Vidé-Haut #2 – Katmandou : Building the Sheetpress
In this video, you will discover the entire process of building the sheetpress with its ups and downs, our expectations and the reality on the ground because the way of working in Nepal is completly different from what we can find in France. This machine makes plastic sheets of one meter by one meter, sheets which can then be cut, assembled, screwed, bended and welded to design all kinds of objects (tables, chairs, tiles, buckets…).
We originally ordered this machine from an Indian company and we supprosed to receive it in September. But when we arrived in Kathmandu on mid-November, it was still not there. This is why we chose to build it by ourselves. If we expected it would take 2 or 3 weeks to build it, it ended up taking us almost 2 months !
The causes are multiple :
- Finding the parts : In Kathmandu, there are no large hardware stores, nor any online catalog. Only small shops gathered in specialized districts (electronics, large tools, lamps, etc.). We therefore had to explore the city to its smallest nooks and crannies to find the pieces we were looking for.
- Adapt to the pieces we find : If we find them, the pieces are not always of the desired quality or dimensions, we must adapt our plans accordingly.
- The notion of time and the way of working : This is certainly what was the most difficult for us, and what caused the most delays in the fabrication. In Nepal, as in India, the way people see the time is very different, and it is normal to be (very) late. So we spent a lot of time waiting at the factory for something to be done…
But in the end, despite the long delays, we managed to have a working machine of the best possible quality before our departure ! As Nathan stayed several additional months, he was able to perform some tests on the machine [see Tests on the Sheetpress].