Recycled Egg Cup | Cardboard Egg Cup

The concept of crafting three-dimensional objects from cardboard isn’t new. This project draws inspiration from a video by XYZAidan, which itself is based on a post from 3D Brooklyn. I’ll include a link to the video at the end of this description, as it serves as a tutorial for this type of cardboard molding.

 

To create your egg cup, follow these steps:

 

1. Assembling:

    

   • Ensure the mold pieces fit together properly. If they don’t, lightly sand them as needed, but confirm the fit remains snug.

   • Assemble the bottom and the wall section, keeping the top part separate for now.

      

      

2. Prepare the Cardboard for Molding:

    

   • Cut your spools or other types of cardboard into small pieces. Use only cardboard without a plastic coating!
   • Place all the pieces into a blender and gradually add water. Avoid adding too much water at once.
   • Boil a small amount of water and stir in cornstarch. As a general guideline, use half as much cornstarch as cardboard by weight.

   • (For this mold, I used 50g of cardboard and 25g of cornstarch.)

      

3. Molding:

    

   • Place the pulp into a sieve and remove as much water as possible.
   • Form a ball with your hands and squeeze it until it achieves a clay-like consistency.
   • Fill the mold and press the pulp firmly together. You can close the lid, then remove it to add more pulp to the mold if needed.

   • If available, use screw clamps or another tool to apply additional pressure.

      

      

4. Drying:

    

   • Allow the mold to dry under pressure for at least 48 hours. You can easily remove the bottom of my mold to check the cardboard’s consistency.

   • If it feels sufficiently solid, remove it from the mold and let it dry until it becomes rock-hard. I placed mine in an oven at 60°C, but you can simply let it air-dry for a while. Avoid heating the plastic mold above 55°C (a lesson I learned the hard way).

      

 

Additional Information:

 

Blending the cardboard for a longer duration can yield better results. Mine cracked in the middle because the cardboard fibers remained too long.

Maintaining high pressure over time can also improve outcomes. Consider using a screw clamp to press the pulp into the mold, then remove the lid and add more pulp to increase the model’s density.

 

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Here’s the video as promised: