Fulling Block

This is a block used for smoothing out wrinkles on starched clothes or fabric. To do so, starched clothes or fabrics were placed on the fulling block and beaten using fulling sticks. In another method, fabric rolled around a wooden roller was placed on a fulling block supported by a wooden roller frame, and beaten using fulling sticks, which rolled the roller and evenly smoothed the fabric. Fulled fabric is smoother and more resistant to creases than ironed cloth. The block was rectangular in shape and usually made of stone or wood. Sturdy wood such as birch wood and zelkova wood was favored as the material used for a wooden fulling block. The upper surface was slightly larger than the bottom, and rubbed until smooth. At both ends of the bottom were hollowed out for better grip to lift it. The body was engraved with designs for aesthetic purposes.