Building Truly Useful Things with Old Paper
It does little good to "save lots of money" if the things we accomplish
prove useless or only minimalize our lives. When making "new" things out
of old, I always want to be able to make something at least as good and
useful as the original item.
Building useful things from old or previously used things is not really new.
From ancient times new houses and even cities have been built, in part, from
the rubbles of the old. (Maybe we learned this technique from watching the
birds in spring return to build nests?)
Beams from old barns can make a wonderful and functional addition to a home
in need of structural support. It adds to the decoration as well as the
strength of the house. Old wood from many kinds of sources, especially when
weathered, is often used for construction. Some of the most beautiful
furniture is made of old wood. In addition, the refurbishing of old chairs
and other furniture is popular for a number of reasons.
And everyone knows that old glass is often used in the making of new glass
and glass products, old metal cans and other used metal is melted down to
make new metal goods. Many plastics can be reused again. And of course paper
is often recycled.
But did you know that paper can be recycled into new goods right in your own
home? Useful items such as wastebaskets, decorative bowls and even tables
can be made from old newspaper, for example.
Paper can be reused in several ways. Rolls of paper are sometimes used to
make sturdy legs on small stools. And layered paper has been pressed into
service (literally) for centuries as table tops and many other furniture
products.
In your home recycling projects, paper may be used as pulp or as layers (as
in paper mache) to make items that are both functional and pleasing to the
eye. Both of these construction methods require water and the addition of a
binding agent (usually a simple starch, such as ordinary white flour). The
pulp would be pressed into a mold or shaped by hand to create the desired
form. The layered paper would be built up, a layer at a time, creating a
hollow shell on mold (such as a plastic bowl or box).
I've experimented with several types of construction using old paper.
Sometimes I use other construction elements in addition to paper, such as
sticks of bamboo or wood, to help reinforce the overall structure. I built a
small table this way, and also a freestanding sculpture. But items, such as
a wastepaper basket made from old newspapers, did not require additional
support. You can see all three of these items online, at the link provided
below.
Read the rest of this message (and find links to instructions and pictures)
here: http://www.123basics.com/
XML site map