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The Work of Art and The Art of Work Kiko Denzer on Art |
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[Cob] Roofing material?Raduazo at aol.com Raduazo at aol.comWed Jan 4 17:03:46 CST 2006
I have been experimenting with paper/clay roofing material built on a bamboo lath base. I consider this to be a temporary roofing material because I do not know how long it will last. I start with shredded paper and turn it into pulp either with a drywall mud mixer on a 1/2 inch drill or with my feet in a 1/2 of a 55 gallon plastic drum. I then add clay and sand. I have not yet figured out the ratios, but it does not matter because you have to experiment anyway unless you buy fire clay or ball clay in the bags. I then plaster it over the bamboo lath, and when it is completely dry I paint with two coats of boiled linseed oil. I have an experimental roof section and the real roof of a children's playhouse both 6 months old, and we have had plenty of rain here in the Washington, DC area. I also have a Carol Cruse sculpture with a mica finish and one coat of boiled linseed oil that has been out in the rain since the NBC-East. One of my experimental roof panels is horse manure and clay. Right now I am favoring the paper because you can build up multiple layers to achieve the final surface. The wet paper/clay sticks to the dry paper/clay with a layer of slip. I have some pictures around someplace that show the layering process, and I am going to go back to the playhouse to take some more pictures next week. I recommend a 45 degree slope on the roof, but the test panel is set out nearly horizontal because I want to test it under the worst possible conditions. We had three inches of snow and it melted over a three day period with out doing harm to the panel. I think that it is important to have god ventilation under the roof because the under surface is in no way water proofed, and thus it will absorb condensation if any is allowed to form. Ed
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