REPURPOSED, UPCYCLED COMPONANTS
NON-ORGANIC JUNK
So, for example, all over the world there are used tyres lying around and most of the time, we just use tyres on our car and then they land up on a tyre dump like this one.
Tyres either take up valuable space in landfills or are burnt as a fire starter or accelerant. Therefore, we really needed to find a recycled or upcycled/repurposed use for tyres. We can't afford to burn them as they cause, like most rubber products a lot of thick, black, carbon-loaded smoke. There is an organization that gives out free cookers to African households in refugee camps and so on (Omni, I think) and maybe we can look into creating a package cooking facility with African diets and methods of preparation being the source of design and functionality inspiration but in the mean time, the tyres...
So, if one takes the tyres on the tread, flat part and you cut it, going round the tyre; basically cutting off the side-facing branding part. Then the strip leftover can either be cut into quarters of sixth (we would have to investigate the size that leave the least offcuts so perhaps cutting it to size on the spot is a better idea. But the idea would be to cut soles for shoes and then flatten that sole strip in a clamp or under something heavy like an anvil or traintrack or whatever is heavy. I don't know how long that would take but we needed to ensure it's been long enough to keep it flat. Then, we can do different things to said sole: spray paint it white or neon colours or create texture with studs or drawing pins or whatever we think will enhance the overall look; having first seen how the rest of the shoe will be designed or alternatively, surprise the shoemaker with something he will have consider and work with as is.
I bought a pair of pixie sandles at a workshop called Sandals For Africa and they had tyre outer soles; which come with a lifetime guarantee so if we wanted to make durable, quality shoes that will last for construction work, landscaping, agricultural work or other heavy duty vocations, we can definitely employ THAT.
There is also a need for quality, non-scratchy furniture buffers or stoppers that go on the underside of couches, chairs, cupboards and tables etc.
This helps to keep wooden floors, marble or tiled floors and even vinyl floors free from damage as a result of the pressure of the items legs, which are often small and support a big weight in relation to surface area making contact with the ground. Also, as a textured surface, it can be applied to walls, floors, ceilings, bathrooms (with draining canals beneath on the underside for water) and outdoor venues. The tread can also act as an anchor for tiles or strips or more adventurous textures.
We need to have a conscious plan for at least some to most of our junk; in the non-organic department. We have some items that keep showing up at scrapyards and landfills that don't need to be there. Some innovation and a bit of common sense as well as creativity and we can make good quality, upcycled and rethought products and materials for other uses as well.
I saw a filing cabinet that someone had made a fridge with - the fridge is working great! Love the design as well as the inside functionality and layout. Honestly, the top fridge does ice a bit on the sides and bottom but because of loadshedding, it's a #GodSendUs for now. I was impressed with idea behind it, as filing cabinets are always found in junkyards and no-one knows what to do with them except keep files. Well done and Good Thinking!
I was hoping we could all maybe gather as many of these things as we can, get together in a group and see what comes up. So, the products I have noticed haven't found a loving home, are:
♤ Stationary, particularly, pencils, pens, crayon stubs (can be melted down) and pastels as well as sharpeners (can be taken apart). Surely we could use that tubular or hexagonal shape of pens & pencils for some purpose. At one stage I thought pencils would make good artworks as a mosaic; making it easy to produce something very realist. Or rolling componants of a mechanism. If we had a board with different length pins (which would be the pencils) sticking out (already in a predetermined form, if installed at different lengths) or at same length (can put hand or anything against the one side and create a xerox copy of the hand on the other side), which has stoppers on both sides of pencil to stop the ones grouped together; by being pushed together by hand form, moving pens forward; from going all the way through the board and falling out.
♤ Wooden pegs. Again as above.
♤ Buckets, baths and aluminium paint tins.
♧ Fan rotors
♧ Obviously, wooden slats from flooring or ceiling boards.
♧ Any light fittings
♧ Electrical wire extensions
♧ Mattresses for the foam AND springs
♧ Tiles of any shape, size, description and condition for mosaic work.
♧ Bamboo or aluminium blinds or the slats from the complete set of blinds
♧ Mirrors or pieces of broken mirror, stained glass, iced glass, crystal, marble, granite, porcelain or clay. Again for mosaic work. Check my Pinterest profile links below for some really doable examples.
♤ Egg cartons
♤ Keyboards
♤ Flat screen Tv's have a cool few layers of sheets that look like Xrays; like cool art pieces. I know we can project different lights from behind the Xrays that will be really cool as an installation. Can be used as a painting frame glass. File dividers. Packaging.
♤ Mop, broom handles.
♤ The round glass plate one finds in a microwave.
♤ All electrical componants, elements and switches, plug, extension cord etc.
♤ Rope and string of all kinds. Collect. I have all kinds of cool macrame ... yes, MACRAME, believe it or not... pins saved. Macrame used to be terrrible stuff. Find designs here:
♤ CDs. They don't have to be whole or with the label paintwork still on. But you need a grinder or laser or 3D printer to shape them into componants... I dunno what they use. But OMG! Check out these #oldCDartworks!
I used my Ricoffy tins (small, med and large) and painted them black, splattered them with paint and lined the inside with foam sheeting. #UpcycleRicoffyTnz
Find them on my Taxi Snuff Pinterest profile under the Board. D. I.Y. Upcycling.
Mar 25, 2023 - These are a few pix of a collection of Aluminium (Ricoffy) coffee tins (3 sizes) that I painted black, with indoor acrylic a