Friday, April 15, 2011

Leonardo da Vinci Birthday & Rubber Eraser Day!

Today is the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci and Rubber Eraser Day!
 
Leonardo Da Vinci's Birthday-
Today is the birthday of Leonardo daVinci.  Leonardo was and is renowned[2] primarily as a painter. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time.  It just so happened that Matthew just learned about him in his Art History class.  He was amazed on how many things Leonardo daVinci has created in his lifetime.  This inspired him to keep his creative side active and one day possibly do something just as grand!   
The Last Supper

Rubber Eraser Day-

On this day in 1770, Joseph Priestly discovered the eraser, using pieces of rubber imported from Brazil. Then in 1858, by a stroke of genius, Hyman Lipman of Philadelphia patented the pencil with an eraser at the end.
      The rubber eraser allows us to rub out the goof-ups, erase the splotches, and generally start fresh once again.


How to Make a Pencil Eraser
Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things you'll need:
· Pliatex Mold Rubber (Buy Pliatex Mold Rubber at an art supply or crafts store)
· Vinegar Salt Sand Flour
· Talcum powder

Instructions:
1 - Mix Pliatex with water, evenly, depending on how large you want the eraser to be (for example, use 10 mL of water and 10 mL of Pliatex). In a different container, put half as much vinegar as you have combined between Pliatex and water.

2 - Pour the Pliatex/water combination into the vinegar and stir the entire concoction at the same time.

3 - Shape the eraser/rubber to your liking. It should be malleable enough to make into shapes.

4 - Remove the rubber after a moment and place it into a container with water. You will need to remove any bubbles during this step.

5 - Remove the rubber from the water and let it dry. Once it dries you will have your new eraser!

 

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