[neilep (OP)]

Hi all,

Are there alternatives to wood and other vegetation..to make paper ?

if there are..what are they ?..and is it then actually ' paper ' ?

[Karen W.]

well other vegetation would include grass clippings,rice, dryer lint, belly button fuzz LOL ! ( That one was just for you!) numerous plants.. making sure they are non poisenous plants as your children especially little James would want to put it in his mouth... We use the already used paper, all torn up and we add the fibery things such as grass for color and stength.. I don't know what else you could you..

[neilep (OP)]

Thanks Karen,

I suppose I am thinking if there is an artificial paper that is just as good..

me luffs rice paper...yummy !!

[Karen W.]

Thats what I figured you were thinking, but I can't think of any other then the lint thingy!! Rice paper is very pretty! Sheepy I bet you do luff it!

[Karen W.]

http://42explore.com/papermaking.htm

Scroll to bottom a list of some things to make paper from! I do not know what lignin is though!

[Bass]

The US dollar bill is made from a blend of cotton and linen with colored fibers, and is not actually made from paper, even though we still call it paper money.

[Karen W.]

 I thought so.. The dryer fibers work good and seem to add strenghth to the paper...

[eric l]

The US dollar bill is made from a blend of cotton and linen with colored fibers, and is not actually made from paper, even though we still call it paper money.

Cotton and flax are both cellulose fibre, so according to the definition your paper money is still paper.  (As long as more than 50 % of the fibre is cellulose).

[eric l]

Hi all,

Are there alternatives to wood and other vegetation..to make paper ?

if there are..what are they ?..and is it then actually ' paper ' ?

According to the definition, 50 % or more of the fibrous material should be cellulose.  Nowadays, most of the cellulose for paper is actually waste paper (known in the industry as "secondary fibre")

You can use the same technology (suspending the fabres in water and filtering them off over a sieve) with other fibres (wool, silk, synthetics).  This gives felt (from wool) or "fleece".

You can use a simmilar technology using air as a carrier instead of water.  This way the fibres are not entangled sufficiently to give the strength.  You can use heath on wool, silk or synthetics to "weld" the fibres together.  With celllose fibres you use UF or MF resin, and make "medium density fibreboard" or MDF.

[Karen W.]

Eric, what is Heath? What is UF and or MF ?

[eric l]

Eric, what is Heath? What is UF and or MF ?

"Heath" of course should have been "heat" (spell checker failed me)
UF = urea-formaldehyde resin, the usual white wood-glue
MF = melamin-formaldehide resin, a similar product with part of the urea replaced by melamin, which gives increased water resistance to the final product.
There is also PF (phenol-formaldehyde), the resin that makes bakelite, but that is rarely used in this kind of applications.

[neilep (OP)]

The US dollar bill is made from a blend of cotton and linen with colored fibers, and is not actually made from paper, even though we still call it paper money.

This is interesting I assume the same applies to all the different dollar bills...I wonder if it's the same all 'paper ' money everywhere...

THANK BASS

[neilep (OP)]

Hi all,

Are there alternatives to wood and other vegetation..to make paper ?

if there are..what are they ?..and is it then actually ' paper ' ?

According to the definition, 50 % or more of the fibrous material should be cellulose.  Nowadays, most of the cellulose for paper is actually waste paper (known in the industry as "secondary fibre")

You can use the same technology (suspending the fabres in water and filtering them off over a sieve) with other fibres (wool, silk, synthetics).  This gives felt (from wool) or "fleece".

You can use a simmilar technology using air as a carrier instead of water.  This way the fibres are not entangled sufficiently to give the strength.  You can use heath on wool, silk or synthetics to "weld" the fibres together.  With celllose fibres you use UF or MF resin, and make "medium density fibreboard" or MDF.

THANK EWE ERIC...all fascinating stuff...YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY !!!

[Karen W.]

Thanks for the explanation of terms Eric..

[ROBERT]

The US dollar bill is made from a blend of cotton and linen with colored fibers, and is not actually made from paper, even though we still call it paper money.

This is interesting I assume the same applies to all the different dollar bills...
I wonder if it's the same all 'paper ' money everywhere...

The Aussies have plastic notes Neil
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/plastic_banknotes.html

[neilep (OP)]

The US dollar bill is made from a blend of cotton and linen with colored fibers, and is not actually made from paper, even though we still call it paper money.

This is interesting I assume the same applies to all the different dollar bills...
I wonder if it's the same all 'paper ' money everywhere...

The Aussies have plastic notes Neil
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/plastic_banknotes.html

I created this thread SPCEIFICALLY to get Robert back here !!..YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY !!!!

THANK EWE Robert !...Plastic eh ?...sounds like a good idea...especially if they get left in a pocket
and get washed !!....(Though I presume they are bio-degradable and have a life span)

[Karen W.]

PLASTIC MONEY?? Cool, That would make sence, you wouldn't have to write on it. Do they make regular paper with plastic and if they do would you be able to write on it with a pen or would the ink not absorb and just smear like when you try to write on other plastics?

[eric l]

How I would like to see one of these Australian banknotes under a microscope !  Are they made from fibres, or are they more like an extruded film ?  Is it one layer or a multilayer thing ?  Better hurry to the bank tomorrow !