Cob: Re: COb and gypsum

[Douglas Ketler Scheffer]

Charmaine,

I always enjoy reading your posts, you must have a busy little workshop there.

I have to agree, hypertufa and Roman cement are much more attractive 
in color then concrete. Do you have any idea how well these materials 
would hold up on an interior floor cast into paver stones?

Based on the exposure your beautiful bowls have taken in the outdoor 
elements, I'd think hypertufa would withstand the foot traffic pretty 
well?

Thanks for sharing.

DKS



>Hi, yes I have used crushed gypsum board with cob/sawdust/papercrete
>mixers, and as it is INERT it is filling the fine voids of the mix which
>gives that smooth strong feel, and it is perfect addition for a finish
>wall plaster.
>
>since the gypsum is already calcined and reused you are not getting any,
>or much of any, chemical bonding reaction. but the final efect is great,
>I agree.
>
>The goat hair is a very traditioanl fiber used all over the world, and
>the lime and good clay will make a roman cement, a very very hard
>natural cement, and it won't break easily at all.
>
>I made some bowls for the garden of shredded paper, clay and lime and
>they are rock soild, ring like a bell.
>
>in the pic shown here    http://www.northcoast.com/~tms/3pots.jpg
>
>the bottom bowl is beige paper the top two are tufastone mixes (
>cement/peat moss and sand, one is sawdust instead of moss) the pic is
>lousy for detail, but the paperbowl has been out all winter and holds
>water 24 hours a day, with NO breakdownof the clay or paper!!
>
>I will be making bird baths and sculptures with this stuff, and the
>color is prettier than cement based mixes.
>
>Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
>PO Box 6985, Eureka CA 95502
>707-441-1632
>http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com