[Cob] chicken feathers & testing to failure

[Charmaine Taylor]

Howard said:   Being experimental perhaps you want to make a test
panel, get it wet, monitor it for critters etc. and see how it feels
to you.
______________________

great advice.. I love testing  my experiments to failure, I want to
know sooner rather than after all the hard work is done that an idea
or method won't work.

testing various mixes is absolutely necessary for any cob or natural
builder, you have no idea the color, the stability, the  strength of
mixes until you have a "test station" and do real scientific notation
on your recipes and  formulas.  TIME is your friend use it, set up
test walls, panels etc NOW before the project is in full swing

keep a journal, take photos,  expose to weather, test color
patches,... it can be a real time saver right when you go to do all
the real work.. you want to do it just once.. and not find out it's a
mess in the middle of your labors

I did this with a paper+lime plaster in my guest bath. I wanted the
old world look of  lime plaster, was experimenting with papercrete-
but  I use NO cement- and  tried an old Chinese recipe I found in the
book about Building Chinese Adobe & RE.
( I've posted this formula before to the list)

Just soaked shredded  office paper in lime putty, add sand to taste,
and  plaster by hand onto the  green board walls.  very little
attachment netting was used, just a few strips of sticky back  webbing
tape used by  sheetrock guys... and after 5 years  of daily or more
shower use there is no sign of mold, deterioration, etc.. I put the
first batch of plaster all around the shower stall itself where it
would fail there FIRST if anywhere due to moisture exposure, etc.  I
watched that area for 3 months before plastering the rest of the
walls.   not one problem, no  chipping, mold, stains, nuthin has
happened..

  the walls don't get  direct water as in any normal bath, just misc
splashes, sprays, steam, etc.  and this is in a N facing cold room
with no  fan/vent, just a window.


-- 
Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
Toll Free Order: 1-888-441-1632
www.dirtcheapbuilder.com   www. papercrete.com
PO Box 375, Cutten CA 95534