[Cob] Re: linseed oil on outdoor cob

[Barbara Roemer and Glenn Miller]

Kathy sez:  Perhaps I can persuade my library to get in a
copy of the Steens book.


For Kathy and anyone else who's interested, the Steens' new floor book won't
be out before spring, minimum, and while they still sell the original one,
some of the info is outdated.  Worth waiting for the new one if you can.

Kathy, if you have little rainfall, your bench might be fine outside
depending on your expectations of it.  The Steens live outside Elgin, AZ, on
a plateau, with an almost year-round creek, so it's not desert, but has
about 11 inches of rain July-October, with ~7" in July and August.  From
Nov.-Mar they get another 3-4 inches (11" or less in the growing season is
considered desert, if I remember).  The quantity at any one time is probably
important.  The wonderful bench in their entry garden is still there, and is
weathering beautifully: looks almost like a ruin, but not quite.  Our cob
oven, on the other hand, was left open in a couple of storms, and while it
only eroded ~ 1/4" (and is unplastered), it has cracks all the way through
its 4-6" surface in a few places and needs repair.  Still bakes pizza fine,
but loses a lot of heat so doesn't get up to the 700 degrees it used to
where it would hold heat for 24 hours and we could bake all day in it.  The
repair is not difficult, but I wish I'd avoided it with a little more care.
The roof will replace a tarp next year, but then we have 65" of precip. from
Oct.-April/May and none after that.  Perhaps since it's a much thinner wall
than a bench would be, the experience is irrelevant to a massive structure
which might get damp clear through and dry out after the rainy season.  In
our area, people roof benches and finish with linseed oil.

Barbara