august salvager 2011
DESCRIPTION
August Salvager 2011,TRANSCRIPT
Inside this issue
6 Page
August
Plans for the House & Garden
Part two of an introduction to Salvaging
Page
OTHER CONTENT Island heaven, Plastic Hell.............28
Bottle Green House Project....44
Anita & Martin, Music & Mud.....60
Salvaged and recycled Ideas.......80
Art & Projects for sale....................86
Salvage Classified......................88
Useful
Information for
The Bull Dog Bash
WILD MEAT
My French Living & life in France
Events & Dates Bull Dog Bash
12-13-14Aug page 24
Kent Chrome show
29-Aug page page 56
Red Skin Party
21-22-Aug page 72
14
Page
38
This month sees the second edition of “Salvager” and I would like to thank all for the support shown as we go to publication we are up to 11,000 reads and downloads which is well beyond expectations for our first month.
There are projects and stories I hope will inspire you to salvage and rebuild objects you see discarded or disposed of.
We have an article on Anita and Martin who make wonderful sounding steel drums, listen to them through the link in the article and they are looking for volunteers to assist in the building of a Cob house in Creuse, France in August and September.
Rico talks about his house and garden, more on salvaging and puts a whole new and realistic view on the hunting debate.
Ian & Mandy build a greenhouse for school children with the help of friends and donations from local businesses.
Then it is festival August, which should prove to be lots of fun for those that visit them and there are articles on one for each weekend.
And keep those projects, ideas, stories and your salvage images coming in, if you are going to any of the events send in your pictures and we will do some photo fun pages in the September and October issues.
Editors notes on this
months issue
James
CARTOON
Plans for the House & Garden
This is the view of my kitchen window
from the path and I have had plans for
it and other parts of my home for a long
time.....and there is a long list, much
like Sisyphean’s, but unlike Sisyphean
mine is a labour of love, to me my
home, garden and lifestyle is the
canvass for my lifestyle ..........
Let me tell you a little about my house.
It was built in 1860 though there is a
section at the back that I suspect could
date back 4 centuries.
It is a big boxlike typical Vosgean
farmhouse divided roughly in half
between house and barn with a stable
separating the two halves. It has three
cellars that are large and nicely vaulted,
a ground floor, a first floor and at the
top a large granary.
7
It is an ongoing project, mainly
because I set myself the challenge
of refurbishing the whole house
by trying to do the work using all
salvaged and recycled materials.
Using many as possible that were
sympathetic to the age and style
of my home but incorporating as
many modern ecological and
labour saving ideas as possible.
After all that is what I have been
doing most if not all of my life .
There is a small single lane road
that passes close by the front of
the house that divides my land in
two with about three quarters of
an acre in front and almost 2
acres in the rear. When I bought it
the land was pretty much two
fields with a few fruit trees
around the edge.
7
Since then I have planted dozens more trees including
walnut hazel, chestnut, maple, birch, conifer, cherries,
apples and mulberries. At the top of the land lies my
vegetable garden which
measures about 300 x
50 feet.
I rely on my garden for
almost everything I eat,
except meat of course,
though I intend to add
rabbits to my chickens
and turkeys. The price
of meat has trebled in
the last couple of years
and I don’t like to be
held to ransom by the
supermarkets.
When I had a stroke last
year I still managed to
plant up the garden but
a spell back in the UK
allowed the weeds to
gain the upper hand,
setting seed across my vegetable plot that I’m still
struggling with. I’m slowly winning that battle as can be
seen by the well stocked plot that I’m proud to lay claim
to.
RICO’S GARDEN
I have been trying to get rid of weeds before they get a chance to
set seed as I’m a great believer in the old adage that ONE
YEARS SEEDING = SEVEN YEARS WEEDING.
Any effort I put in in
that direction will pay
dividends next year.
Unfortunately the
weather has turned
very wet this summer,
too much rain can
causes Mildew on
tomatoes with the loss
of all the fruit so
reluctantly I have
sprayed all the plants
with BORDEAUX
MIXTURE a copper
based compound that
helps prevent mildew.
I hope it works as
tomatoes form a large
part of my diet.
The only fruit left to harvest are the plums, Mirabelle’s and
apples, the apple I will pick, wrap and pack for storage .
RICO’S GARDEN
11
Spring and winter have their highlights. Spring for the
expectations and winter for the thoughts of log fires and
time to plan
for the new
year and read
those books
I’ve missed in
the long days..
I will pick a
nice crop of
blackberries
from around
the edge of my
property over
the next few
weeks.
I dare say the
birds will have their share but I don’t begrudge them
those as they do me the service of removing lots of bugs
and pests. Blackberries and plums should finish off my
Rumtopf very nicely.
RICO’S GARDEN
As many of you know if you follow my face book page
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1070753158
I spend many weekends around the markets and boot
sales in the area looking for raw product to salvage
and breathe a new life into, and I have some finds that
will make some fine additions to the house which I
will feature over the next few editions but first I have
some weeding to catch up with, so until the September
edition when I will be reporting on my trip to the Bull
Dog Bash, and if your there and see me say hello.
RICO’S GARDEN
Now where were we! Oh yes old six panel pine
doors, Sometimes they’ve even been stripped
already.
In fact it would probably be true to say that
reclamation and architectural salvage yards are
the most expensive, and are usually a last resort.
