Japanese paper, on the other hand, differs from Western papers not
only in materials, but in the sheet forming process as well. I think
that you would be surprised by the wet-strength of Japanese papers.
High quality Japanese papers generally have longer fibers than
Western papers. Also, the sheet forming process tends to create more
interlocking of the fibers in a less uni-directional pattern. Both
of these qualities lend great strength to these papers. Don't be
fooled by their apparent fragility. Of course, you'll still have to
be careful.
In book and paper conservation, we use small pieces of Japanese paper
for repairs (and a variety of other treatments) which are often
invisible (or nearly so) and as strong as the original jb@dgi.net (intact)
sheet.
Depending on how transparent you want the paper to be, there are a
wealth of choices for you. I would suggest that you experiement with
a few types/weights of paper to find the one that works well for your
project.
Good luck!
Brian
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