Materials:
To make a successful mix of paper pulp you will need:
Paper: there are many different papers available, only some of them are good for making paper pulp
- Newspaper - do not use glossy magazines or paper with a hard shiny surface. The ideal paper is that to be found in daily or weekly newspapers. It does not matter if they are broadsheet like the Guardian or the Telegraph or tabloid like the Sun or the Mail. However, do make sure that the family has finished reading them before you take them away.
- Tissues, like those used when you have a cold I have found are not at all good for making pulp. The reason is that they have a wet strength additive which means that they do not come apart in your hands. The additive make them ideal for household use but it also means that they do not break down in water very easily. For that reason used tissues should be put in the refuse or incinerated rather than flushed down the toilet. They are however, because of this wet strength, very useful if you wish to make a relief study using tissues. see illustration. Toilet tissue is however designed to break up in water and as a result can be made into a pulp.
A large wooden stick or similar to pound the paper pulp, say around 150 cms long. I use an old aluminium tube which gives a good hard edge for shredding the paper.
