The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04
SAVE The NEWSPAPERS
NEW USES BEING CONSTANTLY
FOUND FOR THIS MATERIAL.
Paper Rugs, Paper Dishes, Statuettes
and Novelties of All Sorts Made
from Junkman's Scraps.
Philadelphia Ledger.

New uses for old paper, remarked the
junkman, ARE being found almost daily
by the different trades and by people who
have a little ingenious turn of mind. You
don't see much waste paper thrown away
nowadays. and when you consider the great
amount that is daily accommodating, it
seems remarkable. The penny papers are
Keeling off tons of paper every hour of the
twenty-four, and everybody buys these,
two or three a day, and throws them
away after using them for half hour
or so. All this great quantity Of paper
must be destroyed or used. There are eager
scavengers of the city after every stray
newspaper and bundle of wrapping paper.
If it were not so, the street cleaning depart
ment would have TO organize a special
corps of men just to collect newspapers
and burn them.
Most OF the newspapers are gathered
up and converted into marketable paper
again, and some go in with the rags to
make various kinds OF commercial ma
terial: but outside of these two lines OF
industry the paper is made into different
useful articles of a wonderful nature. The
newspapers are made of the spruce pulp,
and by steaming process they can be
reconverted into similar pulp again This
pulp is not so good in the first instance,
and no one has yet found way to make IL
possible to use IL over again for newspaper
work. However, it is chewed and steamed
up and is then used for many other pur-
poses. Wood pulp novelties, lead pencil
holders paper weights and ash receivers
are manufactured from this waste paper.
There is an endless variety of things made
from wood pulp. but not all of these can
be obtained from printed waste paper. The
wood pulp straws, telegraph poles and
kitchen hollow utensils cannot be made in
this way; but paper floors and ceilings
which are to be stained can be manufac-
tured Of the waste paper.
FLOORING MATERIAL.
"a paper floor is splendid thing for
keeping out the cold, and also for making
a clean, germ-proof surface. The paper is
ground and steamed, and then mixed with
some hardening paste. such as cement in
a pulverized condition or plaster of paris.
1t is applied to an ordinary wooden floor
when in the plastic condition. When
rolled and pressed into position until every
crack is filled and the surface made per-
fectly smooth, the result Is highly salts
factory. The paper and cement dry and
harden, producing a finish that will stand
well the action of water, heat and cold:
Such surface will take we'll stain of
paint
II deliver a good many tons of waste
paper every week to a manufacturer of
novelties, and I'm surprised at what he
can do with them. He simply boils the
old newspapers with little steaming APP
paratus he has installed in his basement
store, and then he runs the pulp in molds
which he makes himself These molds
are pressed by small handpress, worked
by a screw and lever, and when dried
holder, penholder or some other novelty
is hard and firm to the touch. "A little par
ing off with knife completes the articles
before the paint, enamel gold leaf is ap-
piled. With a brush and gold paint won
ders can be made In a short time of the
articles. Within a few hours after the old
newspapers are delivered to this man he
turns them out for sale again In the shape
of gold or silvered novelties. He aspires
to artistic work at times that IS worth
studying. He secures the molds of cupids
and fawns, which the plaster of paris man
uses to make heads and busts, and makes
good statuettes out of his old newspapers.
They are solid and have the advantage of
You can actually play ball with some Of
these articles without breaking them.
They are really indestructible ornaments
for the home and Office.
PAPER UTENSILS.
There is another genius who furnishes
a store with kitchen and dining room uten-
sis from old newspapers. He takes sew
eral wagon loads of old paper from me
every week. These he boils up in his
kitchen, which is located back of his store,
and, after reducing them to a thick pulp,
he adds some kind of paste of his own in
vention to give the mass a sticky consist
ency Then he proceeds to cast the pulp |
into molds, which he balxes in a large |
oven. He has obtained iron molds for a |
great variety of plates, saucers, pans, cups |
and shallow dishes. When the paper pulp |
is pressed into shape and taken from the |
mold, the man applies a glazing enamel |
Of his own invention which gives rich |
finish or luster to the plates. Such plates |
make excellent articles for kitchen use, |
and they are sold extensively by the man |
In his store: He does not pretend to sup |
ply the trade, but merely makes them for |
his own store. His customers buy them |
right along, and recommend them to others. |
so that he can usually dispose of all he |
can make. He is all the time inventing |
some day he may stumble upon an inven- |
tion that will bring him in a fortune
Paper carpets and rugs have been |
good many of the cheaper floors of this |
city covered with paper rugs that are |
as useful as wooden materials. This re- |
cuires plenty of heavy machinery to roll |
the pulp in large masses, and hence the |
small dealer is not in it. / know of one |
concern that takes good many loads of |
old papers every week just for expert |
mental purposes 1t is aiming to capture |
the summer trade in Japanese mattings |
and rugs. The theory of the owner Is |
tains should be covered with paper floor |
ing, and that in time he will be able to |
produce the ideal paper carpet or mating. |
He has not only installed his place with |
expensive rolling machinery, but with |
costly stamping and printing machines. |
He is spending fortune to make another; |
but then ii is not the money so much as the |
pleasure of the thing that leads him on. |
He will never get much fun from his |
new fortune in spending it as he does to- |
day from his experimental work. He is |
an enthusiastic laborer who is worth |
more than his hire.
''Of course, there are other experimental |
workers in waste paper and some or |
them are warking on problems which APP |
pear very easy OF solution, but which In |
reality are most difficult For instance, |
what seems easier than to use the paper |
over again for printing? Why not boil
and steam your waste paper, and roll II
through machinery into new sheets for
the daily papers? Nothing appears at
first sight easier, but there is nothing that
seems 10 give back TO the paper the life
which the process of printing takes from
il. II is dead paper. 1t lacks vitality, |
strength, finish, and II is mixed with inks
and chemicals. If any man can rejuve-
nate the paper and make it lit for the
presses over anG over again he will make
a fortune and revolutionize the printing
business. What a boon it would be to the |
newspaper TO run its waste paper back
again, and buy in old copies of the early
editions for use in the Sunday edition.
Yet l firmly believe that some day We Will
come To that Then the price of news
paper will go down. No paper company
can control the market of spruce trees
paper Ii will be a benefit to the publish |
ers and the reading public as well. To-
day papers are printed and sold at a
penny cory simply because paper max
ing has cheapened the process to such a
wonderful extent, bat we have not yet