Even there, though, stuff that's been knocking
around a while can be bargained for.
For the really good bargains though you could
go straight to the council tips. Chat to the bloke
in the hut and you can get some real deals,
though some councils have put a total stop to
anything coming out the tip that's come through
the gate, so you could hang about outside.
Sunday afternoons are really busy but can provide the best
pickings as everybody goes to the tip on a Sunday. Please don't
be tempted to assume that as its being dumped it must be
freebies. The firms that run a lot of these tips have the
concession to recycle enshrined in their contracts and the money
they earn is a legitimate part of their business.
If you take stuff without paying it is stealing, but it don’t take
long to work out who’ll give you the best prices. It really is pot
luck at a tip as to what you’ll find, and when you spend any time
at all there it can break your heart to look at the wonderful things
people smash into tiny pieces so they can fit it in their car boot.
An introduction to Salvaging
14
Skips.
Skips are great sources of material , especially
builders skips in the process of being loaded.
Skips cost about £130 plus the v a t and if you
can save a builder some space in a skip, you’ll
also save him money, so they are often only too
pleased to let you take stuff away. Shop fitters
skips are the best in my eyes but they work fast,
often far into the night.
Ask for the foreman before you start ,and tell
him what you want. They’ll often leave it to one
side as long as you remember they are on a
deadline and clear it quick without getting under
their feet. You will also need to keep it neat and
not let stuff spill all over the road as you take advantage of the
builders good nature.
Watch out for nails and other metal ,as hurried excitement ,and
the detritus of the building industry is a combination that can
lead to accidents.
I speak from scarred experience so wear gloves and watch those
passers by. I have ended up with shed loads of wonderful sea-
soned boards that kept me working for months from a single
stripped out shop. If a skip is parked on someone's drive i.e.
private property, it always pays to ask the occupants if you can
take something.
An introduction to Salvaging
15
If you ain’t sure offer some money, always
bearing in mind that this stuff has just been
chucked out. A fiver usually does it, but if you
sense reluctance you can throw in the fact that it
gives them more room in the skip, it’s recycling
and saves a precious bit of a forest somewhere
or even, simply, that it’s such a shame to throw
it out. One of these should work.
It’s a rare phenomena ,the person who would
rather let stuff rot as landfill than let someone
else make use of something ,but they do exist.
You could always grab it and run but it wasn’t
me that told you that. I’ve always made a point
of leaving things exactly as I find them and
actually try to make friends. I’m wondering if
having a TV series will help, though I’m sure it will only make
people think I’m wealthy and expect me to pay more.
One of the strangest sites I saw was a skip outside a closed down
printers. They must have hired the skip at the full price and
proceeded to half fill it with several tons of lead type. About a
hundred yards away was a scrap yard that would have collected
the lead for free ,and paid them well for the privilege, probably 3
or 4 hundred quid, maybe more.
They were out both ways. Some people don’t seem to enjoy
using their brains at all.
An introduction to Salvaging
Country Auctions and Scrap Yards.
Country auctions have produced huge quantities
of useable material for me ,such as bundles of
lumber, tatty but repairable furniture and often
bizarre pieces of machinery that could easily be
modified into equally bizarre but useful
furniture.
Prices at some of these auctions can be laughably
low, but you may have to stand around for hours
till your lot number comes up. I never minded
that as it is a great excuse to people watch.
All kinds of other deals go on in parallel to the
auction proper and some of the vendors may
have more of the same at home so
keep your ears open.
One guy who was a regular face at these auctions both as a
buyer and seller even had scrapped chieftain tanks and
helicopters amongst other things in his yard .His son told me it
was the best place ever for a boy to grow up ,and I thought I’d
been lucky. This sort of environment has its fair share of
light-fingered criminals and easily nicked pieces of treasure in a
lot may not still be there when you come to bid ,so check the lot
just before you start bidding. There are also thick clusters of
people knotted round the auctioneer giving pickpockets all the
edge they need, so watch your wallets if you’re in the crowd. I
always took a sheet along to throw over a heap of
purchases while I fetched my truck..
An introduction to Salvaging
17
It seemed to deter the casual tealeaf from
making off with me goods.
Scrap yards and breakers yards are exciting
places to visit and are easily the most dangerous.
Watch what you’re yanking on in case several
tons of old iron decide to pay the top of your
head a visit. Some yards wont let the public
round at all as their insurance wont cover you
and rightly so.
Most yards charge a little bit more than the scrap
value if they sell you anything, which is as good
as it gets in this game.
If they have to involve themselves in removing
something, pulling it out for you with a crane or physically
unbolting it this price will surely rise but hopefully will stay
within reasonable limits.
In any case I think the treasure you can find in a yard like this is
well worth it. Great sheets of heavy iron for industrial style
tables balanced atop a couple of pieces of cast pipe, lorry wheel
hub planters, tanks, chains and a whole load else can really get
the brain cells sparking.
All these bits look great with just a wire brushing and a bit of
clear wax.
An introduction to Salvaging
20
Balance a heavy slab of timber on a nice shaped
casting and you’ll have a phone table that’ll
really set your visitors talking. Imagine the
combinations of stone, steel and antique timber,
concrete and rusted iron, glass and leather.
