This is an easy, low cost, non-toxic method to make diorama flocking powder out of recycled coffee and (non-toxic) paint.

BACKGROUND

I was asked to help make a series of dioramas for a friend’s classroom project. Since the project revolved around green spaces and what they mean to us as a society, I wanted to incorporate a practical lesson on conservation as well as arts and crafts. With that in mind, we used as much re-used material as possible, like paper scraps, old shipping boxed, and used coffee grounds.

Coffee was an obvious choice for a re-used material. It is readily available in large quantities in the teachers’ lounge (and in most of our homes), its clean, easy to use, and smells really good. This not only reduced cost, but it showed students that with a little creativity, we could turn large quantities of “trash” into something useful.

So here goes, my first Instructable...

Supplies

Coffee maker/coffee/filter/water (or ask your local coffee shop for the next item and skip to the drying step )
Used Coffee Grounds
Small Mixing Cup
Craft Paint
Spatula
Small Plate
Paper Towel
Parchment Paper
Wire Mesh Strainer

Step 1: Make a Pot of Your Favourite Coffee

Step 2: Enjoy Your Coffee, Duh!

Let the coffee grounds cool while you enjoy your coffee and gather all your supplies

Step 3: Dry Coffee Grounds

WARNING!

DO NOT attempt to remove HOT coffee grounds. It will cause burns

Turn off the coffee maker
Open the filter compartment. This will let the coffee grounds cool off and speed up the drying process
Wait. When in doubt, just wait
Place a paper towel on a small plate
Once you are certain that everything is cool enough to handle safely, slowly pull the filter paper with the coffee out of coffee maker and place it on the paper towel-lined plate.
Carefully open up the filter to allow airflow
Leave overnight to dry

Step 4: Transfer Coffee Grounds to a Mixing Cup

Gently lift the filter paper and transfer the dry coffee to the mixing container
Fill the cup about halfway with dry coffee grounds
- The mixture gets fluffy after you mix-in the paint, so do not over-fill

Step 5: Mix With Paint

Add paint to the coffee grounds
Stir with a spatula
Add paint as needed to mix homogeneously
- Small amounts of water can be added to facilitate mixing, but obviously, it will take longer to dry

Step 6: Dry

Transfer mixture to a piece of parchment paper
Break up any big chunks with a spatula to speed up drying
Dry overnight

Step 7: Sieve Particles

Place a mesh strainer over the clean mixing cup
Transfer the dry coffee to the strainer
Push the particles through the mesh
- Use the back end of the spatula or the bottom of the paint container