The Real Transformers
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
I remember these stories stored in my brain after watching a documentary about Cuban life. Due to poverty and want, the people learned to make use of things they can salvage in their own backyard. And make useless useful. They are a happy lot despite their minimalist subsistence. This reminded me of my own people. How they live, how they innovate, how they survive and how, despite their gloomy situation see a glimmer of light in the horizon.
Transformers I
From a useless old tire to a container that will last a lifetime. This is how to make a container for gathering rainwater using your car’s old tire, and the older the better so it is easy to scrape off the tread.
De-treading takes time and labor intensive using a strong and razor-sharp knife which is constantly sharpened because friction with rubber easily dulls any sharp object. After smoothing, you cut the tube and turn it inside out. This requires 1-3 people depending on the size of the tire. Then you reattach by fastening with iron wires. This is done by boring holes on the sides of the cut portion by heating an ice pick to glowing orange and poked on the desired spots. After the wires are wound and the ends securely fastened, you pour hot asphalt and let it dry. That should seal any opening. The asphalt is melted using a big tin can, and rubber cut from heavily worn out tires are used for the bottom as well as flip top cover. You fasten these by hammering in a generous amount of nail and again sealed with molten asphalt. With a little imagination and brush strokes you can further transform it into a work of art.
There you go - a versatile and sturdy container that can withstand the test of time, the elements, and any kind of beating.
Previous Comments
Hi TheWildType! Good to see you here. Tire sandals are also a hit here in the Philippines. My mom sells them in her store in the market. Eh…what’s your size? Hehe, it sure does outlast your feet!
Posted by benhurjun at December 11, 2007, 7:01 pm
Great post! I love hearing about cool utilitarian craftsmanship, especially the kind that involves recycling.
Another creative application for old tires seen in many third world countries is the making of TIRE SANDALS, which I made once in the Utah desert. You cut out blanks roughly the size of your foot, trace the outline of your foot, cut with a utility knife, and then you have the sole. You can go a few ways from here:
Use the sole to resole old Chacos or Tevas or whatever you wear, or cut holes at the toe and heel ends to thread in and loop through quarter-inch rawhide for the roman sandals look. If you use to the sole for Chacos and the like, use Benson glue, put the new sandals on the ground, run over them with the front tires of a full-size truck and let the tires sit on top of the sandals until the glue has dried.
ATV tires work very well if you travel in adverse terrain, radials for less strenuous travel!
Posted by The Wild Type at December 5, 2007, 11:39 pm