把毛筆做到極致

文、圖／陳文進(jìn)

家庭作坊制筆，是一種延續(xù)了千年的制筆模式。Family workshop brush making is a brush making mode that has lasted millennia.

萊州保旺，位于山東省膠東半島北部沿海，數(shù)百年來，這里世世代代傳承著萊州毛筆的制作工藝。5年前，年近不惑的王松偉，放棄省城幾十萬的年薪，回萊州老家接班了手工制筆作坊。不為別的，他只想用最傳統(tǒng)的原料和手藝，做出傳承匠心的毛筆。

王松偉的毛筆作坊在朱橋鎮(zhèn)保旺王家村自家的院落里，筆坊名為“世匠”，意為“百年世傳，匠心守藝”。除了自己的家人，王松偉還另聘請(qǐng)了原萊州制筆廠的三位資深筆匠，其中就有他的師父于同軍。1984年，萊州毛筆在全國(guó)毛筆質(zhì)量評(píng)比中榮獲第一名，于同軍就是參賽的核心師傅（毛筆制作需要數(shù)名筆工分工合作完成）。著名書法家啟功和劉海粟曾多次使用于同軍參與制作的毛筆。

古稀之年的于老先生，本想在家頤養(yǎng)天年，卻被關(guān)門弟子做筆追求極致的精誠(chéng)之心打動(dòng)，再次出山，支持王松偉的事業(yè)。由于市場(chǎng)上的毛筆制作良莠不齊，筆廠工人大多摒棄了費(fèi)工費(fèi)時(shí)的傳統(tǒng)制筆工藝，毛筆原料上也多以化學(xué)纖維替代動(dòng)物毛。筆的成本大大降低，筆的質(zhì)量卻大打折扣。

萊州,歷來以制作狼毫筆聞名。王松偉和師傅們商定，只選用東北最好的狼毫制作筆頭，制筆工藝完全遵照古法，20道大工序，160道小工序，一道不能少。王松偉對(duì)毫毛的選用近乎苛刻，稍微彎曲、纖弱或者過硬的狼毫都會(huì)被剔除干凈，力爭(zhēng)每一個(gè)筆頭都能合乎“尖、齊、圓、健”的最高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。他深信“慢工出細(xì)活”，對(duì)師傅們從來沒有數(shù)量的要求，只有質(zhì)量上的嚴(yán)格把關(guān)。

王松偉做筆追求極致，幾乎成為制筆行業(yè)中的另類。Wang Songwei is pretty rigorous about making brushes,thereby almost becoming an anomaly in the brush making industry.

大小興安嶺一帶的黃鼠狼狼尾，鋒穎長(zhǎng)健力足，是王松偉最愛選用的狼毫。The weasel hair from the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains,sharp and tough,is Wang Songwei’s favorite choice of weasel hair.

40年前的老湘妃竹筆桿，如今已經(jīng)鮮見。Old mottled bamboo brush holders made forty years ago are rare today.

每一批筆頭做好后，均要編號(hào)入庫(kù)。Upon completion,every batch of brush tips will be numbered and stored.

精于制筆的老筆工，在王松偉的作坊里又重操舊業(yè)。Old brush workers who are skilled in making brushes resume their old profession in Wang Songwei’s workshop.

年過七旬的于同軍再次出山，既是為了幫扶愛徒，亦是為了能制作出無可挑剔的毛筆。Yu Tongjun in his seventies returned to work so as to help his student and make flawless brushes.

手工制筆是一項(xiàng)費(fèi)時(shí)又費(fèi)力的工作，手指每天要承受成百上千次的反復(fù)摩擦。The making of brushes is time consuming and strenuous.Fingers have to endure countless repeated friction.

因此，世匠筆坊的毛筆出產(chǎn)率極低，6個(gè)人一天才能做出30多個(gè)筆頭，不及其他筆廠一人所出的數(shù)量。古法手工做出來的每一支狼毫筆，最后一關(guān)必須要經(jīng)過王松偉的精修和調(diào)試才能出售。有一次，本來已經(jīng)給北京客戶做好的一批筆，王松偉在檢驗(yàn)時(shí)感覺筆頭中間部分稍微健力不足，便決定銷毀，跟客戶解釋后重新修改合同，重做一批。

這種近乎偏執(zhí)的態(tài)度，雖沒讓王松偉得到相應(yīng)的經(jīng)濟(jì)收益，卻贏得了極佳的口碑，吸引了全國(guó)各地書家來訂制毛筆。在王松偉看來，書友的肯定是他前行的最大動(dòng)力。而今，王松偉最憂心的是萊州制筆業(yè)面臨后繼乏人的窘境，這個(gè)行業(yè)費(fèi)力又不賺錢，每天都要跟膻臊氣的動(dòng)物毛打交道，很少有年輕人愿意從事此業(yè)，王松偉作坊里最年輕的師傅也已58歲了。

目前，王松偉正與幾位老匠人整理編寫《古法苘麻狼毫筆的制作技法》，打算無償捐獻(xiàn)給國(guó)家。咫尺匠心難，對(duì)王松偉來說，真正的快樂，是艱辛付出后的那份清心、安慰與喜悅。

幾名書法愛好者，專程到王松偉的筆坊選筆。Several calligraphy amateurs make a special trip to Wang Songwei’s workshop to select brushes.

開海時(shí)節(jié)，王松偉用海鮮款待作坊里的制筆師傅們。In the fishing period,Wang Songwei entertains his brush making artisans with seafood.

Baowang,Laizhou,is located on the northern coast of the Jiaodong Peninsula,Shandong Province.For centuries,there has been an old craft—brush making technique passed down from mouth to mouth for generations.Five years ago,Wang Weisong in his late thirties gave up his annual salary of hundreds of thousands of yuan,and took over a hand-crafted brush workshop in his hometown Laizhou.

In the workshop,in addition to his family members,Wang Weisong employed three senior brush artisans from former Laizhou Brush Making Factory,including his mentor Yu Tongjun.In 1984,Laizhou Brush won the first place at a national brush quality appraisal competition,and Yu Tongjun was one of the core members participating in the competition.(Brush making requires cooperation among several brush workers).Famous calligraphers Mr.Qi Gong and Mr.Liu Haisu more than once have used brushes which were partially made by Yu Tongjun.

At the age of seventy,Mr.Yu originally intended to live an easy life at home.However,touched by his last student’s spirit of pursuing perfection,he decided to return to work in support of Wang Songwei’s cause.In Wang Songwei’s workshop,only the best-quality weasel hair is used to make brush tips,and the brush making technique completely follows the ancient approach,which requires 20 big procedures and 160 small procedures.Wang Songwei’sselection of hair is rigorous.Slightly bent,fragile or super-hard weasel hair will be eliminated.He strives to make each brush tip meet the highest standard of “sharpness,uniformity,roundness and completeness”.Wang Songwei believes,“Soft fire makes sweet malt.” He raises no quantity requirements for artisans,but strictly controls quality.Such an almost stubborn attitude has not brought corresponding economic gains to Wang Songwei,but won an excellent reputation for him,and attracted calligraphers all over the country to order writing brushes.At present,Wang Songwei and several old artisans are compiling,planning to donate it to the country.