Cob: prefab clay panels

[Charmaine R Taylor]

Hi Lootvick, I could have sworn I answered this yesterday.

Fabric can also be jute or even reed matting, and the Germans use a big
flat table the size of the finished panel, and do layers of clay and lay
crosswise the fabric, for strength. this method is done  individually,
not commercially,(lehmbauplatte)  because it is labor intensive and
therefore cost prohibitive, but hey....all us natural geeks have time to
plaster, layer organically grown fiber, meditate, plaster some more, eat
some vegan free range tofu, then go plaster again, not forgetting to
embed messages and symbols in the clay layers so archaeologists can be
really informed 3,000 years from now.  : >

but seriously, when wattle and daub is done the wattle is  twigs/limbs
woven, so needs only one person to apply the mud, but on burlap I have
hard of it being dipped in clay slip and slapped against a misted wall
and left to dry for a textured, woven wall effect, this was done in
Germany as reported by Shay Solomon.

so there is no reason not to make a performed light straw clay panel,
and then apply fabric that way too.  or do 1" thick plaster straw
layers, lay down fabric, add more, etc. no need to make the walls thick
for interior non load bearing.

Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com