| How to Flatten Crumpled Paper Posted: 13 Jul 2022 05:00 PM PDT Have a piece of paper you wish you hadn't sat on, wadded up, folded by mistake, or even turned into a paper-airplane? It will usually look presentable and usable after wetting it slightly with distilled water, then pressing it between heavy books, or ironing it under a towel. These methods do risk tearing and color fading, so be careful. You may wish to take important pieces of paper to a professional archivist for preservation. [Edit]Pressing the Paper Flat - Mist the paper lightly with distilled water. When paper is crumpled, its fibers become damaged and torn. Water can soften these fibers so they lay flat again, reducing the visibility of wrinkles and crease lines. Only use distilled water, as ordinary tap water contains minerals that can make the paper feel crusty or hard.[1] Spray it lightly from at least one foot (0.3 meters) with a spray bottle, or dab gently with a slightly damp towel.
- Warning: Water can ruin watercolor, chalk, pastels, and water-soluble inks. If your paper contains these materials, mist extremely lightly on the back side of the paper. Alternatively, press the paper while dry to make it flat, but not remove the wrinkle lines.
- Sandwich the paper between absorbent material. If the paper is wet, place it between two layers of blotting paper, wool felt, or another materials that absorb water.[2]
- Paper towels can work, but the textured pattern on the towel may imprint onto the surface of the paper.[3]
- Sandwich the stack between heavy objects. Place the paper, and absorbent material around it, on a flat, hard surface. Smooth it out with your hands to make sure there are no major folds or crease. Cover the paper completely with a flat, heavy object. A stack of large, heavy books are often used for this purpose.
- Wait until it dries, checking daily. The paper should dry into a flat, mostly wrinkle-free surface, but it may take some time to do so. Check on it every day and replace the absorbent material if it feels soaked.
- Completely wet paper usually takes three or four days to dry, but a lightly sprayed piece of paper will probably take less than two.[4]
[Edit]Ironing the Paper Flat - Understand the risks. Ironing a piece of paper under a towel or cloth will make it flat, but the wrinkle and crease lines will usually still be visible. If you use steam or lightly wet the paper, as described near the end of this section, this may remove the wrinkle lines, but also increases the chance of fading colored ink or tearing the paper.
- If your paper is valuable or irreplaceable, try this method with a test piece first, or use the safer, but slower, pressing method.
- Set the paper under a towel or cloth. Smooth out the paper as flat as you can with your hands, to avoid setting the folds and creases in further. Lay a hand towel, pillowcase, or other heat-safe cloth over the paper, to protect it from the direct heat of the clothes iron.
- Set a clothes iron to a low heat. Starting at the lowest setting is recommended, to minimize the chance of damaging your paper. Too much heat can dry out the paper, making it brittle and yellow.
- Press the iron into the towel. Once the iron has warmed up, press it against the towel and move it across the surface, just like you would iron an item of clothing.
- Make adjustments if necessary. After about a minute of ironing the towel, lift the towel and look at the paper. If it is not yet flat, you can turn up the heat one setting and trying again. If the paper is already warm to the touch, leave the iron on a low setting, and instead lightly dab or spray the paper with a small amount of distilled water before you iron again. This helps remove the wrinkles, but can increase the risk of tearing.
- Do not apply water to a paper surface with watercolors, chalk, or other water-soluble materials.
[Edit]Learning about Professional Archival Treatments - Take valuable documents to a professional. Archivists and conservator-restorers are professionals who specialize in preserving historical artifacts, including paper. They should be able to flatten and preserve all paper materials at a high quality, including watercolors, old or fragile paper, and other objects that can be difficult to safely flatten at home.
- Search online for document archival services in your area, or ask a librarian for hep finding one.
- Learn about humidifying techniques. As mentioned in the other methods, wetting the paper, or "humidifying" it, can help remove wrinkles caused by torn and displaced fibers. Archivists often use special tools and extreme care to increase the humidity of the paper significantly. If you are brave, and have a few test pieces of paper to try out first, you can try to mimic some of these at home before pressing your paper. One of the easiest might be the "Horton Humidifier" method. Place the rolled-up paper in a plastic cup, open to the air. Place the cup in a plastic garbage can, add water to the bottom of the can, and close the garbage can lid.
