Materials

• battens: 4 (363mm, 43mm, 24mm);
• battens: 4 (483mm, 43mm, 24mm);
• Metal sheet: 1 (1mm thick, A3);
• Wood glue: 1;
• screen printing mesh: 2: A3+;

Making it

I went through several attempts before I managed to create a screen that really allows me to work with the paper as I wish. The simplest approach, at first, was to find an old frame in the right size and staple the canvas directly onto it. But as I couldn’t find a frame in A4+ size, I cobbled together my first screens by assembling four pieces of wood I’d found on my parents’ workbench. I stapled the canvas to them without giving it much thought. This system worked… until I wanted to change the canvas depending on the type of paper I wanted to make. That’s when I hit a snag. I didn’t want to end up with a collection of screens. I needed a modular solution.

Instructions

To start with, take the battens and plane their ends down to half their thickness and 4cm in length. Then join four battens together with wood glue to form a frame, and repeat the process for the second one.

Once dry, take the frames again. Mark out and cut a 5 mm deep groove in the centre of each batten, along all four sides. This is where the canvas and the clips will be inserted. On the outside of this groove, then plane down 2 mm across the entire width. This small, discreet recess will allow the clips to sit flush without protruding.

Next comes the metalwork. You’ll need 18 of these to ensure good tension across the entire frame. Start by cutting out 18 metal plates — 8 mm thick metal, flexible enough to be bent but rigid enough to hold under pressure — each measuring 40 by 65 mm. Bend them carefully, following a precise sequence: first a 3 mm bend, then a 20 mm bend, and finally a 22 mm bend.

All that remains is to assemble it. I stretch the screen printing mesh over the frame, then secure it using metal clips. Each clip grips the mesh, stretches it and holds it in place. And there you have it. My sieve is ready.