Bamboo Weaving – Production Process

PART 01 – Cut bamboo

The raw materials used in bamboo weaving are strictly selected, usually two to three years old bamboo from the mountains. The bamboo body must be free of scratches and knife wounds, and the bamboo nodes must be as long as possible. Long bamboo nodes are more flexible and meet the needs of weaving. The craftsmen in Daoming Town usually go into the mountains to cut bamboo. The bamboo in the mountains is less polluted and can meet the demand for bamboo to the greatest extent.

Note: Try to choose bamboo that is pollution-free, scratch-free and tough, so that the material produced will be more in line with the requirements of modern technology.

PART 02 – Scrape

Use a knife to scrape the surface of the bamboo. After removing the green, the bamboo surface will be smoother and turn yellow faster, which is more suitable for handicrafts. Normally, bamboo needs to be exposed to the sun before it turns yellow, and the scraping step will shorten the time and improve efficiency. The bamboo leaves that have been removed will also reduce the possibility of insect infestation and increase the usability of the bamboo.

Note: When scraping, you need to pay attention to the angle between the knife and the bamboo surface to avoid excessive damage to the bamboo.

PART 03 – Bamboo

The purpose of splitting the bamboo is to prepare for the later stripping. The bamboo pole is supported vertically or diagonally, and the bamboo pole is cut from the middle with a machete to divide it into two halves more evenly, which is conducive to simplifying the stripping.

Note: Try to divide the bamboo into two relatively even halves without destroying its beauty.

PART 04 – Striping

Striping is to further divide the bamboo into strips according to the handicrafts we need to make. Use a machete to make a small opening at both ends of the bamboo, and then slide the knife along the crack to the bamboo body to divide the bamboo into strips.

Note: The width of the bamboo strips should be determined according to the handicraft to be made, and avoid causing excessive errors that affect the utilization rate of the bamboo.

PART 05 – Layering

Separate the bamboo strips into layers from the junction of the skin and the yellow. The upper layer is the bamboo skin, and the lower layer is the bamboo yellow. As handicrafts are now more exquisite and delicate, bamboo skin is often used in production.

Note: When layering, you need to control the force of the knife. Do not use too much force to damage the bamboo. You must separate the bamboo skin and bamboo yellow smoothly along the connection.

PART 06 – Broken Silk

The silk is made by using a machete to further divide the bamboo into layers. The thickness of the silk branches is determined according to the required process requirements. Usually, when making small handicrafts, it is roughly divided into 1 to 2 mm, while larger handicrafts are roughly divided into 3 mm.

Note: You should know the general idea of ​​the handicrafts to be made in advance to avoid wasting bamboo.

PART 07 – Uniform Wire

Wire leveling is the most delicate step in the entire production process. Usually, the wire strips to be leveled are clamped with bamboo clips, and then the wire strips are passed through a leveling knife. The main purpose of this step is to remove the burrs and excess parts on the surface of the wire branches through the leveling knife, making the wire strips smooth and delicate, and improving the fineness of the bamboo material.

Note: To prevent unevenness, do not pass too many bamboo strips through the knife at one time. After smoothing, check to see if there are any missed ones. Try to make every strip perfect.

PART 08 – Qinyao

The main purpose of this step is to prevent the bamboo material from being infested with insects and mold. Usually, the bamboo material is dried after about 4 or 5 hours of soaking.

Note: Pay attention to controlling the time of taking the medicine.

PART 09 – Weaving

The woven products are mainly made up of three processes: starting, weaving and locking. The warp and weft are the main methods, and on this basis, the weaving, cutting and nailing techniques are interspersed, making the woven handicrafts rich and diverse.

Note: You need to follow the knitting order step by step and cannot omit any step.

PART 10 – Detailed requirements for key steps

1. After the bamboo is cut down, the bamboo must be debonded and split within 48 hours. The debonding depth must be within 0.1 mm, otherwise the bamboo will be damaged.

(ii) The skin and the yellow must be separated effectively during the layering process. Effective separation of materials can make the later bamboo weaving more delicate.

(3) When evenly spinning the silk, the silk strips should be kept uniform and the bamboo fiber strands attached to the silk strips should be removed to keep the silk strips smooth.

(iv) When drying, try to place the silk strips evenly in the sun so that they can be fully dried .