Make it Soft by Logic
July 27th, 2009 10:05 PM / Location: 40.002312,-83.01596I've made several of these in High School and I worked on them throughout the day. You'd be amazed how soft a plain piece of notebook paper can become if you crumple it over and over enough times.
The plan was to grab a plain sheet of 20 lb printer paper (I've never used this kind for a napkin before) and record the sheet at regular intervals of progression, 0, 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 crumples and so on.
Step 1. Get some paper.
Step 2. Prepare to crumple.
Step 3. Commence crumple.
Step 4. Uncrumple carefully to avoid tears.
Step 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 ad nauseum.
10:
20:
30:
40:
50:
100:
200:
300:
bon appetit
Started to become very easy to uncrumble at around 35 crumbles.
Started to develop small holes at 60 crumples.
100 crumples - many small holes have developed at crease intersections.
120 crumples - used it to wipe off my iPhone screen.
140 crumples - hands are starting to feel slightly numb from so much rubbing on the paper.
155 crumples - starting to remind me of a kitchen paper towel that was wet and left to air dry.
170 crumples - amazing
180 crumples - the look of the texture reminds me of the surface of a cantaloupe.
210 crumples - starting to uncrumple it more gently to avoid tearing the paper
230 crumples - The paper is softer than a fast food napkin, hands down.
300 crumples - very soft!
paper.jpg
Standard 20 lb printer paper. 500 sheets for 1 cent on sale at Staples! (Limit one per customer) 
0.jpg
Not so soft in its current state.
crump.jpg
The result of the first crumple.
1.jpg
1 crumple
Softness: An uncrumbled paper
Dimensions: Roughly 8.5 x 11 (standard size)
10.jpg
10 crumples
Softness: ~ A wrinkled newspaper
Dimensions: Roughly 7.75 x 9.6875
Wow! It shrinks fast, the height shrank quite a bit more than I would have guessed - much faster than its width. This is pretty interesting.
20.jpg
20 crumples
Softness: ~ Tissue paper
Dimensions: Roughly 7.75 x 9.625
Not too much of a change in dimension. Lost about 1/16 of an inch heightwise.
30.jpg
30 crumples
Softness: Drink umbrella
Dimensions: Roughly 7.625 x 9.625
40.jpg
40 crumples
Softness: Brown public toilet paper towel!
Dimensions: Roughly 7.625 x 9.625
50.jpg
50 crumples
Softness: Probably soft enough to blow your nose with.
Dimensions: Roughly 7.5 x 9.625
100.jpg
100 crumples
Softness: A rough napkin. Can certainly be used as a napkin or to blow your nose!
Dimensions: Roughly 7.25 x 9.375
200.jpg
200 crumples
Softness: A papertowel
Dimensions: Roughly 7 x 9.25
300.jpg
300 crumples
Softness: A store-brand napkin!!
Dimensions: Roughly 7 x 8.875
20 vote(s)
Spidere
3
Ben [Sunshine]
5
Lincøln
3
Rin Brooker
1
teucer
5
Anna Louise
3
artmouse
4
Scooter Vagabond
4
Not Here No More
2
Loki
5
Poisøn Lake
3
MonkeyBoy Dan
5
Kommando
5
Sombrero Guy
5
rongo rongo
4
Hope Murphy
4
Palindromedary
3
Kit
3
Flybug
5
the trace
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(none yet)6 comment(s)
ditto.
nice documentation - i too cannot count how many times i've created such 'napkins' in high school - but you have surely inspired me to -actually- use them (considering the advent of popularity of such inventions as iPhones, iPod touches, and fancy 3" lcd screens on digital cameras... and boy do those screens need cleaning!)
You didn't just make the paper soft, you made it *very* soft. 5 points for determination!
I also loved reading that you have years of experience in doing this :-)
4 points for this one, you'll get the 5th when you finish doing the same to the other 499 sheets in the pack :) That's only what - 150,000 crumples total?
Welcome to the game!