Cob: Misc updates

[Earthlink 998-9010]

Hi all,

Haven't posted in a while, still busy with the new high school project on
the Zuni Reservation.  Been monitoring the list off & on. I see little has
changed except that Beel Steen has added to the family (SB addition
pending?), Amado and the birdies are fine and healthy again (Amado's wing)
and Lanto & Linda are still getting their hands dirty.

Zuni High School Proj
Have digital photos of the 1200 year old ruins we dug up at the school site.
Really neat stuff on early home construction that is still in use today and
especially evident in the building of bread ovens.  We have a trailer full
of artifacts at the Zuni Resource Center at Blackrock..

Bread Ovens
Bread ovens are in full swing at Zuni as many are being built or rebuilt.
These are different than those that Kiko builds.  They are sized as 1/2
sack, 1 sack and 1-1/2 sack, referring to the number of loaves that a 25 lb
sack of flower will produce.  A sack makes about 30 Zuni loaves of bread.

Ovens are constructed on a heavy limestone rock base and then a series of
flat 1/2" to 3/4" thick x 8" flagstone are laid in courses, using local clay
as the mortar.  The stones are laid and lapped horizontally and rise
vertically ranging from 3 feet to 4 feet and then each additional course is
moved approximately one inch toward the center until the top is completed.
A smoke vent is set slightly off center and to the rear.  The opening is
very different from other ovens built by Native Americans in the Rio Grande
River region.  The opening is much larger both vertically and horizontally.

Since the village is rather small, activity is very noticeable and there
must be at least 20 oven projects on-going.  Allowing an oven to fully
cure/dry out before firing  is critical.  Since religious activities on the
reservation involve food, last week a family fired their oven with only
about 1 week of drying and it cracked badly with some gaps more than 1"
wide. Black smoke trails were visible on the exterior everywhere.

Property Tax Sales
More tax sale properties coming up at
http://www.state.nm.us/tax/ptd/saleint.htm .  Purchased another 2 acres on
Nez Perce in Rio Rancho with utilities in the street for $425.  Have had
lots of inquiries about the process, so this must be helping quite a few
become property owners.

Cob Stucco Machine
Postponed the work I had scheduled with the cob/stucco machine for this
summer due to my involvement on the Zuni Project.  Purchased a 580 Case
Backhoe for $1000 (no additional repair cost, clogged injector pump) and
want  to at least get the footings in before winter for 800 lin of wall,
2000 sq ft work shop and a 500 sq ft garage.  If Arun Vohra and Jay Burch
are ready with their DOE project, looks like the machine will be used for
many months in several states on exterior insulation projects and
application of both stucco and earth renders. They are involved in some
really exciting work in retro-fit and a new approach to insulating existing
structures with various types of media.


SANCO Enterprises, LLC
Paul Salas, General Manager
P.O. Box 45741
Rio Rancho, NM  87174
(505)  238-1485
chansey at earthlink.net