Just Beat It! Watch a Hollander Paper Beater in Action, Plus Where to Get One
Mesmerizing, right? Hollander Beaters are handy machines that turn rags and fibers into pulp, pulp that is used to make handmade paper.
HOW IT WORKS
Generally, there is an ovoid tub where water and your papermaking fiber travels around. Hidden under the round-ish cover is a roll with blades. As a motor turns the roll, the fibers are beaten between the blades and a bed plate that sits underneath the roll.
A Hollander Beater's main purpose isn't just to cut fibers, but to macerate and fibrillate fibers, promoting more surface area for fibers to bond together during the hand papermaking process. This results in paper that is generally stronger, crisp-y-er, and denser.
WHERE TO BUY ONE
First developed by the Dutch in the late 1600s, nowadays you can either find them used, or purchase new from folks who build papermaking equipment for small studios.
Used paper mill equipment: AVP LLC, CanAm Machinery Inc., NISE, Deja Vu Lab (repairs too!)
Post your request on the Facebook Group All Things Papermaking: Equipment, Tools and Supplies
LEARN MORE
Ask around on the Hollander Beaters iO Group, a forum on Hollander Beaters with topics rangin from pulp processing, how-to & hints for all makes and models.
Catherine Nash is an artist and hand papermaker who has written Beater Finesse, an e-book on using Hollander Beaters.
Read a beginner article about Hollander paper beaters for papermaking in this article by Tom Bannister.
Peter Gentenaar, a paper artist, designed his own Hollander Beater.
P.S.
The Hollander Beater shown is my used laboratory beater, made by Noble & Wood. Solid cast iron and the perfect little studio monster!