[Cob] Cow's make better dung than horses!

[ocean]

Kiko and I have used cow dung in our finish plasters - much superior to 
horse, since cows send the grass through several stomachs and the 
resulting fiber is very fine.  Kiko didn't wash the dung first, just 
mixed it into our clay slip and fine sand mix - the liquid part of the 
dung includes natural binders, helps the plaster stick together.

Regarding the smell, it's quite pungent when straight from the cow.  If 
the dung is left to dry out in the sun, the smell goes away.  Or if you 
must use smelly plaster containing fresh dung, the smell also goes away 
when the plaster dries.

Very important to get the dung from hay- or pasture-feeding cows - if 
they are eating corn feed, forget it, the dung is full of undigested 
corn kernels (poor cows have a hard time digesting corn!)

You can see examples of Kiko's fine plaster sculptures at 
http://www.intabas.com/kikodenzer.html

Ocean Liff-Anderson
Intaba's Wood Fired Eatery
http://www.intabas.com


On Feb 13, 2005, at 7:51 AM, joseph r dupont wrote:

> 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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>>
>>
>
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