How to Make Paper

When it comes to recycling, one of the best things you can do it make your own paper at home. It's not as difficult as it might sound, but it does take some work. The steps below will show you how to make paper out of recycled materials your probably already have at home.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Toilet paper, egg cartons, paper bags, typing paper or any other type of recyclable paper
• Blender
• Warm water
• Window screen
• Wooden frame
• Nails
• Hammer
• Plastic tub
• Liquid starch
• Stirring spoon
• Fabric squares (enough for all the sheets you want to make plus one)
• Sponge
• 2 cookie sheets
• Newspaper (for drying finished sheets)

1. Choose the type of paper you will recycle. This can be one kind or a blend of several.

2. Tear the paper into small pieces and put them in your blender until its halfway filled. Pour warm water into the blender and begin to blend using the lowest setting. Gradually increase the speed of the blender until a smooth pulp forms. If you still see paper flakes after 30 seconds or so, then blend a little longer.

3. Create a mold for your paper by stretching a window screen on top of a wooden frame and nailing it the items together. Make sure the screen is tight.

4. Fill your plastic tub half full with water. Pour in three full blenders of pulp and stir the mixture.

5. Stir two teaspoons of liquid starch to the mixture if you plan to write on your paper. This keeps ink from soaking into the fibers. If you don't plan to write on your paper, then proceed to Step 6.

6. Put the mold into the blended pulp and gently move it from side to side to even out the pulp while it is submerged.

7. Lift the mold slowly above water level. Let the majority of the water drain from your new sheet of paper. Add more pulp if the paper is too thin and re-stir the mixture. If the paper is too thick, then take some pulp out of the tub.

8. Wait until the mold is no longer dripping, then put one edge on a fabric square. Gently lie the mold flat with the paper on the fabric. Press water from the paper with a sponge. Remove as much water as you can. Wring the excess into the plastic tub.

9. Hold the fabric square flat and gently lift the edge of the mold keeping the wet sheet of paper on the fabric. You've either moved too quickly or failed to press out an adequate amount of water if the paper sticks to the mold. Smooth out any loosed edges or bubbles.

10. Repeat Steps 6 through 9 to created additional sheets of paper and stack them on a cookie sheet with fabric squares between each sheet of paper. Put one fabric square on top of the entire stack.

11. Press the excess water out of the stack with another cookie sheet and slowly separate the sheets. Lay them on some newspaper to let them dry. Peel your new sheets of paper from the fabric when they have completely dried and enjoy your paper.

[Addonis]

on 1/25/2009 sound like a fun thing to do.
5 stars

[cwarren8135]

on 12/9/2008 I loved the article. I gave it five stars.