Lab Techniques

Making Papier-Mâché and Glitter Wands

Introduction:

The Chinese are credited with finding that glues combined with paper to make objects that were fashionable and durable. The French named the craft papier-mâché which means chewed paper. It reached its height of popularity in the 18th century. Paper at that time was hand made and very precious. Making objects out of papier-mâché was a creative means of recycling this commodity. The Industrial Revolution put an end to the use of papier-mâché as a functional craft however, many papier-mâché objects made 200 years ago are still around and are as attractive as today as when they were made.

Bubble wands or glitter wands or a novelty item. Making your own wand is a fun way to integrate lab techniques.

Purpose:

Through the art of papier-mâché the students will learn and demonstrate the following techniques:

1)  reading and following directions

2)  use of balance to find mass

3)  use of graduated cylinder to determine volume

4)  use of Bunsen burner

5)  folding filter paper and filtering

Safety:

Wear goggles and apron

Confine long hair and loose clothing

Hot glass looks like cool glass

Procedure Day 1:

Glitter wands:

1. Obtain a piece of glass tubing from your instructor

2. Light and properly adjust the Bunsen burner.

Each burner has a gas inlet located in the base, a vertical tube, adjustable opening or airports in the base of the barrel, and an adjustable needle valve located underneath the bottom of the base. To light the burner, connect the burner to the gas outlet using tubing. Partially close the airports at the base of the barrel and the needle valve should be barely open. Turn the gas on at the outlet and hold the striker about 5 cm above the top of the burner and proceed to light.

You adjust the height of the flame by adjusting the amount of gas that is flowing into the burner. You adjust the color of the flame by changing the amount of airflow through the airports. If there is not enough air the flame will be yellow. This is an inefficient flame and your glassware will be black with soot if you use this flame in laboratory work.

The ideal flame is about 8 cm in height, blue in color and ahs a double cone. The hottest part of the flame is at the top of the inner cone.

Fire polish both ends of the glass tubing. To fire polish rotate one end of the tubing in the hottest (top of the inner cone) part of the flame until the sharp edges have softened and become rounded. DO NOT HOLD THE TUBNG IN THE FLAME TOO LONG – THE HOLE IN THE TUBE WILL CLOSE. Place the hot glass on wire gauze to cool. Make sure one end of the tube is cooled before the polishing the other end. Fire polish both ends and let cool/

3. Place a plug of silicone at ONE end of the glass tubing. Place in your lab drawer until the next class period.

Papier-mache:

Use a balance to mass 11 g of shredded newspaper strips into a 600 mL beaker. Before using the balance check to see the balance is at zero. Never place chemicals or hot objects directly on the balance pan.

Make sure the balance pan is left clean.

Using a 100 mL graduated cylinder add 250 mL of water to the beaker and newspaper. To use a graduated cylinder add water to the 100 mL mark. The volume is always read at the bottom of the meniscus with your eye at the same level as the liquid surface. The meniscus is the curved surface of the water when the water contacts the cylinder walls. Repeat measuring out the water until you have a total volume of 250 mL.

Boil the mash for 10 minutes. To boil the mash you will need to use a Bunsen burner.

To boil the paper you must first set up a ring stand with ring clamp and wire gauze. The beaker goes on top of the wire gauze and the burner goes underneath. The top of the inner cone should be touching the bottom of the wire gauze. If you have it higher or lower you are not being efficient and it will take a longer time for the paper to boil.

Use a stirring rod to stir the paper until it is soft and pulpy.

Set up a ring stand with a ring clamp and clay triangle. The funnel will sit in the clay triangle. Obtain a coffee filter. Fold it along its diameter - in half and then fold it again in half to form a quadrant. Separate the folds of the filter, with three thicknesses on one side and one on the other then place it in the funnel. The funnel should be wet before the filter is added

Do not completely fill the filter with the liquid. It must never overflow.

When a liquid is poured from a beaker or other container it may adhere to the glass and run down the outside wall. This may be avoided by holding a stirring rod against the lip of the beaker. The liquid will run down the rod and drop off into the funnel without running down the side of the beaker.

Place the pulp in the funnel and let the water filter out. Squeeze the pulp gently until it is a soft moist lump.

Put the pulp back into the beaker. Using a 100 mL graduated cylinder stir in 20.0 mL of glue mixture. Stir until the mixture is not lumpy. Rinse out your graduated cylinder immediately to prevent the glue from drying!!

Sculpt the mash into a figure of your choice.

Place our finished project in the designated spot and leave to dry until the next class period.

Procedure Day 2:

Glitter wands:

Place about ½ inch of glitter into your sealed tubing

Fill the remainder of the glass tube with baby oil.

Plug the open end with silicone

Let dry (new sealed end up) overnight

Shake bubble wand until you have a flow of glitter from one end to the other.

Papier-Mache:

Turn in your finished product

Results:

Observations:

Paper before heating
Paper after heating
Paper after stirring
Filtrate (liquid after filtering)
Finished product (papier-mâché)
Finished product (glitter wand)

Conclusions:

1.  As soon as you enter the lab, what safety equipment should you put on immediately?

2.  Why was confining long hair and loose clothing important in this lab investigation?

3.  What type of flame is preferred for laboratory work and why?

4.  What difference is there between an efficient burning Bunsen burner and one which is burning inefficiently?

5.  Which graduated cylinder did you use to measure out the volume of the glue? Why?

6.  Bobby’s glass tube turned black when he was fire polishing. What would cause this to happen?

7.  Jane’s glass tubing closed up on one end while she was fire polishing. Explain what happened.