Cob: Re: Clay what is IZ

[Charmaine R Taylor]

Clay is the weathering of feldspar and quartz...the most abundant
minerals on earth.

The grain chain of command is:
Colloids > 2 mincrons

Clay at ~2 microns wide
silt fromsand +5 mm down to .06
Gravel 200mm down to 20 mm


The reason clay is sticky is the ions that bond water to clay annot
break the the capillary action at 2 microns wate- teh same as the
average clay particle.

By adding larger grained silt and sane it breaks the bond between clay
and water so it doesn't keep endlessly gliding together.

Adding lime CHEMICALLY breaks the conds of water, this is why lime is
used to dry up muddy job sites and pooling areas.

When water evaporates the clay shrinks and cracks, or swells in rain.
BUT with lime added the  reaction to water is PERMANENTLY stopped.

If you have a muddy front walk, or low area under a gate you can mix in
a couple pounds of dry hydrated lime and mash it, after which the
problem is solved.

(This is for the science dweebs, like me, who wanna know!)

Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com
http://www.papercrete.com
PO Box 375, Cutten CA 95534
707-441-1632