Today, erasers are usually made from synthetic rubber, which is a polymer. When it is made, a chemical called an accelerator is added to help join the monomers, or small molecules, into a polymer. The original accelerator had a pink color; the erasers sold well and the tradition has been maintained.
Less expensive erasers are made from synthetic rubber and synthetic soy-based gum, but more expensive or specialized erasers are made from vinyl, plastic, or gum-like materials.
Many of today's most high-tech erasers are made of vinyl.
While the pink erasers you find on pencils are made of synthetic rubber, an increasing number of erasers are made of vinyl.
They are commonly made with vinyl, polymer or PVC, though there are also non-PVC types that act like plastic but are made with synthetic rubbers. Plastic erasers do not dry out and tend to be fairly gentle on paper and clear graphite and colored pencil away very cleanly.
The modern eraser is usually a mixture of an abrasive such as fine pumice, a rubbery matrix such as synthetic rubber or vinyl, and other ingredients. The mixture is processed and extruded and, if made with rubber, vulcanized to bond the ingredients.
“These days they're usually colored to be pink because that's the color we've come to expect them to be, which can be credited to the trusty Pink Pearl.” Pink Pearls are still produced today, under the Paper Mate brand. They're now made of synthetic rubber, rather than natural rubber and pumice, says Weaver.
Basically, two different materials are used to make erasers: rubber and plastic. All rubber erasers and the majority of the plastic erasers made by Faber-Castell are PVC-free. Faber-Castell PVC-Free erasers do not contain harmful phthalate plasticizer.
When you rub an eraser across a pencil mark, the abrasives in the eraser gently scratch the surface fibers of the paper to loosen the graphite particles. The softeners in the eraser help to prevent the paper from tearing. The sticky rubber in the eraser grabs and holds on to the graphite particles.
The original eraser, developed in 1770 by British engineer Edward Nairne, was made from natural rubber, otherwise known as caoutchouc, latex or gum elastic. Natural rubber is usually derived from the sap of the Brazilian Pará rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis).
White plastic erasers not only erase pencil marks better than the old-school style pink eraser but because they're non-abrasive, they leave the paper fibers relatively intact. ... Sometimes the pink residue won't scrape off - it's embedded into the paper and is at some angles, a very noticeable discoloration.
Black and coloured erasers do not leave any colour from the eraser on the paper. They are dark so that when erasing on dark paper a white ghosting effect is not left as can happern with white erasers. They also look less grubby when they are dirty.
Most erasers will have to be disposed of in the general waste bin. Erasers made solely from natural rubber may be biodegradable.
According to Citizen Sustainable, the production of plastic erasers can have significant negative impacts on the environment and global warming as the raw materials are heavily mined.
The eraser still sinks! Sinking is a property of eraser rubber no matter how small it is and how little it weighs.
Here's why you need to ditch the pink eraser:
Eraser is fresh, not hardened, and first time used. Here's the deal with white erasers, not only do they erase pencil marks better than the old-school style pink eraser but because they're non-abrasive, they leave the paper fibers relatively intact.
Gum Erasers
If the integrity of the paper is a concern, then a gum eraser may be your best bet because they will not tear the paper even with aggressive rubbing. Gum erasers are best for erasing graphite on paper. These erasers are usually brown in color and some are even semi-transparent.
pink and white erasers
Pink erasers are fairly stiff, solid and sometimes come on the ends of pencils. They were once made out of pink colored rubber. Now they're usually mixtures of rubber and synthetic plastics, and they're not always pink. White erasers and brightly colored are usually made from vinyl.
Magic erasers don't disappear when you use them
Surprisingly, rather than actually dissolving, Magic Erasers actually break down into super-abrasive microplastics that can wash down drains and into the environment.
Clean Magic Erasers and generic melamine foam don't have a chemical cleaner or soap inside them, it's literally just an abrasive foam that makes them work.
This Faber-Castell Dust Free Eraser has a phthalate construction so it won't leave dust residue behind after use. It has been ergonomically designed for your comfort and is extra smooth for clean and smear-free erasing. It has a plastic construction for clean and soft erasing.
1. Don't use them dry. Part of the magic of these erasers is that all you have to do is add water to activate them. However, it turns out that these plushy pads are even more abrasive — and can, therefore, do more damage — when dry, so adding water actually helps soften them.
The white side erases graphite, and the grey side erases ink. The white side erases graphite, and the grey side erases ink.
Dirty erasers leave streaks and marks across your work and anything else that you use your eraser on. You can prevent these unsightly smears by cleaning your eraser regularly and removing the build-up of the dark colored gunk that accumulates from erasing pencil marks.