[Cob] mixing cob roto-tiller

[Monica Proulx]

>Do any of you have any experience with mixing cob by driving back and
>forth over it?  I have a late-starting project I want to hurry and
>finish......

There is another way to quickly mix cob, (maybe not so fast as the truck
etc).  I saw Ed Raduazo (raduazo at aol.com of the D.C. area) do an amazingly
quick job of cob mixing with a modified roto-tiller.  It must be done on a
cement pad (I don't think asphalt is smooth enough, and he can tell you the
minimum dimensions for the cement pad), and you need at least two people -
one for the tiller and another with a shovel to turn things into the
center.  I think he said he can do 1,000 pounds at a time, and it worked
up very quickly and uniformly.  If you have several people, it is surprising
how quick you can put the stuff up on your project.  He is a very
accommodating fellow and really likes educating people about cob, so get him
to tell you how to modify the tiller (I think you need a certain kind of
tiller and you must remove some part, maybe some tines, but don't take my
word for anything).  This way you won't have to wash your truck!

Another good thing to do would be to search the coblist for quick mixing
suggestions, you will find the roto-tiller method mentioned, perhaps in more
detail.  Ed posts to the list all the time (or I wouldn't have put his email
address up here, probably would suggest this himself once he sees your
question).   Good luck with your project.