How to Make Flash Paper

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Last Updated: May 14, 2024 Approved

Flash paper, or nitrocellulose, is tissue treated with nitric acid so that it will burn instantly with no smoke or ash when touched to a flame. Flash paper is used for creating theatrical special effects and is also employed by magicians. It’s possible to make your own flash paper at home instead of buying expensive commercial versions. As creating flash paper requires the mixing of strong acids, you should take safety precautions and have experience working with chemicals in a laboratory setting. If you feel comfortable creating your own flash paper, you will be left with professional-grade material that you can use to astonish your family and friends!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Mixing the Acids

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Before you begin working with acids, it’s important to wear the proper protective gear. Wear long sleeves that cover your arms as well as chemical resistant goggles, gloves, and apron. You also should have access to a fume hood that you can work under. ^{[1]
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Set up your work-station. Bring all your supplies into a well-ventilated laboratory and place them next to the fume hood. Set up a bowl of baking soda in the case of an acid spill. Sodium bicarbonate neutralizes acids and makes spills less harmful and dangerous. ^{[2]
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- Make sure that the fume hood works before you begin working.
- In case of an acid spill, pour the baking soda over the spill. You will see bubbling, which means that the neutralization is taking place as gaseous C02 is released. Test the pH of the spill with pH paper. Once it’s between 6 and 9, it’s safe to wipe the spill with a sponge and wash the material down the sink.
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You can create flash paper out of tissue paper, toilet paper, or even a cotton T-shirt. Just make sure that whatever paper you use is 100% cotton. Cut out however many sheets as you want into roughly the same size as a business card. ^{[3]
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Mix concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid in a beaker. Under the fume hood, pour concentrated nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid into a 1 liter (0.26 US gal) (4.2 cup) pitcher in a 5:4 ratio (5 parts concentrated nitric acid to 4 parts concentrated sulfuric acid). Make sure that you have enough liquid to eventually submerge the paper. ^{[4]
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- Stand outside the fume hood, with the beakers and acid inside the hood. Place your gloved hands inside the fume hood and do all your work at least 6 inches (15.2 cm) in from the hood opening. ^{[5]
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To mix the two acids together, hold the pitcher and lightly swirl it with a slight motion of your hand. Do not shake the acid or swirl it vigorously, as this can cause the acid to splash. ^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Soaking and Preparing the Paper

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Take one of your strips of paper and drop it into the pitcher of acid. Use a glass stirring rod to poke your paper in the water until it is completely submerged. You can do all your sheets at the same, so keep adding and submerging the sheets with the glass rod until you have added all your paper. ^{[7]
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After you have added your last sheet, wait 15-20 minutes for the paper to fully absorb the acid. By the end of the wait, tissue paper or regular paper will be off-white, while toilet paper will be slightly brown. ^{[8]
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While you are waiting for the paper to soak, fill a wide 1 liter (0.26 US gal) (4.2 cup) beaker or pitcher halfway up with water. Make sure that the beaker is wide enough to fit the papers. Place the beaker of water next to the pitcher of acid. ^{[9]
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4
Transfer the paper to a water bath. Use a pair of forceps or tongs to lift up one of the pieces of paper out of the acid. Keep the paper poised above the pitcher of acid until it stops dripping. Once the paper stops dripping, carefully drop the paper into the beaker of water. Repeat this process for each of your strips of paper, making sure that they stop dripping before you transfer them. ^{[10]
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- You are now done with the acids. Neutralize the acids by pouring baking soda into the beaker of acid, waiting until the bubbling stops. Then turn on the water and pour the neutralized acid down the drain. Run the water for a few more seconds, then turn it off.
Leave the pieces of paper in the water bath for about five minutes, using the glass stirrer to occasionally stir the papers. If you are using toilet paper, you should see the paper turn from brown to off-white. ^{[11]
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6
Pour out the water and fill up the beaker. Bring the water beaker to the sink. It’s not necessary to work under the fume hood anymore, as you have finished working with the acids. Carefully pour the water out of the beaker, using the glass stirrer to push back the paper so it doesn’t escape from the beaker. After you empty out the water, turn on the sink and pour about the same amount of lukewarm water back into the beaker. ^{[12]
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- What you are essentially doing is washing the paper to get off excess acid.
Repeat the process of draining the water, then filling the beaker back up two or three more times. This will effectively flush the paper. ^{[13]
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8
Place the paper on a paper towel. Take the papers out of the water bath one by one with a pair of tongs, pausing over the beaker until they finish dripping. Then place the side of the papers by side on a folded sheet of paper towel. Leave the paper on the sheet of paper towel to dry overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
- Make sure that they aren’t overlapping so that they can dry quicker.
9
Place the paper in sodium bicarbonate. After the paper has dried, fill a 1 liter (0.26 US gal) (4.2 cup) beaker with a 1 ML solution of sodium bicarbonate. Then place each piece of paper as you did with the water bath in the sodium bicarbonate. ^{[14]
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- If you notice bubbling, take the beaker to the sink and pour out the sodium bicarbonate, holding the papers back with the glass stirrer. Then add water as you did before, adding it and emptying a few times.
- Wait for the paper to thoroughly dry, either overnight or for 8 hours.
Fill pitcher with enough ethanol to submerge the papers, then add the papers as you did for the sodium bicarbonate. Let them soak in the ethanol for 15-20 minutes, then take them out, waiting for them to stop dripping, and place them on a fresh folded sheet of paper towel. ^{[15]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Lighting the Paper

