most popular: Bike Tree Protects Bikes


most popular: Bears Swarm Playground


most popular: Help Protect Great Tits

th comments
blake said: "One of the main issues I found with NAU was their inability to ship out of the USA. Being in Canada and someone who has no issue dropping $110 for ..." [read]

Dipper said: "More support for the regulatory people. Those packing materials are expensive. The can could have been used for this size as well as larger bottl..." [read]

ron said: ""I would indeed suggest that the leather was primarily selected, not for style, but rather for function. " i'm not one to not admit when yo..." [read]

buzz saw said: "Scumbags and liars all...." [read]

Blake said: "Hey guys, you forget that hazardous substance shipments are regulated by the DOT and other bodies ( Dot's 49-CF regs specifically if it's in or thr..." [read]

DIY: More Fused Plastic Bags

by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 07.11.07
Design & Architecture (recycled)

fusedplastic_betzwhite.jpg 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

Comments (3)

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.

jump to top kit says:

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.

jump to top anthonares [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

I love this idea! And that bag is really cute.

jump to top Anonymous says:

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

th ads
th top picks
th ads