[Cob] oiling cob

[paul]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <hms.mommy at juno.com>
To: <coblist at deatech.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 7:55 PM
Subject: [Cob] oiling cob


> Do any of you cobbers know how to work with oil and cob?  I have a little
> model I made to experiement on, and have been brushing it with plain old
> vegetable oil (just because it's available) and it seems like no matter
> how much I put on, more will go on.  Is there ever a point at which it
> will stop soaking in?  Then I tried pouring melted wax on it, but the wax
> didn't soak in at all, and when it cooled, it came right off.  What am I
> missing?

I'll tell ya my fears about oils, Carrie: they go rancid.  I know that flax 
oil is extremely volatile and will go rancid after even a few minutes of 
exposure to air or sunlight.  Linseed is made from flax, but it's been 
boiled (I believe).  Unless I'm missing something the oil would definitely 
be rancid.  I think linseed is probably rancid (strong odor), and possibly 
perfumed and deoderized to trick the olfactory senses.  Canola is 
deoderized.  That's because it's rancid in the bottle.

Olive oil and Macadamia and coconut are very stable in comparison, but even 
they will go rancid if you spread them on a flat surface and expose them to 
air over time.

I have to tell you that the use of turpentine with linseed seems highly 
toxic to me, and if it's not I'd like to hear why.  I know one family that 
was worried they'd have to move out of such a cob structure after doing 
their floors (pretty, but deadly) that way.  I barely could stand visiting 
that house for more than two minutes.  It was a toxic nighmare.

I think flax/linseed is OK if you want to put up with having rancid oils on 
your floor, and I don't really know what bad effects there are from 
schlopping around in a house full of rancid oils.  Maybe none, but maybe 
some.  The turpentine thing just seems like an a suicide wish.  I suppose 
it's supposed to evaporate but I can tell you that it doesn't always 
evaporate and smells like holy hell.  Maybe not heating the floors helps 
too, but why taunt the gods of common sense?  I'd like to know.  Somebody 
here probably understands this a lot better than me.