I’ve used water tanks as woodstoves, band saw
blades as bathroom shelving and foundry slag as
sculpture.
You’ll also find great taps and useable plumbing
fittings in amongst the scrap brass. I’ve used all
sorts of sheet steel and mesh as door panels.
There’ll be stainless steel, copper cables
aluminium and even lead. Not for the faint
hearted, I’ve made some great stuff with lead poured off into
moulds, but then, I did work in a foundry for 8 months.
Also try checking small ads in newsagents and local papers for
things like doors, mirrors, cheap timber etc. Some people just
want shot of stuff and aren't asking a lot.
You do see the ads though, where people want a tenner for a 2
foot off cut of kitchen worktop left over from the fitting. These
are not the type of ads you seek, Avoid them!
An introduction to Salvaging
21
France.
So now I come to my very favourite hunting
grounds, the flea markets of France. The very
wealth of interesting stuff its possible to find in
the “vide-greniers” of rural France is still
staggering.
The very novelty of the bits and pieces available
add novelty to whatever you make from them.
Bits of wagons, old iron wheels, great lumps of
bizarre machinery, wonderful fittings and
amazing tools. Prices range from unbelievably
low to throat catching high but nonetheless, I
have more concentrated success here than
anywhere else.
Where else could you buy a pair of 200 year old doors for 40
quid? French local newspapers should tell you where they are,
usually in the Friday or Saturday edition, but be warned they can
be really hard to find. For some reason most of the French
villages are unlisted in the indexes of road atlases and you need
to really scour the maps to find them. Most start around 7a.m.
and as always, if you want the best gear get there early. Avoid
notes over 20 Euros as they are hard to spend and don't act like
an excited tourist, it’ll push the price up.
If your grasp of French is adequate, humour helps keep the price
down a bit. “C’est combien ce truc la pour un pauvre anglais “.
That sort of thing.
An introduction to Salvaging
My kitchen is full of old French terracotta pots,
iron pans, trade signs etc. No trip to France
would be complete for me if I didn't end up at
least at one flea market.
Conclusion.
I suppose the thing I’m asking you all to do is
just keep your eyes open. Hold things upside
down, even sideways or back to front and try to
visualise something different. Its exactly what a
caveman did when he picked up a rock, but
could see a spear point inside waiting to be
chipped out.
Its a very old skill and was once the skill that
spelled survival for us as a species. As once an
animal pelt became warm clothing now clay is changed to brick
or pottery, sand and soda to glass, bauxite to saucepans and giant
machines that fly in the sky. Black crude oil becomes medicines,
plastic or the fuel that powers our transport. Adaptability is a
great skill to possess and it will help take our species far into the
future if we all retain the skills necessary and remain pro-active
in shaping our own surroundings.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first foray into my world of salvaging
and that its given you food for thought. now its time to get out
there and start looking.
Until the next month…How to break down a project!
An introduction to Salvaging
23
It has now been confirmed that
“The Extreme Mr Jones” Will be at the show doing his very exciting and wild things with his motor bikes and attempting a world record over the weekend.
Plus I will be assisting with some of the internet and DVD broadcasts that are happening over the course of the show.
I will be signing two sets of special A5 salvager show cards that are limited to 500 numbered copies of each, They are images of the first and second covers of “Salvager” magazine, every card signed will get a raffle ticket for the salvager prize draw with a chance to win a limited edition A4 original
signed and framed “Salvager” magazine front
MORE BULL DOG BASH
24
The cards are free to all that want one but the aim is for “Salvager” to raise £1000 for Help the Hero’s, so please keep that in mind.
I will also be chatting to anyone that comes along to the custom tent and doesn’t mind getting their ear bent a bit.
I don’t know if your the same as me but I always have a problem at events of this size finding people that I lose in the crowds and how to get to a prearranged meeting point.
Now mobile phones have improved this no end but charging those over a weekend can be a pain, so over the page is a basic grid map that I hope will help you as much as I hope it helps me to find my way round the Bull Dog this year.
This map is more about helping you find people & locations on the site than services, if you were at the
entrance to the stalls in the performance area then just Text the people you want to find you
“4C middle right” and they should get to within 30 feet of you! Then open your eye’s!
You may want to print this page to take with you.
ENTRANCE
26
This map is more about helping you find people & locations on the site than services, if you were at the
entrance to the stalls in the performance area then just Text the people you want to find you
“4C middle right” and they should get to within 30 feet of you! Then open your eye’s!
You may want to print this page to take with you.
I know from experience that those that are able to afford the week or more away under the sun each year with family or friends look forward to those valued days away from their personal rat race, be it under sun umbrellas or doing the “walkabout” thing.
For those going to hotter climates the one thing 99 percent of us do is heed the “don’t forget to hydrate” warnings, but that unintentionally causes a secondary issue for your holiday host, especially if you happen to be visiting a jewel in the Ionian sea like the Greek island of Zakynthos.
For those that have ever had the pleasure of visiting any of the idyllic Greek Islands will know they each have a charm and character of their own from party islands to soul searching retreats and I would suggest you do your research before you book to find an island and location that would suit your mood.
Island Heaven, Plastic Hell. Having the bottle to make a change
28
Island Heaven, Plastic Hell. Having the bottle to make a change
Craig Weston has lived in Zakynthos for ten years, he meet and married Ashley seven years ago with Luci arriving two years later, and since 2009 has been spreading awareness about the plastic problems on the holiday island.
