[Cob] Paper cob...

[yew]

From: "James"

>I would be concerned about it's tensile
>strength too... though adobe buildings have
>been built for hundreds (thousands?) of years
>without straw in the mix.

Newer building codes on adobe (in the U.S. anyway) require rebar or similar
reinforcement because of the lack of tensile strength in adobe block
construction.  However, I'm sure the lack of tensile strength is also
partially due to the fact that adobe construction isn't monolithic like cob.
Living in a seismic zone as I do, these matters are important
considerations.

>The biggest disadvantage to using paper that
>I can see is that paper is a recyclable product.
>As soon as you put it in cob, you can never
>again turn it into more paper.  Straw is (generally
>speaking) a waste product, which might otherwise
>be burnt or tossed into a landfill.

True.  I'm thinking, then, that paper might be a viable alternative to folks
in urban areas where straw is scarce.

Having worked with straw at a House Alive workshop and now on my own project
(a bench in my back yard), I admit I have a love/hate relationship with the
stuff.  The all-natural aspect is, of course, a big draw...as is the
strength.  But it kicks up my allergies something fierce and is just plain
hard to work with.  Getting the right mix with straw is complicated--too
little straw and the mix loses strength, too much and it's like building
with fibrous spaghetti.  Also, the wheat straw hereabouts seems short and
weak (compared to the only other straw I've worked with--rice straw).

Paper, in contrast, is much more forgiving.  It's fun to work with and seems
to make excellent, very hard cob.  I imagine it wouldn't be that difficult
to find a source of paper that would otherwise go to the landfill.  Despite
recycling efforts, plenty of paper still just gets tossed.  The absorption
issue that Joseph mentioned could probably be countered with a lime plaster
and/or vented siding (something I planned to do anyway, living in the rainy
Pacific Northwest).

I'm not 100% sold on paper cob, but the idea at least seems promising.  I'll
definitely need to do more tests--I'll probably build a small wall with it
this summer.

Thanks for your input, James, and good luck this winter in Mexico!

Brina