[Cob] Re:Design Concept (washed dung)

[joseph r dupont]

Well at first.. your idea seems repulsive.. But then when you think about
it.
the horse has done a lot of work stripping the biodegradable stuff from
the food.
Thus.. what is left over after rinsing is tough stuff.
Obviouisly  the liquid used would be great in a garden.. but it might be
better in a
methane digester. then thegarden.. just a thought.
thanks.
Joe dupont
On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 10:26:06 EST Raduazo at aol.com writes:
> The trouble with most brown coats is that they are  brown. The reason 
> for 
> this is the use of dung as the main ingredient. I have  been working 
> with a new 
> material*,  washed horse dung.  I just  got through experimenting 
> with panels 
> made of washed dung. The panels feel like  wood, and they take on 
> the color of 
> the clay that I mix with the dung.
>     Washed dung is made by putting horse dung in a  bucket and 
> adding about 1 
> 1/4 parts water to one part clean fresh dung  (by volume) and 
> stirring it 
> vigorously. I use a paint mixing paddle in an  electric drill.  I 
> then poured the 
> dung out into a pair of old panty hose,  which I can tie to the top 
> of the 
> bucket with a bungee cord, I step on the panty  hose to wring out 
> the water and 
> then repeat this two or three times. The  resulting fiber is mixed 
> at about 
> one part clay to three parts washed dung. Then  add sufficient water 
> to make a 
> thick plaster. I am using a beautiful  red clay and the dung takes 
> on the color 
> of the clay with no noticeable  darkening effect. The strength of 
> the 
> resulting panels will surprise you.
>     They can be sanded or you can let it dry then  re-moisten it and 
> refinish 
> it to get a flat surface because it tends to get  lumpy as it dries. 
> I am 
> thinking about trying the wet/dry sanding sponges. Once  it is 
> smoothed to your 
> liking it can be painted with linseed oil, urethane  finished and 
> waxed.
>      I am looking for a supply of green, yellow or  blue clay next 
> to see how 
> they work. If anyone has a good supply in the  Washington, DC area 
> let me 
> know.
>     This summer I am going to try setting up a  hydroponic system to 
> see if 
> the manure tea washed from the dung will work as an  Allen Cooper** 
> style 
> nutrient film. This of course will be done with a  conductivity 
> tester since many 
> horse owners feed their animals salt.
> Ed
>  
> *Well it is new to me anyway
> **The ABC of NFT by Dr. Allen Cooper
> (Pictures of a finished panel are available upon  request)
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