubbed vigorously with sand and
cocoanut husks to remove dirt and foreign substances. It is then
bleached by means of sulphur fumes, either in the stem or after the
peel and core have been prepared.
The method of preparing the peel and core is this: The peel, or outer
covering, is removed with a heavy knife; it is then stripped to
selected thicknesses and widths by drawing it by hand thru two knives
set at required distances apart. This peel is commercially called
cane. The core is then stripped into as many strands as necessary,
depending upon the diameter of the cores required. These are rounded
by drawing them thru a sheet of tin or iron perforated with holes of
different diameters. The rounded cores are called reeds.
Considerable rattan is still converted into the finished products by
hand processes thru these laborious stages. Machines have been
perfected which do practically the entire work. Particularly have the
Germans brought this industry to a perfected state. Still in various
sections of India, China, and the Philippines hand working of rattan
is a thriving industry; an industry seemingly peculiarly adapted to
the natives. The Philippine method of preparing the raw material
varies somewhat from the Chinese method in that the natives do not
bleach the rattan.
Reed may be procured in large or small hanks, in coils and in bundles,
with the cost determined by weight. Schools generally will find it
advantageous to buy it in small hanks, because of ease in handling and
for economic reasons. Round reeds are shown three-fourths size in Fig.
49, from No. 0 to and including No. 7, also winding, half-round and
flat reeds. Winding reed is thin and slightly rounded on one surface.
Half-round is as its name implies. Flat reed may be obtained in
several widths from ¼ in. to ½ in., and if of good quality, one
surface will show a decided bevel on the edges and appear much
smoother than the other. Thus the right side is determined. There are
many more sizes on the market than are indicated in Fig. 49, but those
shown should supply adequate, if not liberal variety for the ordinary
school shop. The cost of reed cannot be given with any degree of
accuracy at present. The price is determined by the quantity bought,
and by the quality and size. Under normal commercial conditions round
reeds will cost from 30 cents to $1 per pound for Nos. 1 to 8, and
flat reed about 25 cents per pound.
[Illustration: FIG. 49. SPECIMENS OF REEDS, THREE-FOURTHS OF ACTUAL
SIZE.]
=Bleaching.=--Reed is procurable either bleached or unbleached.
Ordinarily it is better to buy the bleached product. However, if the
worker desires to bleach the reed, the method for small quantities is
as follows: In a tub two-thirds full of water dissolve ten pounds of
chloride of lime. Immerse the reed in this solution, weighting it down
to insure covering it all, and let it stand about 4 hours. Remove it
from the tub and wash thoroly in running water. The best way to do
this is to lay the reed on an inclined surface and turn a forceful
stream of water upon it. Chloride of lime has a bad effect upon the
hands in that it makes them sore and tender, so care must be taken to
properly rinse the reed. A little tallow rubbed over the hands will
materially offset the tendency to tenderness, and generally keep them
in good condition.
=Staining.=--Bleached reed takes stain much more readily and evenly
than does the natural or unbleached. It may be stained any color with
prepared stains, but ordinarily these leave the reed muddy in
appearance due primarily to the difficulty in brushing in or wiping
off the stain in the recesses which weaving leaves. Perhaps the best
agent for coloring reed, and at least a very desirable one, especially
after it has been woven, is naptha. The preparation of the stain and
the process of coloring is as follows: Obtain the necessary amount and
variety of colors ground in oil; mix the required colors with a little
naptha; then to determine the shade of color test with a reed. Reed
absorbs a given amount of color, therefore the shade will prove out
practically the same when tested with a small quantity of naptha, as
when tried out with a greater amount. Add the required amount of
naptha to the solution, avoiding thinning too much; otherwise the
color produced will be "sickly" in appearance. Five pounds of color to
about 3 gallons of naptha will prove about the right ratio. For
instance, to obtain a rich nut brown mix 1 pound of chrome yellow and
5 pounds of burnt umber with a small amount of naptha. Stir until the
colors are liquid, then gradually add 4 gallons or so of naptha, and
stir well. The intensity of the brown may be varied by using more or
less chrome yellow.
Coiled hanks of reed may be immersed in the solution, immediately
withdrawn and hung to drain dry above the receptacle, thus permitting
surplus stain to drain back into it. The stain may be used repeatedly,
and as it is very volatile it should be kept in a tightly corked red
can when not in use. It is also highly inflammable, and should be
used in a room in which there is free circulation of air. If colors
have been mixed properly and thinned to the right consistency, the
reed will dry rapidly and the color will be sharp and clear, free from
muddy effects.
A woven article such as a basket or woven top footstool may be dipped,
or the color poured over and allowed to drip dry. In some instances it
is good policy to wipe surplus stain off lightly. Then, in the case of
the footstool or similar project, if the worker so desires he may
stain the wood a darker shade than the top with a prepared stain. Reed
is very effective without stain; many of the stools shown herewith are
left natural. Reed may be shellacked or varnished. Because of its
porosity it soils very easily unless some finishing agent is used, and
a good grade of elastic varnish is recommended as a finish, especially
when the woven article is subject to severe use.
