Cob Need some *cob* help

[Janet]

Thank you for responding Pat!

I don't think this is exactly good news for me.  When I followed
your instructions, I ended up with what appears to be about 85%
sand followed by 15% silt.  Being there were only two distinguishable
parts, I'm guessing that there is next to zip in the clay department.

Is there by chance a product on the market that I can add to make
up for the missing clay?  Is adding straw necessary?

When making tests bricks, is the time it takes to dry a factor in
whether you have a *good* brick?

How does one test for durability?  Should the brick be able to
withstand a drop from a certain height without breaking?

Lastly, for now ;), when making a structure such as a goat pen, does
one need to lay some sort of cob foundation to build the cob onto or
can one merely start building on flattened earth (or sand in my case)?

Thank you so much for all your help!!

Janet


At 09:20 AM 4/5/99 +0000, you wrote:
>You don't need any machinary to make cob. Most folks I know don't use 
>machinary. To get you hands "muddy" go ahead and make some test bricks 
>and measure their length then measure them again and see how much they 
>shrank. 
>
>Next put some of your earth in a jar (1/3 full) then add another 1/3 of 
>water and shake. The sand will sink to the bottom, followed by silt 
>then clay. Clay is on top. 10 to 30 percent is good, but for small 
>project you have a lot of flexabilty. Let us know how it goes.
>
>Pat
>http://www.gnat.net/~goshawk