Erasing the mystery of erasers

??????Erase your face with knowledge! During class a few days ago, my trusty Pentel of America eraser reached the end of its assistance in my learning career. When I went to 塔吉特百货 later that day to get a new pristine white eraser, I wondered is it possible to make an eraser on your own? With this thought in mind, I went to the self-checkout and bought the eraser pack I found. 3 erasers for $2? It was a great deal. Yet here I am now still thinking about how much work it would take to make an eraser. If you’ve also had this thought when having to part ways with your old reliable eraser, then this read will help you too.

???????????To begin, we need to know what an eraser really is. When we are erasing our mistakes, we are using synthetic rubber (polymer) that had to go through a manufacturing process to become our rectangular friend. The eraser starts as a bale of rubber that needs to be crushed into powder or dissolved into a solvent. From here, the rubber is mixed together with coloring, vegetable oil, and most importantly sulfur. When this mixture is heated, the sulfur hardens the rubber. From here, the melted mixture is then treated for different uses, in my case, I would use a rectangular mold and pour in the mixture. The mixture is then cooled and when popped out of the mold, becoming the eraser we know and love.

???????????My favorite eraser has always been the white Pentel of America eraser which I now know how to make but I also wondered about the roots and history of my trusty friend. How did it come to be? What came first? The red eraser on a pencil or the rectangular individual eraser? The answer surprised me to say the least! The first form of an eraser came from moist bread mushed into a ball form! Next time you’ve got some bread, let me know if you test its erasing capabilities.?