Craig and his family are so passionate about the issues surrounding the problems of plastic waste on the island they
decided to do something about it. Short of putting a bounty on each bottle Craig realised early that to stop the bottles being viewed as just rubbish he had to make people view them as a useful base material for other projects.
That's before 100's of thousands of tourists come for 6 months of the year, so the need to do something was much needed, Craig had seen a number of projects on the internet using the old plastic bottles to build all sorts of wild and wonderful things.
In winter, there are 45.000 residents of which 95% buy in bottled water, imagine 45.000 bottle a week, if each resident only drinks one bottle a week each that would be about four full size articulated lorries a week, but by his own admission Craig and his wife go through 12 a week and that is the two litre bottle size around fifty articulated lorry loads of large bottles a week for the resident population!
After some discussions with Ashley he decided on a greenhouse as a first project as there were a number of recorded projects that he could draw ideas and inspiration from for his own unique design.
First thing, if he was going to build the green house out of two litre bottles he worked out that he was going to need 1,200 bottles, and only using around 12 a week he was thinking, “it’s going to take
me months to save up that many bottles”.
So he face booked a message to friends on the island, and within two weeks he had bottles coming from everywhere, it got to a point where he was driving all over the island collecting 20 here 30 there some places had 12 bottles others 40.
31
A Very Green House
A Very Green House
Which highlighted a secondary issue cost of collection, it was to expensive spending all this cash on fuel and time, he need to design a collecting container, that's when he came up with the idea of the bottle bank made from collected bottles and 45 meters of 2 x 2 timbers and it was and is a great success.
It was costing Craig 45 Euros to build each bank so he decided to hit a few businesses to see if at least they could give him the
materials cost back, then they could have a bottle bank outside their premises.
Well it went massive over night, calls came in thick
and fast wanting a bottle bank, and so they started Zakynthos Bottle Recycling.
www.zakynthosbottlerecycling.com
To date they have 24 bottle banks in operation and orders for 14 more, in September last year ten schools ordered one each!!
Craig now runs a workshop so school children, business people and interested individuals can come along and watch demonstrations on how we make things, and also we get them involved my letting them make something to take away with them.
Craig says “the purpose is to RE-USE not recycle and put the bottles back into use and not in the ground, the energy used to recycle plastics is actually higher than making plastics form source, so why
www.zakynthosbottlerecycling.com
Zakynthos Bottle Recycling is a NON profitable program, run entirely on donations and volunteers to date we reckon we have collected and reused 55,000 plastic bottles.
They have great media coverage on the Island from radio, TV and news papers, Know as the “BOTTLE GUY” Craig has become somewhat of a celebrity on the tiny island, but he would like to see the project spread far and wide.
You can find out more at the links below, and if your of to Zakynrthos this summer and you have a empty bottle then keep an eye out for the “Craig bank’s” to make a deposit!
Everything you need to know on how to build
Craig’s bottle greenhouse, can be found at these links
http://ana-white.com/2011/04/plastic-bottle-green-house-build-guide#comment-17123 http://plentyofbot-tles.webs.com/
or type, www.zakynthosbottlerecycling.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zakynthos-Bottle-Recycling/170594736328051
You can find out more at the links below, and if your of to Zakynrthos this summer and you have a empty bottle then keep an eye out for the “Craig bank’s” to make a deposit!
Everything you need to know on how to build
Craig’s bottle greenhouse, can be found at these links
http://ana-white.com/2011/04/plastic-bottle-green-house-build-guide#comment-17123 http://plentyofbot-tles.webs.com/
or type, www.zakynthosbottlerecycling.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zakynthos-Bottle-Recycling/170594736328051 36
WILD MEAT Whenever the subject of hunting is raised at the dinner table ,the group almost invariably divides into highly vocal "for" and "against" camps.
As a committed carnivore I always try to maintain a line that is as fair to the welfare of the hunted animal as possible, while retaining a realistic overview of why some hunting is not only desirable but absolutely necessary.
I'm not speaking of the poncey "unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable" school of thought, regaled to impress in expensively tailored hunting "pinks". I'm more into a "shot for the pot" philosophy and totally see the necessity of population controls given the limited availability of suitable wild habitat. I also welcome the opportunity this culling gives to get a decent amount of good, organic meat at knockdown prices.
I live in the Vosges, an area that has a massive 37% forest coverage, making it the second most forested area in France. Despite the huge amount of wild country it is interlaced with pasture and arable land that brings any crops within tempting range of the voracious and often very large herds of wild pigs that abound in this region.
Life and Living in France
Given the largely nocturnal habits of these shy animals you'll probably never see a wild pig here but the low electric fences set around the fields of root crops and maize are clear indications that they're not far away.
There are huge numbers of deer here too, but its the wild boar that have the bulk and power to turn over hundreds of square metres of a farmers crops, leaving only devastation in their wake.
The more boar there are in the forest the more that population pressures force them out onto the farmland where they will fall into direct conflict with the farmers.
There are three areas of France where massive overpopulation has been causing stress levels among the pigs to rise. This particularly affects young male pigs that are constantly threatened and attacked by more dominant boars .This forces the pigs away from the protective sanctuary of the woodland and has resulted in attacks by boar on sheep, leaving them badly injured and often partially eaten, particularly on their rear legs.
