Cob: fibrous paper & reinforcement

[Taylor Publishing-DirtCheapBuilder]

I did an experiment one time using a papermache like pulp mixed in place 
of the straw in cob - it made an excellent cob. --John Fordice

John, I think many people are using paper in cob, I started making 
"papercob" 4 years ago for experiments, and Becky Bee  started adding it 
 after we talked, and the  "natural"  fiber-papercrete is made without 
cement..IE paper-clay-sand.

I make my mixes with paper-clay and lime, with a little sand, but mostly 
sawdust-clay and lime to get very strong palsters and briicks.  the lime 
stabilizes the clay,a nd I can keepa wet bucket of mixed material for 
months with no molding due to the lime properties

this is why I call "papercrete" and all he other names for it an 
IDEA...you can add clipped lawn grasses as Ken Kern did ( I tried this 
on my cob bench and it works great 6-9" long grasses, dried), or use 
cellulose insulation or mix paper and sawdust, etc on and on...so keep 
working with it.  I have one garden bowl made ONLY of paper, clay and 
lime that continues to hold water as a birdbath after 3 years outside in 
all weather..so the stuff can be resiliant. (the lime and clay are 
making a natural Roman cement, therefore the strength)

However there is little tensile strength with a fluffy paper mix..the 
long fibers ( of any kind) are needed to give strength as in regular cob

Ms. Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com    http://www.papercrete.com
PO Box 375, Cutten (Eureka) CA 95534 707-441-1632    
books at dirtcheapbuilder.com