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1. Cut a bamboo strip of a suitable length: Before cutting, place the bamboo in a steam chamber and heat it for about 30 minutes.
Then, place it in a cool place without sunlight to dry. Finally, cut the bamboo so
that the length is suitable for the lantern that you want to make. ¡@
2. Bamboo surface skin removal:
After cutting out a bamboo strip of suitable length, use a machete to remove the
surface of the bamboo strip. During this step, you must be careful to make sure that
each strip is of the same length and thickness, as well as take care to avoid any
fractures or damages from occurring.
3. Cross-weaving the bamboo strips:
After obtaining bamboo strips of the same length and thickness, and whose surface skin
has been removed, we can start weaving the bamboo using the cross-weaving technique.
The weaving can be done in accordance to the size and type of lantern that you plan on
producing.
¡@
4. Formation of the woven frame:
The frame of
the lantern
is woven
using bamboo
strips.
Beginners
are usually
able to
weave
cylindrical
shapes,
whereas
craftsmen
which many
years of
experience
can produce
frames of
various
shapes and
sizes.
Proficient
craftsmen
can also
produce
modularized
components
according to
the design
of a
lantern, and
then combine
different
components
into
lanterns of
different
styles.
¡@
5. Lantern Pasting (Fixing):
Apply the paste evenly on the lantern frames of various shapes and sizes and them
adhere in pre-cut lantern cloth onto the frames. Then use brushes with paste on them
to brush over the surfaces of the lantern cloths, making sure the surfaces are flat in
the process. During this step, the surface of the lanterns must be kept clean and
there should be no space left between the cloths of the lanterns.
¡@
6. Applying the foundation colors:
The lanterns that have been covered with paste are
then cool-dried, and coated with the required colors. The colors that are used are
usually either yellow or red, depending on how the lantern will be used. Mostly
transparent coloring materials are used. If cotton or silk cloths are used, then the
coloring materials are mainly poster paint. For plastic lanterns, paint or acrylic
coloring materials are used.
¡@
7. Painting the Lanterns:
Because of the shapes of the lanterns, painting needs to be performed on arced
surfaces, which makes the painting of figures and colors on the lantern very
difficult. Therefore, the illustrations for the lanterns must be thought out according
to individual or usage requirements. Then, draft illustrations are first drawn onto
the lanterns, for example portraits of people, illustrations of animals, or scenery,
and finally, the colors are applied.
8. Application of Tung Oil:
The final step is the application of Tung oil. Moderate amounts of Tung oil should be
used to avoid damaging the surface colors and illustrations. The lanterns are then
wind dried. Finally, light bulbs or candles are placed inside the lanterns for
illumination and the lantern production process can be considered complete.
