Sunday morning and I am preparing to leave around lunch time.
Did you know it took 300 sheep to make a Bible?
This is just one of the myriad of strange facts I will be regurgitation over the next two days.
On Monday and Tuesday I will be delivering a 2-day 'Introduction to Papermaking' course, accreted by the National Skills Academy (Materials Production & Supply). This is one of my favourite short courses. I must have delivered it 50 times, but I am still filled with enthusiasm. Most of the questions I get are the same, but there is usually at least one question that catches me out. Then I learn something too.
Sometimes it is an 'in house' version, aimed at those working on the edge of actual papermaking, maybe office workers such as HR, buying, accounts, sales; or those nearer the machine such as engineers, electrical, store men, effluent treatment or finishing department.
Sometimes it is run as an 'open' course, where we get people from many different companies, paper mills, chemical companies, converters, printers, engineering companies and other end users.
We make this course a lot of fun, have little quizzes to keep the whole thing two-way and interactive, show videos, and we keep them on the move by having them make scale models of fibres.
The best part is, after all this fun and learning, they get a nationally recognised certificate
The purpose of this course is simply to provide an overview of papermaking. To introduce a sort of block diagram of the process of converting a tree to a cardboard box, or a piece of photocopy paper or a £10 note. And of course, to help them understand some of the jargon of papermaking.
Every industry has its own set of words that have their own special meaning, papermaking is no exception.
An example is 'square'. From the age of about 6 upwards we are all taught that a square has four equal sides and four right angles.
But that is not what we mean by square!
Paper is made as a long narrow strip. Most times, when we measure the strength properties of the paper, we will find that it is stronger in the machine direction, than in the cross direction.
When we make it so that the strength properties are the same in BOTH directions, then we say it is a 'square sheet'.
That's enough for now.
Time to pack.
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