When humans eradicated predators they allowed herbivore populations the potential to spiral out of control.
Life and Living in France
This is especially true of wild pigs that typically give birth to 6 or 8 young but can have as many as a dozen piglets to a litter.
In Germany in 2007 there was a 320% increase in the number of wild boar. This has led to an increase in attacks on people and pets and even the disinterment of fresh burials. Here in France despite the active efforts of local farmers the population has also clearly risen enormously in the last couple of years a fact evident by the boar tracks found literally everywhere in almost all the local forests.
Boar can reach massive sizes with appetites to match. In 2004 rumours began to spread of a huge beast, nicknamed HOGZILLA, that had been shot in Georgia ,USA.
Regarded as a hoax until exhumed and weighed, HOGZILLA turned out to be a 7 foot long, 800lb hybrid of feral pig and European wild boar.
Equipped with 19 inch tusks it was a formidable beast though they've also been known to reach up to 550lbs here in France.
Life and Living in France
0
Hunting is strictly controlled in France and there is a two part exam that needs to be passed before anyone is let loose in the forest.
There is also very strict regulation of the number of animals that can be culled in any season.
Hunting seasons vary from area to area and are adjusted according to the needs of the local ecology, but are roughly from September to the end of February. The number of
animals that can be shot is estimated by the "Federation des Chasseurs" .
They gather information provided by the National Office of Forests and the National Office of Hunting concerning numbers of animals actually seen in any given area . People actually go into the forests at night armed with spotlights to count reflected eyes .This is adjusted by farmers reports of crop damage and destruction of young trees to give the number of animals that are permitted to be culled that year whether deer or boar. As an example, in our local forest last year they estimated the number of roe deer at 150 and allowed a cull of 17.5 % of that number or roughly 26 animals. The hunters actually managed to shoot only 18 of the permitted quota
Life and Living in France
As forestry is the main industry of the region it is vital that deer numbers remain controlled. Deer can strip the bark from dozens of saplings in a single night threatening the regeneration of newly planted trees .
As a result the deer cull this year was adjusted slightly upwards to compensate for last years shortfall . There are three types of hunting that I've seen in this area. The first seems to be a group venture where about 20 local farmers pool their respective parcels of woodland, hunting each in turn .
The method they favour is to set up a line of 3 or 4 guns at the downwind end of a patch of forest . All the remaining hunters start beating in from the opposite end, blowing horns and urging terriers to sniff out any quarry. If they are lucky and it has to be said that they're not usually so blessed ,then a boar or deer will break cover in clear sight of the waiting guns. A favoured gun here is the Winchester 12mm carbine, a gun well capable of dropping a big boar or stag in its tracks. Another popular method favours the use of a "MIRADOR". This is simply a tower equipped with a seat that provides a sightline along a path or forest track .
Life and Living in France
Any animal that steps from the vegetation is clearly seen and can be despatched humanely . The third method is used solely to control vermin such as feral cats and foxes .
Tweed clad gentlemen with real french horns and a pack of beagles work their way on foot and very musically through all the patches of forest around a village in an attempt to force any hidden foxes to attempt escape where they can be shot.
Feral cats are treated in the same businesslike way as they will prey mercilessly on wildlife if left to breed uncontrolled. In the autumn and winter months it seems that hunters are everywhere and yet the wildlife population remains at a sustainable level in well managed forests. The gene pool remains vigorous ,with healthy animals making up all the local herds .Clearly their method of husbandry has much to recommend it and I would like to see the long tradition of hunting continue in the same way. So if you move to a village in a hunting area and you'd prefer not to be totally overrun by emboldened boar turfin up your lawn then think carefully before you start to moan about what they're doing to the poor little piggy's in the forest.
Life and Living in France
33
The Very Green House
that
Ian, Mandy & friends built
This is our second garden project, about 3 years ago we built a
garden from railway sleepers.
This Eco-Greenhouse is made from about 90% recycled
materials, this includes around 1300 two litre pop bottles,
off-cuts of wood, Twenty tonnes of gravel, along with about 2
tonnes of soil and reclaimed logs.
All of which were given by local companies and groups.
We believe this is a first with the structure built with a log base.
It measures about 10 foot by 12 foot.
Each bottle was cut and prepared, then interlocked together by
the children, the bottles were held firm by lengths of bamboo
cane through the centre, these were then installed length by
length being secured by screwing the bottle top end into the
cap that had been screwed onto the frame, this also acts an air
vent for circulation, and was thought of by the school caretaker
Howard who helped us.
We then installed the window frames and roof, which are
mounted on the logs giving a rustic appearance.
Once the Greenhouse was completed the children planted out
over 300 plants comprising of Flowers and vegetables in the
new garden.
It took about six weeks to build, initially we borrowed a bottle
bank from Rhondda Cynon Taff environmental services.
The Greenhouse and garden is situated in the grounds of
Tylorstown School in the Rhondda Valleys.
We first had to contend with an area that had three cambers, It
was similar to working on a 6 in 1 hill in a steep section of the
School yard.
Once we had erected the base and floor made from wood off
cuts supplied by a construction company who had a project
ongoing locally., it was then filled in with gravel to give it
strength, we then built the Greenhouse base out of logs.
