The separated bast fibers are suspended in a vat of water making a light slurry. A silk screen stretched on a wooden frame is used to pick up a thin uniform, felted layer of fibers. The density of the slurry will determine the thickness of the sheet of paper. Here the slurry is light and the screen very fine to produce a very thin, translucent sheet of paper. The opalescent quality of such paper is the origin of the descriptive name, "rice", referring to milled rice grains.