What are the materials used to make a Peking Opera helmet

Don't look at those helmets, they are brilliant and dazzling, but in fact they are usually made of paper. Think about it, if it is metal, wear on the head of the actor to be how heavy, the actor also how to perform singing, reading and doing? Although it is papier-maché, only with not ordinary straw paper or burlap, but a special "Yuan Shu paper", this paper is mainly bamboo as a raw material, long fibers, good flexibility, so the actor to wear on the head and lightweight, but also sturdy, how to play are not easy to break. On the phoenix helmet, a colorful phoenix disk on the top of the head. Although the article on paper, but the use of "gilded point silk" technique, that is, in the gilded base, the blue satin cut into small pieces, pasted on the tire, in order to color bright, also commonly used black or silver satin. Five phoenixes stand side by side, a little bit of paper can not be seen. When the characters walk around will also be accompanied by tremors, three-dimensional, layered, metal sense is very strong.

In general, the 13 basic processes to do helmet head:

The first step to hit the gusset (sound table back), will be eight sheets of Yuan Shu paper glued into one.

The second step is to spray pattern, the desired pattern with a toothbrush on top of the gusset.

The third step is the foot pattern, the pattern on the gusset with a carving knife to cut down.

The fourth step is to put together the pattern, because there are many patterns in a helmet, so you have to group and sort the patterns first.

The fifth step is to pinch the wire, the uneven edge of the hollowed out pattern with wire to stick together to reveal the pattern.

The sixth step is to paste the lining, another copy of the pattern and the pinched pattern, paste and hammer it tightly, and iron it with a heated soldering iron.

The seventh step is to brush the red clay seeds, mix the red clay seeds and adhesive and brush on the ironed cardboard to cover.

Step 8 Drain the powder, mix the white clay sub and viscose, follow the direction of the pinch outline, showing the three-dimensional grain.

The ninth step is to brush the varnish on the cardboard to make it glossy and to act as an adhesive for the next step.

The tenth step of gold, in the varnish ninety percent dry, will be gold or silver aluminum thin gold glued to the cardboard as a base color, in the past there has been the case of red foot gold glued to the cardboard.

The eleventh step of the gold walk, the tire will be organized, the top of the excess foil removed.

Twelfth step point silk, also known as point Cui, in the gold-plated base, the blue silk cut into small pieces, affixed to the tire, in order to color bright, also commonly used black or silver silk.

The thirteenth step of bearing, the various patterns are assembled to form the architecture of the helmet head, and then the bead whiskers, pompoms, spikes, wings and other accessories are mounted.

You ground, probably understand.