RAW MATERIALS

1) Chalk Powder
- Also called Kalnar Mav.
- It is a pop waste sourced from Gujarat and Rajasthan. Generated during the
production and finishing of products made out of pop.
- A dealer in Pondicherry gets the waste pop blocks in tons, completely sun-dries it
because it is wet, gives it for grinding and then sells it in packets.
- Texture is grainy like suji.
- Non- biodegradable.
- Price- ?
- Used for binding- ?

2) Paper Pulp
- Waste from the cotton industry.
- Sourced from a company which makes cotton boxes.
- Price- Rs.20/kg
- Earlier industries gave it for free to clear their waste dumping area but when use
of pop was banned in making idols for religious festivals (because of the water
pollution), paper pulp was a good alternative and in great demand so they started
selling it at a price.
- Gives flexibility to the dough.
- Texture- ?

3) Tapioca Flour
- Tapioca Flour is derived from the starchy vegetable called cassava root. The root
is finely shredded, washed and dehydrated. The dried pulp is then ground into a
flour.
- It is edible.
- Used to give a smooth texture- ?
- Price- Rs.50/kg (good quality and does not stale when stored for a long period of
time.)
- Price- Rs.40/kg (poor quality and stale after some days)
- Texture- ?

4) Copper sulphate
- For 1kg of tapioca paste, 20-40 gms of copper sulphate is added.
- Used to avoid the insects from eating tapioca paste.
- When added in large quantities, it forms cracks in the dolls.
5) Cement Paper
- Waste paper, thick, makes a crunchy sound when crumpled or torn.
- Is a packaging type that can be constructed of one or several layers of high
quality kraft paper, usually produced from virgin fibre.
- Used to reinforce the edges of the dolls and provide strength.
- 1kg (3-4 sheets) cost about Rs.35-40.
- Size- ?

6) Steel wires
7) bamboo / reep sticks
8) Asian enamel paints

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENTS

1) Dough Maker
- Used for mixing/making the paper mache dough.
- Power/electricity based machine.
- All the parts of the machine i.e. mixer, bowl engine etc all come from different
parts of India and are assembled in Coimbatore.
- Price- Rs.40-50 thousand
- Can hold upto 20 kgs of dough
- Power consumption- ?
- All the parts- ?
- Weight of machine- ?
- Material- ?
- Dimensions- ?
- Warranty/ guarantee- ?

2) Rolling Pin
- Used to make evenly flat sheets.
- Material- Wood
- Price- ?
- Dimensions- ?
- Weight- ?

3) Thick Brush/ Paint Brush

- Used to dust off the mould before placing the dough/sheet in it and also to push
the dough in the mould for fine impressions.
- Size/ Number- ?
- Dimensions- ?
- Weight- ?
- Price- ?

4) Knife
- Used for cutting the excess dough on the mould.
- Size- ?
- Weight- ?
- Price- ?

5) Thudupu
- Used for mixing and stirring while making tapioca paste.
- Material- Wood
- Dimensions- ?
- Weight- ?
- Price- ?

PRE- PRODUCTION PROCESS

1) Mould
- Artisans call it ‘Dye’.
- Also called acchu in tamil.
- Mostly bought ready made but sometimes made by the artisans themselves.
- Earlier it was made using natural clay/ sand from the sea bed but the mould
would shrink by an inch when completely dried. Eg- 12’’ of mould shrinks to 11”
when dried.
- Alternatives were rubber clay and white clay.
- Rubber clay was difficult to work with for finer details so, white clay is used in
making mould.
- Mould dries completely for 4-5 days before an imprint can be taken.
- Making of mould- ?
- Pop + Cement + Clay- Ratio- ?
- Weight- ?
- Dimensions- ?

2) Making of Tapioca Paste

- In a drum, add 3kgs of tapioca flour and 1½ liters of water to form a paste. Later
add more water to obtain a thin consistency.
- Boil the same for 1½ hours and stir every 10-15 mins using a thudupu.
- In the end add copper sulphate and mix properly.
- Needs a sprinkle of water from time to time to avoid the formation of a hard,
rubber kind of layer.
- Cost of making the paste- ?
- Storage time- ?

3) Dough
- Take 2 parts chalk powder(600 gms) and 1 part paper pulp(300 gms) and mix by
rubbing both palms together for 5-10 mins.
- To this mixture add 200 gms of tapioca paste and mix into an evenly smooth
dough. Mixing time- ?
- Storage time- ?
- Texture- ?

4) Chalk powder is tied in a cloth which is then dabbed on the mould before
applying a layer of dough.