Paper-based technology
Practical Action
Get to work: The object is first to strengthen all the joins and make the chair rigid, then to layer it
all over with a very smooth coat of plain paper. Some essential operations are described. You will
find other things to do as you work.
Make collars, with flaps cut and bent outwards at one end, to secure all unsupported rails
to the sideboards (see illustration). Press and strap their end-flaps to the sideboards.
Paste and roll some tubes of magazine paper and press them, like putty, along the angles
where the rails support the seatboard. Half-collars may also be used for the seat rails.
Find one or two pieces of thin card and laminate (layer) them over the seatboard, so that
their edges wrap over and a little way down the sideboards, and if possible down and onto
the front rail. Rail ends may be left open or closed.
Layer tidily over the whole chair, and add extra strong layering over the bottom of each
sideboard. Check again for straightness, then leave to dry.
Stage 3: Decorating
This is left to the individual. Earth painting is recommended. Once the chair is dry the seat, in
particular, should be rubbed smooth.
Stage 4: Finishing
After checking that the surface is perfectly smooth, apply a polyurethane or other varnish to
harden and seal the surface. Use a hard varnish first to protect it, then a softer one to give a
smooth surface. Apply the varnish with your hand, using plastic bags as gloves.
Note: APT articles should not be stood on damp surfaces, or left outside in the rain.
Further information
Appropriate Paper-based Technology (APT): A manual, Bevill Packer. Practical Action Publishing
1995.ISBN 9781853392689
Small-scale Paper Making Practical Action Technical Brief
This technical brief was originally written for the Appropriate Technology magazine
Volume 22/Number 3 December 1995 ATBrief No 15, by Bevill Packer.
For more information about Appropriate Technology contact:
Research Information Ltd.
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Website: http://www.researchinformation.co.uk
Website: http://www.appropriatechnology.com/
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Practical Action is a development charity with a difference. We know the simplest ideas can have the
most profound, life-changing effect on poor people across the world. For over 40 years, we have been
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