- This can cause mold growth on the paper, which is difficult to treat at home. Some archivists use anti-fungal chemicals such as thymol or ortho-phenyl phenol, but these materials can be highly dangerous to the user and the paper if used incorrectly.
- Learn about ways to hold paper while drying. Pressing the paper flat is usually effective, using vices or clamps in addition to heavy objects if more pressure is needed. Another method, which can be used alone or in addition to pressing, involves the use of glue. By gluing the paper to another surface, using a special glue that will detach easily when dry, the paper will be kept in place as it dries, instead of curling or stretching when one portion of it loses water and shrinks.[5]
- Even archivists find it difficult to control the size change of paper after wetting. While barely noticeable for an individual sheet of paper, a stack of papers, papers glued or taped together to form a larger piece, or a bound book can feel noticeably different or uneven.[6]
- Store materials in a preservation envelope. One archivist's tool is widely available for commercial sale. Purchase archival-quality plastic envelopes to keep your important documents, family history, and other papers safe for decades if not centuries, protecting them from moisture and ultraviolet light.
- If your piece of paper isn't delicate, try putting it through a printer, but don't actually print anything. The printer will flatten out most wrinkles. Be careful; this can cause a paper jam.
- If you don't have the time or iron to flatten it, as shown above, a simple way to get most/some of the wrinkles and creases out is to repeatedly roll the paper over the side of a desk or table. It might not expunge all mistakes but will do the job for a few wrinkles.
- You can also try photocopying the piece of paper. A copy shop or library may have a larger photocopier that can press the paper flatter, if a home copier still produces the appearance of faint crease lines.
[Edit]Warnings - When ironing paper printed with toner (photocopy machines, laser printers) using a high heat setting can melt the toner and make it stick to your ironing board. Start with a lower heat setting and work your way up slowly until the paper is flattened to avoid this.
- Follow manufacturer's directions when using an iron.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Clothes Iron
- Ironing board or other suitable flat, heat resistant surface
- Towel
- Heavy objects
- Spray bottle
- Distilled water
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Melt Sugar Posted: 13 Jul 2022 09:00 AM PDT Melting sugar breaks the bonds of granulated sugar so it can be recrystallized into different shapes by using molds or other tools. Melting sugar is also the first step in making caramels and candies. The melting temperature determines what can be made with the sugar.[1] The process isn't difficult, but it's important to monitor the sugar carefully so it doesn't burn. See Step 1 to find out how to start. [Edit]Ingredients - 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
[Edit]Melting Sugar - Measure out the sugar. Determine how much sugar you want to melt. Since sugar is so tricky to melt evenly without letting it burn, you shouldn't attempt to melt more than 2 cups at a time.[2] If you need more for your recipe, melt a second batch separately.
- Use white granular sugar, also known as table sugar.
- A good rule of thumb when melting sugar is that 2 cups of sugar will make enough melted sugar to make 1 cup of caramel.
- Place the sugar and cold water in a heavy-bottomed pot. A heavy-bottomed pot insures an even distribution of heat. A medium-sized saucepan is usually perfect to use for melting sugar. Aluminum or steel pots work best.
- Use half as much cold water by weight as the amount of sugar you are using.
- Make sure the pot is completely clean. If sediment is left in the pot, sugar crystals could form around it.
- Place the pot on the stove over medium low heat.[3] Using low heat means the sugar will take awhile to melt, but don't be tempted to turn it up; sugar will quickly burn when cooked over higher heat. Using low heat gives you better control.
- Stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Stirring at the beginning of the process helps break up lumps and make sure that the sugar is heated evenly. It's best to use a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the sugar mixture turns clear and begins to boil. At this step, different candies can be made based on the final temperature of the sugar.
- Use a pastry brush to wash any sugar off the edge of the pan back down in with the rest of the sugar.
