In the right foreground there are sacks of rags, collected and brought to the mill by professional rag pickers. The machine illustrated in the foreground (B-E) is a stamper beater: the shaft (B) is turned by a water wheel; the projections (C) operate as eccentric cams to lift at irregular intervals the bars (D) which, after being lifted, dropped metal-faced hammers to the bottom of the stone trough, literally beating the rags to a pulp. The irregularity of the hammers' falls helped set up currents to keep the whole trough of "stuff", as it was called, in constant motion. A mixture of stuff and water stirred with a paddle was put into the vat (G). The vat man moulded sheets of paper, using a pair of special wire-covered moulds and one deckle. The sheets of paper were shaken out onto felt blankets until there was a "post" or pile of alternate papers and felts. When the post was sufficiently large, it was put into a large standing press (F) and the excess water squeezed out. The paper was then sized with a solution of gelatine and hung on lines to dry. Finally it was pressed again for surface and made into bundles for sale.