=Other Materials.=--Reed is not the only good medium adapted to
weaving, either in correlation with wood or when used alone. On the
stools illustrated several other materials have been used, as inner
hickory bark and Indian splints and fiber. Binding cane, rope, and
even willow may be utilized with success. Paper fiber was discussed in
detail in Chapter V and needs no elaboration. Fig. 60 shows a stool
partly woven with this serviceable material. Sufficient to say that
this fiber adapts itself admirably to almost all work where reed is
commonly employed, and in many instances is, commercially, supplanting
reed.
Inner hickory bark may be obtained of manufacturers of rustic
furniture either directly or indirectly. They may be obtained first
hand if hickory trees grow in the locality, thus enhancing the
educational value of weaving. In the spring or early summer when the
sap is up and the bark slips easily, a hickory tree may be cut down,
and the rough outer bark shaved with a draw knife from the top of the
log the full length of the trunk, leaving a surface from 8 in. to 10
in. wide. With a heavy knife split the inner bark on either side of
the shaved strip; then beginning at one end peel back the inner bark
the full length of the log. This process may be repeated until the log
is stripped. The thickness of the inner bark depends upon the size of
the tree and the species. Manufacturers of hickory furniture claim
that the pignut possesses a thicker bark than any other species, the
bark running from ¼ in. to ¾ in. in thickness, and they accordingly
use this tree in preference to others when available. The rolls of
thick inner bark are allowed to dry for several weeks. Then they are
placed in water, to remain until pliable. They are then split into
strips of proper thickness and width. Factories use a very simple
motor driven machine for making the strips, and any manual training
shop can devise some scheme for accomplishing this work. These strips
cut in indefinite lengths must be made pliant by a thoro soaking just
previous to use. In weaving they should be pressed close together with
the fingers or with the aid of a hammer, as there is an appreciable
shrinkage especially in their width upon drying. Such strips are used
mainly by builders of rustic outdoor and porch furniture for the
weaving of the backs, arms and seats of chairs, and have at present no
general use in school shops. Their use here should be encouraged. If
bought of the manufacturer these strips cost 40 cents per pound, dry.
They are put up in coils, and are ¾ in. wide and ¹⁄₁₆ in. thick. They
may be stripped into narrower widths by means of a hand stripper, soon
to be described.
[Illustration: FIG. 50. SKETCH OF HAND STRIPPER AND GAGE.]
Indian splints of ash and hickory may be obtained from dealers in the
raw products. These strips are cut from the wood of the tree in long
shavings in a manner similar to obtaining the inner hickory bark, and
stripped into desired widths and thicknesses. One kind of ash splint
is made in three weights or thicknesses, fine, medium and heavy, and
in strips 1½ in. wide. It is sold in coils of 200 ft. each at $8.00
for 4,000 ft. The strips are a number of feet in length. Hickory
splints are sold in coils of a dozen strands each. These strands are 8
ft. to 10 ft. long by ½ in. wide, and slightly less than ¹⁄₁₆ in.
thick. A coil weighs about three-fourths of a pound and costs 5 cents.
[Illustration: FIG. 51. WORKING DRAWING OF HAND STRIPPER AND GAGE.]
The ash splints particularly, need to be restripped to widths needed
by the worker. For ordinary purposes the hickory strips are right for
seating purposes. The stripping is done by means of a combination hand
stripper and gage shown in Fig. 50. A working drawing of it is shown
in Fig. 51. It is made of maple preferably. The cutters are of a watch
spring, pointed and sharpened as indicated. The end piece is removable
to permit changes of the cutters. To use, merely hold the splint flat
between the right hand and stripper, press the strand down on the
cutter and pull it across the cutters with the left hand. Two persons
may do the operation more readily and speedily than one. It is a good
policy to make several of these devices with cutters at different
distances apart so splints of various widths may be cut without
resort to a change of cutters.
Splints need to be soaked in water for a number of minutes before
using. They will be found to be somewhat less pliable than inner
hickory bark, and different in color, varying from almost white to a
light brown. Inner bark is a nut brown in color. The splints stain
well, and may be dipped in identically the same manner as reeds. Inner
bark needs no stain; in fact is more pleasing if left natural.
[Illustration: FIG. 52. ROLLS OF SPLINTS, INNER BARK, AND REED.]
Ash splints are extensively gathered and prepared by the Indians in
certain sections of Canada and the northern states. There they are
woven into baskets of intricate design and beautiful colors, usually
in combination with other materials, as sweet grass. Splints may be
used for almost every purpose for which flat reed is utilized, and in
numerous cases is superior and preferable to reed.
In Fig. 52 is shown in order, two rolls of hickory splints, a bundle
of inner hickory bark strips, and a small hank of flat reed. These are
in the original bundles as they come from the dealers.