[Cob] unfired tiles

[Amanda Peck]

a) you're posting to "the list" when you post to that funky address.  You 
can change things so that you don't get the "digest" but each message 
separately.  I found that hotmail was SO slow about sending me the 
digest--by a day or two later than the digest going to a friend, I opted for 
one message at a time, it seems to work a bit better.

b) Massive tamped earth floors work pretty well.  They can be clay-sand or a 
cob-mix.  One more time, I'll post the Dancing Rabbit floor story 
link--scroll down a bit.

http://www.dancingrabbit.org/newsletter/Newsletter0701-floors.html

Plus there's a book (by the Steens), sections in most of the cob (and 
probably straw bale) books on earthen floors.  The internet search needs to 
be for "earthen floors" not "earth" or "dirt."  Darel told me that--it works 
MUCH better.

But if you have access to one of the rammed earth brick/tile makers it would 
be worth experimenting.  The advantage would be that you could--would almost 
have to with some machines--pre-dry them under a shed before installing over 
the tamped gravel followed by roadbase and/or sand.  That was Dancing 
Rabbit's complaint about working after the rains started--the floor took so 
long to dry.  After burnishing and the linseed oil treatment, they say that 
damp mopping is not a problem.

The major concern I can see with the dried tiles would be in letting them 
dry flat.   I think I would also experiment with putting them in with a 
mortar of some sort--clay/sand would be my first choice.  And I don't know 
if the finish would be smooth enough that one could dispense with the 
burnishing when leather hard.

And for all I know, the adobe people have had good luck with unfired tile 
floors.  I'd be glad to know about them.

I've mixed up a bit of cob.  Not my own building, though.  No idea what kind 
of percentage of people on the list have actually worked on cob.

Sebastian Barber wrote:

    from what i can work out, i have to email this address to post a new
    topic. this seems a little strange? is there not a decated listing
    page as with most dicusion pages??

    I'm a 3rd year building student in the UK looking at the viability of
    Cob as a flooring material, namely in the form of unfired earth
    tiles.


    Obviously there are massive durability and waterproofing issues at
    stake so I would be very interested in any information on this subject
    that anyone could point me in the direction of.  I'm at the initial
    "collect information" stage so any advice in terms of discusion pages,
    websites or any information in this field would be much appreciated.


    Is anyone here involved in working with cob as a building material or
    know anyone who is?


    All help, direction, reccomendation etc. much appreciated,


    Regards,

    Bug.

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References

    1. http://g.msn.com/8HMBEN/2740??PS=
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