This was to then hold the frame work for the 'windows' made
out of the pop bottles.
During the building we got absolutely soaked several times the
weather was on occasions a real bitch, that said it was good
fun.
If there was an Olympic event for shifting gravel, Mandy
would win gold, she shifted around fifteen tonnes of the stuff,
the pile was higher than her, it was funny we asked Hansons if
they could donate any gravel they said yes, we forgot say how
much, they didn't ask they just dropped off 20 tonnes.
We did change the planned layout a couple of times reason for
this that some of reclaimed panels were to rotten, thankfully
the building company had plenty of off cuts we could have.
The garden was officially opened on 27th June by local and
celebrity gardener Terry Walton is the BBC Radio2 gardener.
Ground work can be laborious but very
important that it is precise.
Just what you need a nice level surface
No! I’m the King of the castle
Ground work can be laborious but very
important that it is precise.
Just what you need a nice level surface
Log wall base in
Bottle windows being assembled
Log wall base in
Bottle windows being assembled
1300 bottles going green.
Two Walls Up
Two Walls Up
Ian at the school with a
cane, nothing new there
then!
Lots of ideas & effort came
together to produce a very
worth while project.
The second garden area
Busy time planting but very rewarding for the
pupils and teachers
All in all a really worth while project that
shows what can be done with donated and
salvaged materials and a very dedicated well
lead team.
Respect to Mandy, Ian, Howard and the whole
team that gave their time and labour to produce
this project that will just keep giving to the
pupils and staff at the school.
If you have a project on or images and story of
an old one contact us with the details.
Busy time planting but very rewarding for the
pupils and teachers
In five years this bank holiday show has gone from strength to strength.
The Kent chrome and cruisers kit car classic, custom bike, car & scooter show is on Monday 29th august this year.
As I said it is now in its 5th year and this year runs from 10 am till 4pm,
The show has doubled in size in 4 years, as has the title and I did suggest to Stump that he should consider abbreviating it if only to reduce printing costs, but in his inimitable way he pointed out that the TKCACKCCCBCASS was a bit of a mouth full and sounded like a town in Uzbekistan! which I found hard not to agree with.
With 2000 people through the gates last year the auto jumble area, stalls, food on site and a bar so a good day out is just about nailed on.
There are 10 trophies over all the categories on offer for the best judged vehicles of the day.
AUGUST BANK
HOLIDAY FUN FOR ALL
Entry is £5 for adults but the kids go free and the show is at
central park stadium and dog track, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 3SB.
There will be live music from blues sensation “DOLLAR BILL” Who will be onstage at 11.30 am.
Then there is a tribute to Rod Stewart and the Faces, and the stones tribute with live band THE RONNIES on stage at 1.30 pm.
Now there is more to it than what's here and I hope you will visit and if you do send some pictures in please.
If you want to submit an entry for one of the competitions of have a stall or stand you can get more info from stump on 07903339466 or email
Plus the event will be making donations and supporting a number of worthy courses throughout the day and raising money for help for heroes at the event so respect to stump
and all his helpers. If you want to assist or stand for the day give stump a email.
Trophies on offer are for best kit, for best kit classic, for best custom car, best custom, for best Harley, for best sports, for best rat, for best classic, for best trike bikes and best scooter, also the local biker club THE REJECTS help stump with the logistics of the day, security and marshalling so look for the men that glow for directions and information and they should
be able to answer all the questions.
Once again respect to those guys for the time given and helping
a good cause.
I would like to wish Stump the crew and all that attend and show sun and blue sky’s enjoy yourself.
Time to shine the chrome, wax the
paint and rub oil in your leather.
Anita and Martin (aka AM Rustic) are
living the life in central France with their
dog Major Tom.
London (where Martin was a chef and
Anita was a sub editor) seems a long way
off now, though skip diving and salvaging
was a way of life even then.
Their journey to discover alternative ways of living
(combining social, punk/DIY, anti-consumerist, Green,
spiritual and plain common-sense
values) brought them to Creuse by
accident, with just two backpacks
and a guitar.
Since then they've been doing all
kinds of projects, from eco building
to wood work (wooden toys and
furniture), and now steel drums,
with the odd music performance/workshop thrown in. So it
seems that fate intervened, and they look
forward to seeing where it takes them next...
For now they're busy building a small, round
cob cottage (teaching volunteers), and
continuing to make their melodic steel tongue
drums (AM Drums).
Creative living in Creuse
– mixing music and mud
Summer is the
time for festivals,
and you can't
celebrate without
music. Martin
and Anita say the
best thing about
selling their AM
Drums at markets and festivals is getting people
to play them, especially when they have never
heard anything like it before.
AM Drums have a warm, harmonious, organic sound, which
seems to resonate with vibrations in the human body. Most
people agree that it has a very soothing, calming and
therapeutic effect, which is why many of their customers are
therapists or holistic healers.
That's also why the name AM
Drum seems to fit - as "åme"
is the French word for soul.
Some people compare the
sound to Tibetan bowls or
even bells,
but most
commonly
the Swiss
"Hang" drum.
