[Cob] cob w/adobe and other materials

[Henry Raduazo]

Last year on a trip to New mexico I saw and photographed ovens made  
of both cob and adobe. It is no big deal either way.  I did not see  
cracks in the adobe ovens, but that may have been because they put a  
finish layer over the adobes.  It is just a matter of what you are  
used to. If you want photographs of ovens in various stages of use or  
disrepair, I have them. Specify what degree of resolution you want  
them transmitted at.
	I also have photographs of the straw bale house and the cob/adobe/ 
earth bag arch constructed for Earth day at the Botanical garden in  
Washington DC and photographs of people from Bhutan constructing a  
rammed earth wall on the mall in DC.
Ed
On Jul 5, 2008, at 1:03 PM, Dulane wrote:

> I think that although cob ovens can last a good long time, they are  
> the most
> practical/functional cob to start with, and a wonderfully organic  
> project to
> be part of. I think incorporating adobe would be a great design  
> experiment.
>
> One of your most serious considerations is a roof. Don't even worry  
> about
> longevity unless you have a roof plan. Maybe just do it for the  
> summer.
>
> Don't use concrete mortar, or any material that will survive a deluge,
> because it is just another chunk that will wind up in a land fill  
> someday.
>
> Don't be concerned if you lose your first oven to beginner's luck or
> seasonal rain. You can always start anew, and probably use the same
> materials.
>
> When I built my oven, I had a person stop by who insisted that I  
> empty out
> the wet sand form and fire it within 3 days. Then I realized that  
> they had
> been to a 3 day workshop and they believed that cob ovens could  
> only be
> built quickly. Mine sat for a month before I fired it. No mold, no  
> worries.
>
> It dried nicely, but it still cracked eventually when I fired it.  
> Nothing a
> bit of sandy clay mortar couldn't fix. One consideration that I ran  
> across
> is that you need to have firewood cut to the size of your oven. My  
> oven is a
> bit small for regular length firewood, so I collect tree branches  
> that I can
> break/cut to size.
>
> A cob oven is a gift project for people who are considering a larger
> project. And good cheap fun too.
>
>
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