Making Paper At Home                                                                                            

Modern paper making technology is a very involved science, however you can create a fun classroom or home experiment that simplifies the process.

Basically, paper is a flat mat of fibers that cling together because of their "roughness," - the fibers "snag" onto each other.  Paper can be made from almost any fibrous material. Used and discarded paper can be collected and then recycled to make new, useful paper. That's how simple paper recycling can be. This project lets you find out for yourself how recycled paper is made.

This project is divided into two working sessions.  Preparation is very important so read the entire project before beginning.

CAUTION! This is a wet (and messy) project. Protect surfaces and yourself.

2 sessions:

 

First: preparing and constructing materials (30 minutes plus time to gather materials)
Second: making paper (50 minutes)

 

Materials needed:
- scrap paper torn into 1" x 1" pieces (stationery, construction paper, magazines)
- 1 large bowl
- a wooden frame, 5" x'7" or 8" x 10"
- nylon or wire screen to fit the wooden frame
- staples or tacks
- a 2.5 gallon (minimum) basin
- cloth dish towels
- blender
- sponge
- household iron
 strainer
- pieces of colored thread, dried flowers, herbs, or colored paper (optional)
- blotter paper

 

Prep - Session 1:
  - prepare the scrap paper: tear into small peices, remove staples
  - soak the pieces in the large container for at least 30 minutes 
  - buy or build a wooden frame
  - staple or tack screening tightly to the frame to make a "deckle"

 

Paper making - Session 2
 - fill the blender half full of warm water and add a handful of soaked paper
 - cover and blend at medium speed until the individual pieces of paper are gone and the pulp has the consistency of a thick soup
 - pour the pulp into the deckle and then rinse this material with water to
remove inks and fillers that were originally used in manufacturing the paper.
 -  pour the pulp into a basin and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are
evenly dispersed (adding a few ounces of liquid starch will give "body" to
your paper)
 - blend in a piece of construction paper for color (or stir in pieces of thread, dried flowers or herbs for an interesting texture. (Do not blend these additions - stir only!)
 - slide your deckle into the basin
 -  hold the deckle under water and gently move it back and forth to get an even layer of fibers on it.
 - lift the deckle out of the water keeping it flat and allow it to drain until most of the water has drained off (there should be an even layer of pulp on the screen)
 - press the pulp gently with your hand to remove even more moisture and use a sponge to soak up the water from the bottom of the screen 
- place a clean dishtowel or blotter paper on a flat surface and turn the deckle paper-side down on the towel/paper 
 - lift the screen carefully, leaving the paper mat behind
 - quickly cover the paper mat with another cloth or blotter paper and iron it at a medium dry setting
 - when the paper is dry, pull the cloth gently from both ends to loosen your paper and carefully separate the two.

Congratulations! You've done it. You've made a sheet of brand new paper from recycled paper fibers!

 

CAUTION! DO NOT pour the left-over pulp down the drain! Throw it out or freeze it for future paper-making projects.

 

Now that you've made your own recycled paper, re-visit "How Marcal Recycles" within this website. See how the steps you took to make paper compare to how a paper recycling company does the same thing on a much grander scale with huge machines.

 

Please tell us.....Why is buying recycled content tissue products important to you?