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How to Make a Paper from Recycled Materials

Updated on September 17, 2013

Let's Go Make Paper From Recycled Materials!

This lens is about how to make paper from used and recycled materials! Here are some educational projects, informational resources and links that you will be needing just in case you are looking for some ways to lessen your paper consumption and reuse it.

Please feel free to write me some feedback and let me know if this lens helped you in any way or even to share some thoughts! Keep it real! Keep it real!

Where To Find Recycled Materials?

just to get you started

You might be wondering where to find the basic material for your paper recycling projects, don't search no more!

Look around your surroundings. See old piles of used office papers, past issues of magazines or newspapers in your cabinet stacks, and used scrapbooks are what you are looking for.

Doesn't it make you feel good knowing you can make something productive and eco-friendly out from your used-paper materials.

So, what is paper?

Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets.

The earliest recorded forms of paper were in use in Egypt in around 3500 BC, made from the papyrus plant. True paper is believed to have originated in China in approximately the 2nd century AD, although there is some evidence for it being used before this date. The use of paper spread from China through the Islamic world, and entered production in Europe in the early 12th century. Mechanised production of paper in the early 19th century caused significant cultural changes worldwide, allowing for relatively cheap exchange of information in the form of letters, newspapers and books for the first time.

Paper is a versatile material with many uses. Whilst the most common is for writing and printing upon, it is also widely used as a packaging material, in many cleaning products, and in a number of industrial and construction processes, and occasionally as a food ingredient, particularly in Asian cultures.

read the rest of the wikipedia article...

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The History of Papermaking

Papermaking is the process of making paper, a material which is used ubiquitously today for writing and packaging.

In papermaking a dilute suspension of fibers in water is drained through a screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibers is laid down. Water is removed from this mat of fibers by pressing and drying to make paper. Most paper is made from wood pulp, but other fiber sources such as cotton and textiles may be used.

The history of papermaking can be traced to China about AD 105, when it was made by Cai Lun. Modern papermaking began in the early 1800s in Europe with the development of the Fourdrinier machine, which produces a continuous roll of paper rather than individual sheets. These machines have become very large, up to 500 feet (~150 m) in length, producing a sheet 400 inches (~10 m) wide, and operating at speeds of over 60 mph (100 km/h). (read more from Wikipedia)

How To Make Your Own Recycled Paper

Recycled paper can be made from old newspaper, following the instructions below. Recycling paper uses cellulose (plant fibers) over and over again, it uses less electricity, less water, a lot less pollution, and it saves trees from being cut down!

You will need:

* a food processor or an old blender

* an electric iron

* an old wire hanger

* an old pair of panty hose

* newspaper or other paper, torn into 2-inch squares

* white glue

* water

* an insect screen or strainer (optional)

* food coloring (optional)

* a big sink or tub filled with 4 inches of water

Make sure you have a place to work where you can make a big mess!

Step One:

Make a frame out of the coat hanger. You'll need a frame for each piece of paper you make. Stretch the hanger and bend it into a rectangle/square shape. Take one leg of the panty hose and stretch it carefully over the hanger frame. Make sure it is tight and flat.

Step Two:

Put a handful of the torn up paper and some water into the food processor or blender. Blend the mixture on high until it becomes mushy. Keep adding paper and water until you have a big gray blob. You may have to add a little more water to keep things moving smoothly. Keep the food processor on until all the paper has disappeared. Then leave it on for 2 minutes.

For some color, add a handful of brown or red onion skin (not the onion itself, just the papery outer skin).

Step Three:

Put 2 tablespoons of white glue in the sink water and add all of the paper pulp you just made. Mix it really well. Use your hands.

Step Four:

Scoop the frame to the bottom of the sink, then lift it slowly. (Count to 20 slowly while you are lifting.) Let the water drain out for about a minute.

Step Five:

Hang the frames on a clothesline or put them out in the sun. Wait until they are completely dry with no dampness at all. You can then gently peel off the paper.

Step Six:

Use the iron, set on the hottest setting, to steam out your paper. You can keep making paper until the pulp is all strained out of the sink. Mix up the sink every time you make a new piece.

Try other things like using in insect screen over a wood frame, or a strainer instead of the pantyhose and hanger. Try adding lots of food coloring, for colored paper, or try adding lint or leaves to the food processor. Your paper will have an interesting texture.

Making your own paper can be fun, and it's a great way to re-use old paper. You can recycle all kinds of paper for re-use. Sometimes paper printed from color-inkjet printers will run, that is, the color will bleed off and become part of your new paper, but that can make for an interesting effect!

Source

How To Make Your Own Recycled Paper Video

Books about Recycled Papermaking

This books will provide you many fun stuff, new learning techniques and great ideas in paper-making. Enjoy!

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FUN Things You Can Do with Your Old Newspaper!

Don't throw away your old newspapers. Try some of these ideas to recycle or re-use them.

1. Cheap insulation - Stuff rolled up newspaper under doors and in cracks of windows. Wrap around ice cream containers to carry to parties, to keep it cool. Stuff inside your coat or under blankets to keep warm in an emergency. Layers of newspaper are great insulation, for cooling or heating.

2. Use as pot holder - Works in a pinch to keep from getting burned.

3. Use as table cloth padding.

4. Use as a light reflector when taking photographs.

5. Finger/Hand Strengthener - One trick used by baseball pitchers and mountain climbers to strengthen their fingers and forearms is to lay a single sheet of newspaper on a flat surface and then lay their hand palm down in the center. Using only that hand, begin crumpling the newspaper and see how small a ball you can crumple it into. This is a great inexpensive rehab technique for those who've suffered hand injuries or strokes.

6. Kitty litter liner - Use several sheets folded up to line the bottom of your kitty litter box.

7. Make paper hats.

8. Dress Patterns - newspaper works for making your own clothing patterns. Butcher paper would be better, but newspaper will do in a pinch.

9. Fire starter - roll and twist a few sheets of newspaper and use for kindling to help start your fire.

10. Garden mulch - Spread newspaper flat or shredded around the base of plants or between rows of plants. Water thoroughly. Will discourage weed growth.

Fun Stuff in Making Your Own Recycled Paper!

Recycled Paper-Making Videos


How to Make a Paper from Recycled Materials by Naiza Oclares is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.squidoo.com.

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