Paper is a very delicate material that can end up acquiring kneading marks and making it seem unusable, especially when we talk about official documents that need to be in optimal condition to fulfill their function. When this kind of thing happens, it is normal that we try to unravel the paper with our hands, smoothing it, however, sometimes the tactic is not enough and we need a little more effort to recover the sheet. Did you crumple a piece of paper, throw it in the trash and find that it will still be necessary? Have you found an old document that is quite wrinkled and need to recover it? See how to get rid of paper in that umCOMO article!
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How to unpack paper
If you want to know how to disassemble gift wrap or just wrinkled paperIt is better to avoid using methods that involve heat, after all, heat can end up damaging the paper and burning it. To avoid accidents and loss of documents, the best idea is to use weights to leave the sheets dented like new.
- To use the weight method, the first step will be to find a flat place that is at least the size of the leaves you want to dent, then put heavy objects and also flat on top of the leaves, such as books that contain large amounts of pages.
- If you can’t find many things that can cover the whole surface of the paper, you can use only one that is the right size and add smaller ones on top.
The secret of the trick is to leave the paper as smooth as possible before kneading it with the weight, making it keep the same shape after removal. Use your hands and, with delicacy and strength, smooth the sheets until they no longer have too strong marks, thus avoiding them to be reinforced.
Hint: if you want to know how de-mash tinfoilThe use of weights will be the perfect method that will guarantee the recovery of the leaf.
How to uncoil paper with flat iron
The iron is an object ideally made for straightening hair, however, the heat emitted by the boards can be useful for straightening other materials. If you want to know how to unravel cardboard and other thicker papers that seem to be unsolvable, boards can be a great ally if used with care.
- The first step to unravel the paper will be to use your hands to make it relatively flat, after all, the heat from the plate will accentuate strong dents and only make the situation worse.
- As soon as the paper is stretched, pass the flat iron over the whole sheet, turning it around its edges, leaving it loose and avoiding contact until it has cooled down, since the sheet will be sensitive to new dents while still hot.
Hint: if your plate has temperature control, leave it at least, thus avoiding the chances of burning the paper.
If your sheet has already been used and is no longer useful, see also how to make papier mâché, taking advantage of the material.
How to steam paper
It is possible to use water vapor to get rid of dented paper marks, however, the procedure is only recommended if your kneaded leaf There’s nothing printed or written yet, it’s after all, the water from the steam might smear the ink and leave the writing unintelligible.
The method to be explained below will be how to de-aerate paper with a hair dryer and steamHowever, you can only perform the first part and let the paper dry by itself, which will not bring such a good result because this material tends to wrinkle when wet and the eraser will reduce the chances of this happening.
- The first step to steam paper will be to place the sheet on a movable surface, flat and not absorbing water, like a plastic board, then put enough water in a pot and turn on the fire at the most until the water starts boiling.
- With the boiling waterWhen this happens, place the leaf still on the flat surface next to the pan so that it is moist.
- The time needed to humidify the sheet will depend on several factors, including the humidity of the air, so touch the paper until you notice that the water is being absorbed.
- Be careful not to exaggerate the amount of water in the leaf so that it does not end up tearing or wrinkling.
- With the paper damp, turn off the fire and go to the second part of the process: the drying.
- Turn on the dryer at minimum power and slowly dry the sheet, taking care not to exaggerate and end up leaving it hung over and brittle.
- As soon as the leaf is dryWait until it is at room temperature to touch it, as the heat leaves the paper susceptible to new dents.
How to unravel paper with an iron
The iron is usually used for clothes, but nothing prevents us from also using it to iron sheets of paper and make them smooth again. The procedure should be done with great care to prevent the paper from being burned.
To pass leaves and learn how to remove the fold mark from the paperJust follow a few simple steps.
- First, it will be necessary to stretch the sheet on a flat surface, such as the one you use for ironing normally, after placing a fabric on top of the sheet, which will be used as protection for the sheet to avoid direct contact with the iron.
- When everything is ready, turn on the iron at minimum power and carefully iron the appliance over the sheet of paper.
- Once finished, remove the fabric from the top of the paper and check if it was enough to loosen it, not forgetting to pay special attention to regions with strong folds. If it has not yet been sufficient, turn the sheet over on the other side and iron the paper again.
De-inking paper with iron is not difficult at all, however, it will take a lot of patience and delicacy to keep the sheet intact.
That’s important: We can also use irons that have steam, however, we must be careful with sheets that have enough ink printed so that the water does not dissolve the ink and create smudges.
For other paper tricks, we suggest reading the article that explains how to age a sheet of paper.
If you want to read more similar articles to How to unpack paperWe recommend that you enter our category of Art and Crafts.