The whole reason I came here: toolmakers

I feel extremely behind, which is because I still haven't realized that the whole concept of being caught up on things is a lie, but here I am on my hamster wheel. I've actually been thrown off of it, but more on that later. This is going up a big hill in Jeonju and I love that here, they lay down textiles outdoors. Even on construction sites, you see carpets of felt (probably synthetic, but still quite useful).

On the way to find food, I passed this storefront.

This was a silly and very touristy gimmick but I fell for it and waited in line for a stick of cheese.

But back to the heart of things: screens for hanji making! Only one couple is left doing this in all of Korea, which is basically the same state it was in when I began this research 14 years ago. It was alarming then and feels even worse now as the designated intangible cultural property holder, Mr. Yoo, is not in great shape. This is not a screen, but a washboard used for rubbing shaved splints to smooth them out before weaving.

This is the draw plate used to shave those splints.

And the knife used to separate inner from outer bamboo, and then start splints, and to bevel them down to prepare to draw through the plate. This one tool seems to be the main knife for everything. As I have learned (sometimes quite painfully) over the years, a good knife is extremely important and often very hard to find, but will last a lifetime.

This held the most delightful bits for me: fingers of rubber gloves! I have always wanted to do things like this, and generally also get excited when I see finger cots. Mr. Yoo's wife Seo Jeong-im does the lion's share of the work now and is obviously very good with her hands.

You can see how she has sewn the rubber fingers onto cloth gloves, which go over single cots for extra protection. She said you have to protect your hands and that bamboo splinters are no joke.

These are the outer parts of bamboo, nodes removed, and sometimes you have to shave away excess inner bits with that knife and those gloves and extra finger protectors before shaving through the drawplate.

These are the bobbins/weights used for weaving. Lots of opinions on how to make or buy versions. The funny thing, is that before I returned to try and interview the couple, I skimmed the part of my book about them. I forgot that I had done all of that research so long ago, and I answered my own questions! BTW, the hardcover version is sold out, going into paperback this month.

I couldn't resist taking these photos because she loves their dog so much. I'll make an order soon for a new bal, as soon as I decide on what size I need, and then it will go into the little pink spiral bound book.