Micaella Pedros, a graduate from Royal College of Art, has devised a creative joining process using discarded plastic bottles that were picked up from the streets of London. The designer has named this project “Joining Bottles” and the furniture collection featuring plastic bottle joints was displayed at London Design Fair, 2016.
The stools featuring joints are not only aesthetically beautiful but strong enough to withstand the weight of an adult. Different wooden parts are joined together by heat-shrinking the recycled plastic bottles. When heat gun warms the plastic bottle up to 300 degree Celsius, the bottle cutouts start shrinking, resulting in joining two sections of the wood with a strong hold.
The strength of these plastic joints depends on the shape of the objects being connected and the grooves carved into the wood. Profounder ridges allow the plastic to form a stronger grip on the objects and stop them from falling apart. These plastic joints can be used to join wooden offcuts together to increase the length of wooden objects or even join wood and stone together. This process can also be used to repair broken furniture. The entire process is so simple and effective that anyone can master it with slight practice. According to Pedros,
Plastic bottles are everywhere around us which makes it such an accessible and available material. When I discovered its potential to form a join, I was amazed by the fact that anyone can do it, embracing its democratic value and contributing to the growing do-it-yourself culture.
“Joining Bottles” procedure
Firm plastic bottle joints
Carved grooves add strength to the joint
Micaella Pedros heat-shrinking trashed plastic bottles with heat gun
Plastic bottle joint with stone and wood
Plastic bottle joints of different sizes
Firm plastic bottle joint
Seating made using wood and plastic joints
Green plastic bottle joint adds captivating look
Heat gun shrinking plastic bottle
Joints can be used to make various decoratives
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