[Cob] Mixing with a backhoe bucket???

[Anna Young]

Hi Andrew,

We are doing backhoe cob for our house. It is quite easy and much quicker 
than foot mixing, though you have to watch the quality. We use the bucket as 
a measuring scoop. Two - three days before making a batch, we get a scoop 
full of clay, park it so the scoop mouth is flat, and fill with water to 
overflowing so our dry clay has lots of time to soak. Makes a much better 
mix.

When we are ready to mix, we dump out the clay in the mixing hollow that has 
appeared over time, then add another scoop of dry clay and mix the two 
together with the bucket really well, squishing and pushing and smearing 
with the bucket to break down the big lumps. Then we lay down a bed of 3 
scoops sand and 1 earth on the top of the clay and mix well with bucket and 
tracks, adding lots of water till it's good and wet. Then we add one layer 
of straw, smear it well into the mix with the bucket, then use tracks to mix 
it through. If we use tracks first, the straw just gets bunched up in them 
and doesn't get spread through the mix. Then we add another layer of straw 
and more water if necessary, mix in again, get the Cob Queen to check it, 
and it's done.

Hope that helps. Will try and post a video to Youtube, but the in-laws are 
here this week and time is a bit tight.

Anna
cob-strawbale timberframe in Victoria, BC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Purke" <atmaninall at yahoo.com>
To: <coblist at deatech.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 07, 2011 11:37 AM
Subject: [Cob] Mixing with a backhoe bucket???


>
>
> I think I remember reading on this list that someone was
> using a backhoe bucket to mix with. If
> so, I could use all the info I can get on how to do it.
>
> I just finished building a small backhoe with an 18” wide
> bucket to do the heavy work.
>
> Thanks
>
> Andy
> _______________________________________________
> Coblist mailing list
> Coblist at deatech.com
> http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
>