The "Hang" was first developed in 2000 by
scientists (a collective called PANArt) in
Switzerland
The "Hang" was first developed in 2000 by scientists (a
collective called PANArt) in Switzerland
who studied the vibrations of gongs, bells and all kinds of
drums and steel instruments. The Hang was very expensive
(several thousand euros) and
difficult to obtain, as only a
limited number were made
for specially chosen people.
The AM Drum was designed
to sound very similar to the
Hang drum, though it is
actually completely different.
The AM Drum (sometimes
known as a "hank" drum or
steel tongue drum), is made
from recycled gas barrels –
the kind found in most kitch-
ens throughout rural France.
The sound comes from
tongues cut out of the top
surface, which vibrate and
resonate (when struck by a mallet or even by hand) around the
empty chamber, like a bell.
Each tongue is tuned to a very precise note, depending on the
size and length of the cut. Tuning is slow, as it must be done
very carefully, by hand, to get good results. It's also crucial to
keep the drum at just the right temperature during this time, or
else the notes will not be in tune.
Each drum has 8 notes and can be tuned to any musical scale,
from any culture around the world (if it doesn't have exactly 8
notes, they can adapt it to fit.). One of the most popular scales
is a Japanese one called Ake Bono (G, C, D, D#, G, G#, C, D).
Here are some of the other scales AM Rustic often use:
Aolian: A, D, E, F, G, A, A#, C
Dorian: A, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
Ionian: G, C, D, E, F, G, A, B
Pentatonic C: C, D, E, G, A, C, D, E
D Major: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D
E Blues: E, G, A, A#, B, D, E, G
Anita and Martin love to experiment with new scales, so if you
have any suggestions, or if you want them to create a special
drum, just for you, then get in touch.
Anita and Martin love to experiment with new scales, so if you
have any suggestions, or if you want them to create a special
drum, just for you,
then get in touch.
Am Drums also help
to release and encour-
age creativity, even for
people who think
they're not musical.
AM Drums are so
easy to play that
anyone can sound
good. Playing them
can be a deeply
spiritual experience, if you take the time to find your own tune.
Some of AM Rustic's customers are professionals who work
with young children or people
with handicaps.
Playing the drums at markets led
Anita and Martin to do some
interactive workshops/
performances at local events, such
as an art exhibition and a charity
fete organized by handicapped
groups.
For Anita and Martin, its all
about spreading love through
music, and they're happy to
keep on doing these kinds of
workshops, so feel free to get
in touch.
You can see some short videos
on You tube
(www.youtube.com/user/
AMRDRUMS) or listen to
audio samples of the drums on
the Myspace page
(www.myspace.com/
am.drums).
If you want to buy a drum, if
you'd like them to do a performance/workshop, or if you
simply want more information, then please send them an email.
They always have a selection in
stock, but they can also make them
specially for you.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://sites.google.com/
site/amrustic
Links: www.youtube.com/user/
AMRDRUMS
www.myspace.com/am.drums
When Martin and Anita volunteered for their first cob building
project three years ago, they jumped in at the deep end.
It was a chance to
learn about all
aspects of cob
building, and now
it's their turn to
share that with
others.
One of the first
things Martin and
Anita learnt to build
was an earth oven,
built using cob.
Since then they
have run several
earth oven
workshops and are
planning more for
later this summer.
If you'd like to take
part (in Creuse), or
to host a workshop
at your place (so an oven is built there), drop them a line at
Cobbing it together –
building and learning
CAN YOU HELP!
Since that first earth oven, Anita and
Martin have moved onto bigger things and
are now building their second cob house
for friends (though they still dream of
building one for themselves...).
Why a cob house? Run an Internet search
for pictures and you'll see the attraction.
It's all about letting the imagination run
wild...
A hand-sculpted home can be any shape you want, with soft
curves instead of the usual sharp lines and angles.
This cottage will be 20m squared and round, with arched
windows and a green, living roof. All the materials are locally
sourced or salvaged.
Earth was dug from the
foundations (and a
pond), straw is from a
farmer and wood is from
nearby trees or the local
timber yard. All the other
materials are salvaged,
such as windows/doors,
chimney fittings and the
sink – even the campsite
stuff for volunteers!
The project is well under
way, with the walls half
built, a sculpted fire-
place, window frames
inserted and roof
structure up.
A wall decorated with
glass bottles will be the
first project in August,
followed by: natural
flooring and insulation;
natural plaster finishes;
rocket stove; earth oven;
and a living roof.
https://sites.google.com/site/amrustic
Skill-sharing is encouraged, if volunteers wish
to hold mini workshops of their own.
In return, Anita and Martin will teach volun-
teers all about cob building, mainly through
direct, hands-on experience.
They will also show you around this beautiful
part of France and give you a glimpse into an
alternative lifestyle.
For those interested, please send an email.
There is also more information on their web-
site, including a blog showing the progress so
far.
Volunteers are invited to join them from 7th
August to the end of September.
Email:
Website:
https://sites.google.com/site/amrustic
After ten successful years of the “Pissed Indian” Rally, in 2006 we started a new rally, The Back to Basics biker bash, an event that does exactly what it says on the tin. A small rally just like the biker parties of times gone by where you turn up in a field with a boom box and a case of beer and let the good times roll. This was a huge success and we put on 2 events in 2007, the 2nd Back to Basics and the 1st Redskin Rally, we had to come to a decision of which event to host out of the two in 2008 and after careful consideration we chose to carry on with the Redskin Rally. These were fantastic events with a good turnout every year, it seems the Redskin took over from where the Pissed Indian left off and we have many people return every year to party with us. The bands, custom show and various other forms of entertainment keep people coming back every year for a good time, to meet up with old friends and new to share stories of the rally antics and infamous rally virgin tales from previous years party's.