- If crystals form on the edge of the pan, they can seed crystal formation in the entire mixture and the sugar will seize. Brushing the sides of the pot very carefully with warm water can prevent this.
[Edit]Caramelizing Sugar - Cook for 8 to 10 more minutes without stirring. Once the sugar has melted and starts to boil, let it cook until it caramelizes.[4]
- Stirring at this point could cause crystal formation, so don't stir any more from this point on.
- The pan may be gently swirled to even the cooking process.
- The resulting caramel color should be a slight golden brown that forms at the edge of the pan.
- Check the temperature of the sugar with a candy thermometer.
- If you want the sugar to stay in its liquid form, it is ready when it reaches . At this point the color will be a rich golden brown.
- Removing a small spoonful of the mixture and placing it on a white plate will show the caramel's true color.
[Edit]Using Melted Sugar - Look for the appropriate doneness. Different temperatures are desirable for different applications. When your sugar reaches the desired temperature for your particular recipe, it is done. Use it immediately.
- Thread stage: A teaspoonful of sugar will form thin threads when dipped into and removed from cold water. It is good for candying fruits and nuts.[5]
- Soft-ball stage:[6] A teaspoonful of sugar will ball when dipped in cold water; the ball immediately flattens when removed from the water. It is good for making fudges and fondants.
- Firm-ball stage:[7] A teaspoonful of sugar will ball when dipped in cold water; the ball holds its shape when removed from the water but loses it when it reaches room temperature or pressed. It is good for making caramel candies.
- Hard-ball stage:[8] A teaspoonful of sugar will ball when dipped in cold water; the ball squish slightly when pressed or will be hard and sticky when removed from the water. It is good for making divinity or marshmallows.
- Soft-crack stage:[9] A teaspoonful of sugar will separate into pliable threads when dipped in cold water.
- Hard-crack stage:[10] A teaspoonful of sugar will separate into brittle threads when dipped in cold water.
- Caramel stage:[11] The sugar will brown in the pan and start to have a caramel smell.
- Make flan. This classic Mexican dessert is made by pouring the melted, caramelized sugar into a pan, then topping it with a creamy egg mixture and baking until set. The pan is turned over onto a plate so that the warm brown caramel tops the dessert.[12]
- Make caramel. To make a creamy caramel sauce, cream and butter are added to the sugar after it has melted.[13] This mixture is then used as a delicious topping for ice cream, chocolate cake and other decadent treats.
- Make spun sugar. Spun sugar is made by cooking melted sugar until it reaches the hard ball stage, meaning it will harden once it cools to room temperature. It can be used to make amazing designs to decorate all types of desserts.[14]
- Make caramel candy. This buttery, flavorful candy is made by adding cream and butter to the melted sugar, then cooking the mixture until it reaches the hard ball stage. At this point, the caramel is poured into molds and left to harden at room temperature.[15]
- If you do not have a pastry brush, you can put the lid on the pot. The steam created will help wash down any sugar that may have gotten up on the edge of the pot. Make sure you leave the lid tilted to the side to let out some of the steam and be careful to monitor the sugar carefully. This method is not as certain to work as using a brush, so it is still possible that your sugar will seize.
- Make sure all of your equipment is completely clean. Impurities on the pot can cause your sugar to seize because they can seed the growth of sugar crystals. Sugar seizing is when sugar crystals form and the sugar takes on a grainy texture. If your sugar seizes, the only thing to do is throw it out and start all over.
- While high humidity can soften sugar sculptures and spun sugars, which are made with melted sugar, the melting process itself is not affected by humidity levels.
- Candy thermometer read higher temperatures than kitchen thermometers, reading above
[Edit]Warnings - Melted sugar is very hot and very sticky. It is very easy to give yourself a bad burn.
- Stay alert at all times to prevent injury and to avoid burning the sugar.
- Avoid wearing loose clothing or jewelry. These may snag and cause injury.
- Tie long hair back, it can: obscure vision, distract from work, or snag.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Heavy-bottomed pot
- Burner/Stovetop
- Sugar
- Small brush
- Small cup of warm water
- Candy thermometer
- Cold water
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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