PRODUCTION PROCESS & CARE FOR SPUN/COILED & COMPRESSED/PRESSED BAMBOO PRODUCTS
I. Materials for production.
A truly environmental friendly resource, bamboo is one of the earth’s fastest growing plants. Bamboo offers vital economic and ecological benefits to the lives of millions of people worldwide; providing food, fuel, housing and furniture as well as artisan products. Each single piece requires a complex minimum 20 day process.
Major materials to make both coiled & compressed bamboo products are diffirent kinds of materials such as Bamboo, mixture of glues, stone powder, cashew nut oil, clear lacquer and paints.
II. Method of production:
Almost 100% of the whole production process is implemented by hand. Yet, nowadays machinery can be applied for some steps of the production process such as coloring, lacquer coating. However, there must be always people’s hands in all of the steps.
III. Major steps involved in the production process:
There are a total of 34 major steps involved in the production process of coiled & compressed bamboo as follows:
1. Cut bamboo from man-grown bamboo forests. The right aged bamboo should be 3-4 years old.
2. Cut the bamboo trunks by sections, split the cut sections into 2-10 strips then soak them under water for a consecutive period of 3-4 months in order to kill insects, termites or worms then take them out of the water then remove water from them by drying them under the sun or by heater if there is no sun or during raining or wet time until they get completely dry in order to prevent cracking problems for finished products and then store them in dry warehouses if they are not used immediately.
3. Classify treated strips by specific kinds of products. For example, short strips are used for pressed bamboo products or for coiled bamboo products of small sizes. Long strips are used for coiled bamboo vases and coiled bamboo products in large sizes.
4. Split treated strips into smaller strips of diffirent widths in the sizes of 1-4cm wide and classify them by specific kinds of products. For example, strips in the sizes of 3-4 cm should be used to make vases and large size coiled bamboo items and strips in the sizes of 1-2cm wide should be used to make pressed bamboo products and small size coiled bamboo items.
5. Use knife to firstly remove outer layers then inner layers of the bamboo strips and then classify them by specific kinds of products. For example, the smaller the products are, the thinner the strips will be and vice versa.
6. Insert strips into a special machine in order to make them curved. However, for pressed bamboo items, this step is not needed.
7. Use plywood mould to make products to required dimensions.
8. Use cement moulds to make products to required shapes. However, for pressed bamboo items, this step is not needed.
9. Dip the products into a mixture of cashew nut oil and glues in order to strengthen the products.
10. Dry up products.
11. Use curved knives to make product surface even.
12. Any cracks, indentations and holes on the product surface are sealed up with a mixture of glues and stone powder in order to make the product surface even and strong.
13. Sand the products to make their surface even by sandpaper.
14. Dip the products into glue in order to strengthen them.
15. Dry up the products again. After many times of drying, we have products at very low humidity rate at around 14%.
16. Step 12 is repeated.
17. Step 13 is repeated.
18. Apply a layer of colorless/clear PU lacquer coat onto the products’ surface to make the surface even.
19. Step 12 is repeated.
20. Step 13 is repeated.
21. Step 18 is repeated.
22. Step 12 is repeated.
23. Step 13 is repeated.
24. Step 18 is repeated.
25. Step 12 is repeated.
26. Step 13 is repeated.
27. Step 18 is repeated. If the products are required to be colored, this step is a coloring step to required colors such as black, red, green, blue, white etc.
28. Step 12 is repeated.
29. Step 13 is repeated.
30. Step 18 is repeated. If the products are required to be colored, this step is a coloring step to required colors such as black, red, green, blue, white etc.
31. Step 12 is repeated.
32. Step 13 is repeated.
33. Step 18 is repeated.
34. Dry up the products indoor for the last time before packing them up for delivery.
IV/ BAMBOO CARE:
By following a few simple precautions, you can enjoy the beauty of your bamboo products for many years. Here are a few general instructions to assist you in maintaining the beauty and quality of bamboo products.
1. Keep the products out of direct sunlight and away from extreme heat. Ultraviolet light and extreme heat will fade the surface of the products and allow fine cracks to form. Once light or heat damage has occurred, other kinds of deterioration can happen as well, and the beauty and life-span of your products will be reduced.
2. Do not stack on top of other bamboo products.
3. Do not put hard & sharp objects onto the products like knives or forks. Do not put heavy objects onto the products. Otherwise, your products may get scratched or cracked.
4. Do not soak, put water into or place your bamboo products in wet places for a long time.
5. Do not use any chemicals to clean your bamboo products. Instead, use a dry or damp & soft cloth to gently wipe it down. This should be done routinely as dirt or moisture may build up if your products are used often. After using your bamboo products with food, you can clean them with mild soap and warm water, then rinse and then gently wipe with soft cloth and finally dry them immediately after cleaning.
6. Do not insert into dish washers, electrical ovens or micro ovens.
7. Your bamboo products are susceptible to damage from very dry conditions or fluctuating humidity. A a balanced climate that is between 60% and 70 % humidity is recommended to store your bamboo products in order to ensure long life.
See more:
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