Cob: bicycle powered cob mixer

[Ocean]

The proposed "bicycle powered cob (cement) mixer" is an example of the lack
of realistic info being blended with a supposed environmental solution...to
a problem that doesn't exist!

I think the problem arose from the fact that the folks who are organizing
the Natural Building Convergence this May in Portland are planning to do
four different cob projects, and intend from the start to use cement mixers
to mix the cob.

Brian, I must say it is unfortunate that you don't seem to know that cob is
best mixed by human power to begin with...not a bicycle-powered mixer (which
even if you could build--I agree with your reservations--you'd never get the
thing turning the heavy mix that cob is)...but with our own two FEET!!!

Ianto and Linda are big on emphasizing that THE FEET are the only way to mix
cob, so much so that folks seem to "rebel" a bit and go whole hog out the
other way, and mix with as big a tractor as possible. We in fact use a
tractor to mix cob at the restaurant (http://www.intabas.com), and up at the
Garden Kiva (http://www.peacemaking.org)

The reason to mix with a machine is lack of human power (not enough FEET)
and a time constraint.  Cement mixers aren't very useful anyway, since to
mix well one must first puree the clay in 50 gallon buckets with a half-inch
drill and a drywall mixer paddle.  But if you don't have time and you do
have the machinery, cob can be machine mixed.  It only uses a little
electricity, so I wouldn't worry about trying to save the environment by
hooking up a bicycle to the contraption.

No, if you want to "go green" and mix cob by human power, please just take
off your shoes and stomp it, the good, old-fashioned, "Cob Cottage" way.
Ianto and Linda will be proud of you!

Ocean

on 3/15/02 9:13 PM, j. gann at jmygann at yahoo.com wrote:

> I'm not sure that cob is mixed in a mixer. The little
> I did, I mixed in a wheelbarrow by hand. Seemed too
> thick for a mixer. If mixed with hands and feet why
> add a bicycle.
> 
> 
> --- brian besold <buffalokiller at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello. The following message was received by
>> Michelle Brooks, who suggested
>> that I foward it to this address for potential ideas
>> with my project. Thanks
>> in advance for anything, Brian.
>> 
>> 
>> I'm interested in building a bicycle-powered cob
>> mixer. I have some ideas,
>> but without having ever worked with cob, there are
>> things that I need to ask
>> some of you who have worked with cob. I'll explain
>> my ideas so far. These
>> are based on the use of a cement mixer, but I'm also
>> wondering if a cement
>> mixer, since it's so heavy to begin with, is the
>> best container to use.
>> Initially, I thought I'd use the drive-train from
>> the bike- connect it to
>> the gear on the mixer and it's done. The problem
>> comes when it's time to
>> dump the mix. Either the drive-train on the bike has
>> to disconnect or the
>> bike has to dump with the mixer. As fussy as I've
>> found home-made chain and
>> gear driven toys to be, I don't think this is the
>> best design. A simple
>> friction drive where the mixer rests on the back
>> wheel of the bike might
>> work though. The back of the bike will be mounted on
>> a stand lifting the
>> back wheel off of the ground, and be completely
>> independent of the mixer.
>> I'm wondering if mixing the cob will even be
>> possible though. Will it be too
>> heavy to get the mixer rotating?  Can anyone tell me
>> where I might be able
>> to get an old cement mixer(w/out a motor) to play
>> with?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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