Australia's Science Forum

I need to make wax paper and have no gestetner paper left.
Have tried A4 paper but not as good.Any ideas?
thanks Jamie

what sort of wax paper? what is it for? One of our teachers recently did a prac where the kids dipped A5 paper in melted parafin wax and then put iron filings on it with a magnet underneath to make permanent examples of magnetic fields. To do that, we got a metal tray and melted the wax over 2 hotplates next to each other. The excess wax just popped out of the tray after solidifying (like ice cubes do) and I sent the whole lot back to the art department where it was borrowed from.

Only wax paper we use is non stick paper for eg making bioplastics or honeycomb and we use baking paper for that
Lada

Rosalie that souonds like an interesting prac. Do you have a write up or instructions for it you are willing to share?

I'm with Rosalie. I melt up a baking tray of wax, and drag A4 or A5 paper through it. Then I peg it up on fishing line with paper clips to set and harden.

When the kids do magnetic fields with iron filings on this paper, I just hold a bunsen by the base and flame the page, so that all the filings kind of melt into the wax and you get a permanent representation of the field. It's pretty much a never-fail experiment.

Thanks Smiley. I might suggest it to our new (read first year out, first job) physics teacher for next year. Sounds like fun.

Sorry I don't have any info - only what I figured out by the random stuff that came back for me to clean up. Nothing had been requested!! Go with what smiley says. The teacher said they should last about 10 years but who really knows?

why cant you buy the wax paper paper from the supermarket?

The one we make, is much stronger then the shop one.

oh ...okay.We dont do that prac here.......

hi All
You need solid paraffin wax, like candle wax - melt it carefully and drag ordinary A4 paper through - we cut it in half first -easier to cover and makes more. You have to be careful not too hot - fire hazard.The kids do the rest with magnets and iron filings. Some teachers prefer iron powder if the iron filings are not fine enough. When magnetic field is formed students pass lighted bunsen under paper just enough to melt wax. When removed from heat, wax re-solidifies and iron filings are held in magnetic field shape.
Judy

I finally made the wax paper with A4 paper and then dipped the paper in the melted wax.
Thanks for your ideas everyone.
Jamie

When we make it I have a old electrical Fry Pan, I melt wax with some water in the pan cut A4 paper in half and drap through the water wax mix, naturally the wax is on the top but just makes it drag easier if you add water to the mix.

Have a good day

KIMMY

That's a great idea Kimmy!!

Teacher just did this prac with the old sheets with filings in them. (They were here before I came along.) They caught alight and and only a few charred pieces remain. I am so glad I found this post. Am now preparing to make the new wax sheets. Thank you.

I had forgotten about this thread. We did the prac again this year and I made up the paper in advance (the teacher decided it was too messy last year with the kids doing it!). I just melted the wax in a metal dissection tray and used tweezers to pull the paper out. I mostly managed to just carefully lay the paper on top of the wax so it is only on one side, then very carefully lift it back out with 2 pairs of tweezers. I did mess a few up so I have 2 containers - a single sided wax paper and a double sided wax paper - for future use. I just cut the A4 paper in half before dipping using the guillotine in the photocopy room. I figured since I had the whole set up going I may as well do enough to last a few years. The wax would set before I put it on the bench but I still didn't put them on top of each other straight away. I store them in containers from the reject shop (my favourite place for containers!). They are quadrant 2.5L and just a fraction smaller than an A4 sheet and about an inch high.

It has occurred to me since that if I had cut them just a bit smaller again to fit in a sandwich size ziplock bag (cheaper than the bigger ones), the kids would then be able to easily stick them in their books when completed.