Quick & Easy Kneaded Eraser

Hello there... Welcome! :)

In this instructable you will learn how to make a kneaded eraser in a matter of minutes, using any old regular eraser. This is a really simple process with just a few easy steps, so let's hop right in.

1. An old/unused eraser.
2. Any eraser will work, even the ones on the back of a pencil. ;)
3. A very tiny amount of adhesive.
4. This instructable uses a glue stick for adhesive, however any piece of electrical, masking, packing tape etc will work if you do not have access to a glue stick. The adhesive can be easily collected for this purpose. Both methods are explained.
5. Any tool that can be used as a file or grater.
6. In this instructable I used the alox scale of my Swiss army knife as it worked perfectly. I also show an aluminum seal from a coffee can as an example that can also be used. That said, even just a flat, hard surface can be used. ;)

Begin by rubbing the eraser against your chosen tool or surface in order to break it up into little shavings. If you do not have a rough surface, then any hard surface will do. You basically just need to generate the eraser shavings somehow.

NB - Don't use paper or sandpaper to generate the shavings as these could contaminate the eraser material.

After a minute or so, you should have enough shavings to move onto Step 2.

Gather a small ball of the shavings between your index and thumb and begin rolling it. Upon doing this you will find the ball to be brittle and fall apart easily. To help "get the ball rolling" (scuze the pun), we will add just a touch of adhesive.

Glue stick method: Lightly touch the top of the glue stick with your finger. Only a tiny amount is needed, so just touch the top but don't dig into it or gather too much adhesive. It will be better to add more later but it likely won't be necessary. Next pick up some shavings using the tip of your finger and begin rolling them into a ball.

Tape method: Cut a piece of tape off the roll and lay it flat on a counter with the sticky side facing up. Gather some shavings and sprinkle them across the tape. Dont spread them out too far apart as you'd want to gather the shavings by rolling your finger across the tape and creating a little ball.

The resulting sticky ball will be able to gather up more shavings quite easily.

Once you have something to start with, begin kneading the shavings together, adding more as you go along to increase the size of the eraser. The first picture shows what it looks like during the kneading process. (The color in this pic is a result of the lighting, but note the grainy texture). The second picture shows what it looks like after just a couple minutes of kneading.

As you are building up the eraser by adding more shavings and kneading them in, you may find that the eraser becomes so brittle that it breaks apart on its own. If this happens then add another touch of glue and continue the process.

At the same time if you find the eraser feels a bit sticky to the touch, then keep adding more shavings. You are aiming for a putty-like consistency that holds together well and isn't sticky.

NB - It is worth mentioning that I only added adhesive the very first time and not again throughout the whole process. Remember that less is more with the adhesive as you don't want to end up with a sticky eraser and no more shavings to add.

It doesn't take long before you end up with a smooth, consistent putty-like texture that resembles a store bought kneaded eraser. The examples show the eraser that was used, and the end product for a size comparison. The entire eraser was shaved down and used. You can also see how easily it can be shaped to suit any task.

Different types of erasers may yield different results, so feel free to experiment if you have a few of them laying around. Maybe comment and let the community know which worked best for you.

And that's a wrap... Hope you enjoyed this instructable and have fun making and using your kneaded eraser. ;)

Cheerio!