DIY: More Fused Plastic Bags
by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 07.11.07
A while ago we wrote about fusing plastic bags together to make a hard wearing plastic fabric that can be sewn into something else. Etsy Labs published a tutorial on this process and CRAFTzine and WhipUp both published stories on this technique. Now there is more and it seems that lots of people are discovering some creative recycling fun with this simple way to make use of discarded plastic shopping bags.
Betz White, known for her creative re-use of discarded woolen garments, has put her creative energies into experimenting with this fusing process with layering, and plastic appliqué techniques, with some great results (see above image). ::Etsy Labs fusing plastic tutorial ::Image at Betz White
hm... letmethink... heating plastic bags at home with the iron... releasing loads of poisonous and harmful and extremely non-green and polluting fumes and gases in the process. One of the tutorial recomends opening a window so you don't pollute your in-house atmosphere with these gases.
it is not safe and not eco-friendly!
I will pass on this one and let professional recycling companies do their business They have appropriate equipment installed and I'm sure will have less per-bag environmental impact in the end.
Kit,
Do you have any information to back up your assertions? Just because you heat plastic does not necessarily mean that you volatilize significant quantities of it. Thermoplastic materials, like those in plastic bags, are made up on long chains of hydrocarbons that form linkages between the chains (both chemical and physical) when they cool. When you heat them, they melt because the hydrogen bonds between the chains are not strong enough to hold at the higher temperatures.
While some volatiles may be released in the process, it's not as if you are burning anything (unless you get parts of the plastic too hot), or even volatilizing some organic solvent or glue. I haven't tried the ironing myself, but you shouldn't take your misconceptions about the process and turn them into a condemnation.
I love this idea! And that bag is really cute.