HAVING FUN ON THE
RESERVATION
www.renegademc.com
From the 1st Back to Basics we moved from our Pissed Indian site, the Museum of Kent Life in Maidstone to the Minster Rugby Club on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. It made for a great party venue with a scenic ride to get to it.
Not too far from the Rally site is the popular seaside town of Leyesdown, a great place to ride out for fish and chips and to nurse Fridays hangover ready for Saturday nights party. After five fun filled years we have moved the rally from this site to The Reservation in Gillingham Kent.
An easily accessible site, just 5 minutes from Junction 4 of the M2 Close to Historic Rochester and the county town of Maidstone, it’s a perfect venue with loads of room to accommodate all our rally goers. We have had many bands over the years from Drink, a band ever popular on the rally scene, Essex rockers 90% proof, to the infamous West Country lads The Wurzels!
This year’s entertainment is provided by Shameful Behaviour, a 3-piece heavy rock/metal band, the music is a combination of great pumping Original Rock & Metal plus a dash of punk thrown in.
With songs that tell a story and have meaning with face-melting lead guitar, just as it should be and hasn't been for a long time and Shameful Behaviour are a force to be reckoned with. Primarily an original music band Shameful Behaviour is not averse to playing the occa-sional cover of a classic metal song from the bands that have influenced them. In its time the band has also had the pleasure of
sharing the stage with such names as Carmine Appice, Vinnie Moore (UFO), Doug Scarratt (Saxon), and the incredible Michael Angelo Batio.
Due to the relocating to a new site this year’s rally is an overnighter with camping and a boot fair on the Sunday morning, perfect for collectors and salvagers after their next project.
However we will be returning to our usual 3 day event. The
Reservation is on Hempstead Road, Gillingham, Kent.
So with all this in mind we are thoroughly looking forward to this year’s event! So if you fancy a weekend of Cold beer, hot food, great bands and even better company come down to the Redskin Rally! For those with no satnav here are a few directions;
From the A2, turn off at junction 4 for Gillingham/Hempstead Valle, turn left/1st exit at the next roundabout and follow the road to the next roundabout. Take the 2nd exit/right on this roundabout, Follow the road and take the first left (chapel Road). Follow to the end of the road, turn left at the T junction, the Redskin is set just on your right hand side however it will be signed posted out from Chapel Road.
Entry for this year is £3, yes just £3! Car parking is an additional £3 and free parking for bikes. Overnight camping is available at no additional charge. Sorry no BBQ's/Fires on site and as this is a working farm no
animals please.
We also request that you do not bring drink on site as our rally is funded by our bar, besides its really cheap too!
We hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you all there, L&R Nige Renegade MC Medway
Salvager Challenge We are in pre-production of
Salvage Challenge
three Teams of three people have two weeks
and £50 to produce as much saleable
inventory as possible from reclaimed,
salvaged and scavenged items.
They use their own workshop area and the
location they live to find items. they will
have a video link to me for advice on
salvage if they run out of ideas but it’s like a
wild card only so much time on line with me
to get answers.
At the end of the two weeks the teams will
take all their inventory to market the team
that nets the most money win the day.
So if you think you can take up the
challenge send us a mail and tell us what
you have salvaged of late.
Salvager Challenge
Do you have
what it takes to
be a salvager! If you want to be in a team or you
can muster a team of three and
want to be considered for the show
send a e-mail by the link below.
You need to be available for two
weeks over 18 and at least one of
your team needs to have a valid
driving licence.
Art and projects for sale From Rico & Friends.
Art and projects for sale From Rico & Friends.
This picture is by Rico
And is titled
Football
It is
16x20 Acrylic on canvas
signed and dated
£225.00 inc post and packing, unframed.
If you would like to offer your
art and projects for sale on these
pages email Rico
To find out how to
Clam Clox
Here is something entirely new, never before have I seen a clock like this, please tell me if you have, Two Large Clam shells (hinged at the back to make battery changing easy).
The clock mechanism is set in to clear glue and tiny pebbles (collected from St Nicholas beach on Zakynthos) poured on the glue and stuck, then they are sat on a Driftwood base, I have made several, but order promptly to avoid disappointment, A very popular seller.
£8.00 +P&P
Clam Clox
Clam Clox
£8.00 +P&P
£8.00 +P&P
Oil Filled Lantern These beautiful lanterns are made form old hand made roof tiles, some nearing 80 yrs old ! The tube is filled with Lamp Oil and the wick can be adjusted to suit ! the lantern will burn for up to 10 hours on a full tube of oil. £12.00 +P&P
Olive Wood Clocks
Now here are the prettiest clocks we make ! Solid Olive Wood base and clock face, cut and sanded so smooth they are like glass, we have added a clear varnish to bring out the fantastic grain that the Olive wood has. Our clock mechanisms are from
Germany and carry a full 2 yr full replacement guarantee( battery not included )
£7.50
