From junk to art
After much talk within the Shed about recycling plastics, a group of us finally managed a trip up to Govan Baths to see how its done. The baths itself is presently under renovation so is temporarily closed. But there are various venues throughout Govan, hosting the many ideas that have come to fruition since the closure of those baths.
We eventually found our base at the Deep End on Nithsdale Street where we were welcomed by Lauren. Once there, she enlisted the help of Tiziano who clearly had an indepth knowledge of the different types of plastic, together with the many machines housed there to make the transition.
All had the opportunity of throwing some waste plastic into the shredder. Once the process was complete, Tiziano took it next door where it was weighed. The plastic we threw into the machine was a total mix of colours but we needed to add to the weight. We selected white plastic pieces to mix with it and Kaylin helped out with a good mix of the bits – glad you were there Kaylin. Some of us might have struggled to get back up again after that job!
Workshop: Our Shed group with members of Govan Baths
The next stage involved pouring the small plastic pieces onto a large square slab and spreading them out evenly. Then Tiziano covered them with another large sheet and he put the work into maneuvering the lever below until there was enough pressure on the pieces. They were left to heat up while we were given a tour of the rest of the inspirational ideas evident within this Govan venture. Mushrooms are being grown in large white plastic tubs. A large room is available for various classes that take place or general gatherings. We were shown the material room with sewing machines set up and a plethora of materials donated from various places. There is also a ceramics area that we had a quick look at although they had classes running at the time.
Next stage, a wee cuppa and a biscuit! Just what we all needed. Thanks Lauren – really appreciated. After this it was time to move our work onto the next stage. Tiziano took charge with some assistance from a couple of our guys in moving the large sheet onto the next machine. The procedure was much like before, and had to be left to cool off. We were then escorted back to the main woodworking room where Alan had made soup for us all! We all enjoyed it Alan – A big thanks from us all!
Nearing the end of our visit, we went back to see how our ‘work of art’ had turned out. There were various completed sheets that we had been able to view prior to ours being finalized. Various colours and patterns. Interesting variations. Now to see our end result. Yes! It was a success. Carried over onto a flat table, we were able to assess the results. All of our group seemed happy with the outcome. From pieces of junk, plastic that had no seeming value, to what could easily be considered a work of art! Amazing!
Gary was nominated to take the piece away and he looked like the cat that got the cream. Gary hopes that we will somehow manage to bring such skills to our Shed. Although there will be many hoops to jump through to get there, let’s hope that we will move on to using up what is considered today’s nuisance – waste plastic.
We owe a thanks to Gary for his inspirational ideas, together with Sandy, who helped organize this successful outing. They were also the drivers for the day – we all survived!