Each year we choose three of our Young Writers who have written exceptional pieces of writing throughout the academic year.
The first award for the 2019 Outstanding Young Writer goes to Amanda Fung!
Amanda is a hard-working and driven grade five student who has shown marked improvement and put forth tireless effort throughout the 2018-2019 academic year. Here is a procedure essay on how to make paper that Amanda wrote this spring.
How To Make Paper At Home
by Amanda Fung
Do you know how to make paper? Nowadays, people always buy paper from the stationery shop. We always use paper to write, to draw and to print things. But have you ever thought of making paper at home? Although making paper seems hard, we can make it easily at home in four steps: preparing materials, making a frame, making a slurry of paper pulp and turning the pulp into paper.
First, we will have to collect some useless scrap paper and a brownie pan. Then, get to a stationery shop and buy a pair of scissors. After that, go to a necessities shop. Buy a blender, a rolling pin, two towels, a basin and a wire mesh. If you want your paper to have some good smells, you can buy some dried flowers, glitter and herbs.
If we need to make paper, we cannot miss making a frame. These are the steps of how to make a frame. First, collect a disposable brownie pan. The best brownie pan should be made of aluminum because it is easier to cut. Then, take a pair of scissors and cut a hole in the pan. The hole should be rectangular and one inch smaller on all sides than the bottom of the pan. After cutting, collect some wire mesh from the kitchen. Next, cut the piece of wire into the size of the pan bottom to keep it from falling through the hole. Finally, place the wire mesh into the pan. Your frame is made after these easy steps.
After making the frame, it’s time to make the paper pulp. We need that to make the paper. First, we have to tear some used scrap paper into roughly one inch pieces. Second, we’ll have to soak the scrap paper bits in a bowl of warm water. The soak should take at least thirty minutes. If you have more time to make paper, you can soak it overnight. Third, fill a blender halfway with warm water. Add a cup of soaked and shredded paper. Next, add the rest of the soaked paper and use a medium speed to blend the water and paper pulp until it takes on a soupy consistency. Then, pour the slurry into a large tub and fill the tub with water. Last, mix the tub contents until they are evenly incorporated. If you want some customization in your paper, you can add some dried herbs, dried flowers or glitter.
Now, for the last step of making paper, we’ll have to turn the paper slurry into paper. After the paper and the water is incorporated, dip the brownie pan frame into the tub and allow it to fill with paper fibers. Gently move it under the water to ensure even distribution. Once the paper fibers have filled the whole frame, hold the pan level and lift it out of the tub and allow the water to drain out of the pan frame. Use your hand to press the fibers to the wire mesh and force more water out of the fibers. Then, place the frame, paper-side down, onto a clean, dry towel. Lift the frame and the wire mesh away and leave the paper on the towel. After that, put another towel over the paper and use a rolling pin to press the paper to squeeze out more water. After rolling your homemade paper, gently lift the towel off the paper. Finally, peel the towel off the top of the paper and set it aside to dry overnight. If you want it to dry faster, you can use a hair dryer to blow it. Finally, your own paper is done!
So, these are the steps of making paper at home. I think it is quite easy. It’s quite fun, too! Have you started making it yet?