Cob: A Few Questions

Fri Jul 11 19:01:33 CDT 2003

BlankI have a few questions concerning aspects of cobbing. We have a 55 gallon drum with 250 pounds of lime slaking inside. I am wondering if anyone here has slaked their lime before, and if so, how does one store it over the winter? Must it be protected from freezing weather? Can it be left as is in the drum, or does it have to be insulated over winter?

We are a little over halfway finished with our stone plinth. It has been very hard work on the hands and on the lower back. Our plinth is made from urbanite and natural rocks that are all sizes and shapes. We are mortaring it with a mix that we are making from scratch. That is one of the reasons for the aches and pains--mixing the mortar with a hoe on the car hood that we pulled behind the car while hauling the stones to the home site.

I am wondering if anyone here has built with cob and also had a plinth built from heavy stones [one weighed approximately 750 pounds judging from its size and the fact that stone weighs 3000 lbs. a yard] that used mortar made from scratch and completely hand-mixed. The reason I am asking is because I am curious as to whether I can expect the next phase--the actual cobbing of the walls--to be easier than, harder than, or about the same as, the building of the plinth.

Thanks.
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<DIV>I have a few questions concerning aspects of cobbing. We have a 55 
gallon drum with 250 pounds of lime slaking inside. I am wondering if anyone 
here has slaked their lime before, and if so, how does one store it over the 
winter? Must it be protected from freezing weather? Can it be left as is in the 
drum, or does it have to be insulated over winter?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We are a little over halfway finished with our stone plinth. It has been 
very hard work on the hands and on the lower back. Our plinth is made from 
urbanite and natural rocks that are all sizes and shapes. We are mortaring it 
with a mix that we are making from scratch. That is one of the reasons for the 
aches and pains--mixing the mortar with a hoe on the car hood that we 
pulled behind the car while hauling the stones to the home site.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I am wondering if anyone here has built with cob and also had a plinth 
built from heavy stones [one weighed approximately 750 pounds judging from its 
size and the fact that stone weighs 3000 lbs. a yard] that used mortar made from 
scratch and completely hand-mixed. The reason I am asking is because I am 
curious as to whether I can expect the next phase--the actual cobbing of the 
walls--to be easier than, harder than, or about the same as, the building of the 
plinth.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks.</DIV></BODY></HTML>
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