RepAiRing pROject : Tian-Tsui hairpin , the silk threads。點翠髮簪，紀錄（十三）。

I bought the old Japanese silk thread box set and started thinking how to make Tian-Tsui with them. Although there’s no blue colour silk thread like kingfisher feathers in the box, the lustre of the silk thread is very good and it could be a good alternative material to kingfisher feathers. However, the silk threads are too fragile to be used for weaving, therefore, I have to glue them together to get pieces of silk cloth. Question one: with what? and question two: how?

I prefer natural adhesives not only because it is gentler but also it could be what the maker used when making the hairpin. I have decided to make wheatpaste myself.

雖然找到了似乎可以替代翠鳥羽毛的材料，但是應該如何運用這些絲線、讓它們盡可能地接近原本的羽片樣貌、做最好的呈現，著實讓我思考了好一段時間。反覆評估著點翠的特點與這些絲線的狀態，我想：既然顏色無法強求，那麼至少絲線羽片的質地與厚薄要盡可能地接近原本的羽片，才可能達到最佳的效果。

以這些絲線的狀態，要單獨使用它們編織成片是絕對不可能的；但是如果再使用其它的材料輔助，厚度就可能被犧牲。為了確認這點，我到美術社買了一些很薄的紙做實驗。結果證明：還是太厚，而且差得遠了。

那麼，就只能靠絲線自己拼貼黏合了。但是應該怎麼黏、用什麼黏呢？

完全不考慮化學膠。雖然並沒有被限制，但我還是希望自己盡量依循修復倫理來對待這支點翠簪，是原因（則）之一。做了一些功課，詢問了研究天然材料的朋友，列出了一些選項，最後決定使用最經典的一種：糨糊。

I have chosen to use glutinous rice flour since glutinous rice is very sticky. Mix glutinous rice flour with water at the proportion of 1:4 and leave the mixture for 30 minutes. Cook over low heat and keep stirring, remove from the heat when the mixture turns semi-transparent and keep stirring (harder). It is done when the mixture turns white, leave it (or cool down with water) until cold and the wheatpaste is ready to use.

Release paper is used as the base film for the silk thread cloth (for easy-peeling). Apply a thin layer of the wheatpaste onto the base film and layer the silk threads on it. It is not easy and quite messy if the silk thread is dry, so I soak the silk thread in the water beforehand and it’s so much easier as the water rinses the drying paste as well. When the layers are done, cover the silk thread cloth with a kitchen towel and sandwich the whole piece into a book (or a pile of paper/newspaper).

糨糊的主要成份是澱粉，簡單來說只要是澱粉類（的食物）就可以用來製作糨糊。小時候偶爾會看見長輩直接用白飯填黏牆壁牆角的縫隙，說是防堵螞蟻，我想應該是類似的概念。最有黏性的米應該就是糯米，但是羽片需要的是薄塗，所以就用糯米粉囉～

糯米粉：水＝1：4。糯米粉與水混合，浸泡大約30分鐘，然後以小火煮。加熱的過程中必須持續攪拌，煮到攪拌阻力出現、糯米糊呈半透明狀態的時候離火，以餘熱繼續攪拌至糯米糊呈現不透明白色（全熟ed），降溫放涼之後即可使用。

The first try is not very satisfying. To be continued.

選了個在正式上場的時候不會用到的絲線顏色。考慮到拼貼黏合之後必須能夠輕易地將絲線片取下，我使用離型紙（貼紙的底紙）做為黏貼絲線的底座。在底座塗上糨糊，將絲線一綹綹地（絲線已經老化脆弱一捏就斷）取下、貼上、併排拼貼堆疊。貼了幾排之後，發現乾燥的絲線不容易操作，於是便將取下的絲線先泡在水裡，再用鑷子夾取貼上。果然容易操作許多，而且絲線吸附的水份也再度濕潤了先前塗上、開始乾燥的糨糊，讓整理絲線的程序順𣈱不少。完成之後將整張成品覆上毛巾或紙布，夾進筆記本或書裡；幾個小時之後取出，放在陰涼處再風乾，我得到了一張還算OK的絲線片：）

第一次的實驗稍嫌手忙腳亂未能完整，但也因此得到了許多正面與負面的經驗值。絲線片的部份小眉小角與我想望的結果有幾些出入，需要再次實驗取證。待續。

RepAiRing pROject : Tian-Tsui hairpin , the Tian-Tsui feathers。點翠髮簪，紀錄（十二）。

Let's have a look at the Tian-Tsui feathers.

珠子與金屬部件的清＋理暫時告一段落，接下來瞧瞧點翠的部份。

I have been thinking about how to repair (or replace) the Tian-Tsui feathers on the hairpin. It seems (I suppose) that the ornament / each motif piece was covered with kingfisher feathers, but I will DEFINITELY NOT use the feather again even if it's not prohibited. I thought of using peacock feathers (I had some), feather materials for accessories, insect wings such as butterflies instead; however, none of them is satisfying. I also thought of using ribbons, or making spring silk flowers to replace the Tian-Tsui feathers, but they would be too thick although silk thread is a good choice.

關於應該如何修復這支髮簪上的點翠，我想了很久⋯⋯就算沒有被禁止，我也絕對不可能再用翠鳥的羽毛；其它種類的羽毛例如孔雀（手邊正好有），看著也覺得不對勁；另外還有專門製作成裝飾材料的各種真仿羽毛、昆蟲翅膀⋯⋯都覺得不適合。如果以製作春仔花的方式「做羽毛片」也似乎可行，但是厚度不行。又天貓行空了好一陣子，直到看見這篇貼文：

就是它了！但是，要用什麼「綢」呢？

Sometime ago I found the article on Hairpin Museum facebook and I believe that this is the solution. The article is talking about using fabrics instead of kingfisher feathers to make Tian-Tsui pieces. I did more researches about this and found out that it had been done this way at Song Dynasty (it didn't last long though) and pongee is the most used material (the pieces were made mainly for Peking Opera costumes). This sounds good and I have started searching for the material.

這支髮簪上所有的花片當初應該都有點翠，如果使用其它材料代替，第一個考慮的除了厚度，就是顏色的呈現了－可以不是翠鳥羽毛的藍色¹，但是必須要有它的光澤感、與顏色的鮮活度。有光澤感的布料不難找，但是要同時具備顏色的鮮活度⋯⋯好像有點難。又尋找了好一陣子，我在髮簪博物館的附設商店挖到寶物：刺繡的（老）絲線。

I am looking for something is fine enough and having good lustre and colour(s) as from nature. Later I found these (old) silk threads for embroidery in Hairpin Museum online shop. They immediately caught my eyes by vivid colours and the lustre, as well as the fineness of the texture. They are exactly what I have been looking for.

第一眼看見它們就被驚豔到⋯⋯這盒老絲線的光澤超美！而且這些絲線是老材料，如果就用它們代替點翠，覺得在概念上有一種微妙的連結～於是，又經過幾次思考與討論，就決定是它了。

To be continued.

待續。

註¹：要找與翠鳥羽毛顏色一樣的藍色並不容易⋯⋯應該是說：要找藍色不難，可是當我親眼見過真正的翠羽色，會覺得要找到與它一樣的材料是不可能的！於是當我看見這盒絲線所擁有的光澤感＋鮮活度，與它所散發出來的老件氣質，雖然其中並沒有翠鳥羽毛的顏色，我仍然決定了選擇以質地與感覺為最優先。