Papermaking with Bamboo Sheaths

[alleysally]

Hi Mark,
I found your page on papermaking with bamboo fascinating. In fact, your whole site is just wonderful!
I've learned things about bamboo I'd never even thought about before--all because my husband took me out into the alley
behind our home this past Tuesday to show me the bamboo culms that were growing and the beautiful sheaths they were throwing off as they grew.

In addition to papermaking, I thought that they'd make great embellishments for gourd decorating, too.

Do you know if there is any market for these sheaths? Does anyone sell them? Do you know of anyone who supplies them? What do they cost?

Also, is there a way for someone to help me identify the variety of bamboo plant that grows in our alley? (I can post a couple of photos, if someone will tell me how!)

Thanks for any and all help!
~alleysally

[Mark Meckes]

Hi alleysally,
Thanks for reviving this subject of papermaking with bamboo!
This is an area that I've dabbled in (just a few times) and I still need to sort through and upload my past pics and write about my experiences.

Every year about this time, as I'm raking up falling sheaths that glide down to areas outside the grove, and cut down wayward shoots, or selectively thinning smaller overcrowded shoots in the grove, that have grown beyond their edible stage, chopping them up for compost ... I think about, and put some aside for making paper out of.
Hopefully soon I will cook up a new batch.
I am not aware of any established market in the US for bamboo sheaths.
Maybe there could be one if uses could be created for them.
Sheath characteristics are quite variable, depending on genus and species.

I remember way back when I was working at a botanical collection during shoot emergence season and I wanted the sheaths in pristine condition for ID and potential craft use purposes, so each day I would gather sheaths as they began to detach from the culms, and before they had a chance to collect dew or rain, because they soon curl up, and become spotty.
One has a little more time to collect them for papermaking.

We have a beautiful simple shallow cardboard box for holding writing paper etc, purchased at a gift store, with the mottled sheaths of Phyllostachys bambusoides sewn onto the outside.
I will take some pics of it soon for you to see.

Also here's a thread showing a Culm sheath decoupage (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=494) ...

Re: Identifying bamboo, you can upload pics with your post in this forum: Bamboo ID? Ask here (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=147)
Start a New Thread topic in the above forum, and below the message text box, select Manage Attachments > Choose File (from your computer)> Upload > choose additional file > Upload ... etc
You can than Preview your post to ensure they have been uploaded.

If you have any problems, just let me know.

Cheers,
Mark