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When you light the paper on fire, you want to be in a safe environment with no flammable objects around. This could be a laboratory or a neutral environment like on the pavement of your driveway. Bring the papers that you dried, matches, and a flame-proof container like a baking tray or measuring cup, as well as a fire extinguisher.
First make sure that the flash paper is completely dry because the trick won’t work if it is still partially wet. When you have checked that it’s dry, use a pair of heatproof tongs or forceps to hold up the piece of flash paper over the flame-proof container. ^{[16]
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3
Light the flash paper on fire. Light the match, then hold it up to the flash paper. You will see that the paper immediately catches fire, then starts to quickly burn down without producing any ash or residue! ^{[17]
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- After you finish playing with your flash paper, put any additional pieces of paper in a safe location like a drawer or envelope, as they are extremely flammable!

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Question

How many chunchs of paper will this batch make before the acid bath is spent?

Community Answer

You can mix up however much acid you need to soak however many papers as you want, just be sure to get the 5:4 proportion of acid right.

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Is there a way to create a piece of flash paper that is rigid like card stock?

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No, because paper prepared by this method must be as thin and light as possible.

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How strong does the acid have to be?

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Fuming or strong means the highest concentration possible. Less concentrated acids won't produce the desired result.

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Tips

Even if you are experienced in a laboratory setting, it’s always good to have someone there to overlook you.

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Create multiple sheets of flash paper at a time so that you have a backup stock!

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Warnings

Acid spills can cause serious burns as well as damage your skin and eyes. Always wear the right protective gear and make sure that you are working under a fume hood when working with acid.

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Do not attempt to make flash paper if you don’t have access to a laboratory and are not an experienced chemist.

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In case of a fire, pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher, aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, squeeze the lever and sweep the extinguisher from side to side until the fire has been completely extinguished. Call 911 if the fire is out of control.

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Things You’ll Need

100% cotton toilet paper, tissue paper or cloth
Concentrated nitric acid
Concentrated sulfuric acid
Baking soda
Sodium bicarbonate
Paper towels
Tongs or forceps
4 scientific beakers
Heatproof tray
Glass stirring rod
Fire extinguisher
Acid proof gloves
Acid proof apron
Acid proof goggles

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How to Make Flash Paper

Steps

Mixing the Acids

Soaking and Preparing the Paper

Lighting the Paper

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Community Q&A

Tips

Warnings

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