Right on target. Air is a key component in papercrete. It
drastically affects density.
The final density of papercrete, as you stated, is affected by many
things. The densities of the ingredients in the mix, the degree to
which they intermingle with each other, and the amount of compression
that is imparted upon the slurry.
Convincing someone that is well versed in standard construction
materials about the virtues of papercrete can be difficult to do
verbally. The stuff defies logic. Your idea of handing him a block
of the stuff is probably the best way to open his eyes. When I first
read about it, I scoffed at it. "No way" I laughed. When I made my
first batch I had no confidence that it could possibly work. I
thought I was proving that it was a farce.
I proved myself wrong. The more I played with it, the more
fascinated I became. It has many amazing properties.
It doesn't take a monster 200 gallon mixer to make a sample. I
suggest you experiment and make some. It will be very helpful in
future discussions. I keep a chunk in my vehicle just to show
someone when impromptu discussions take place. That chunk of
papercrete has been run over a bunch of times! I shaped it like a
ramp to make it easier to drive over. The best part of that
demonstration is watching someone's eye but out!
heh heh heh
If you try driving over a chunk, please be careful. Don't let anyone
stand too close, especially behind the vehicle. Sometimes the block
can fly out from under the wheel. (Yes, I gunned it too much once
and made it fly. No harm was done because precautions were taken.)
Don't make your block too tall either. You don't want to damage your
car if the block squirts out.
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "John Annesley" <John@...> wrote:
>
> I think I may have an answer to my own question here. As to how/why
a cubic foot of
> papercrete composed of paper, portland and sand can weigh less than
a cubic foot of
> tissue paper, here's my answer:
>
> A cubic foot of tissue paper is not a loosely stacked pile of
tissue paper, but instead a
> dense block of the stuff with no air gap between sheets. Think King
James Bible, only a
> foot wide, a foot long, and a foot thick. Those tissue-thin sheets
would likely weigh in at
> 17.28 pounds or more without difficulty, kind of like holding a
couple pieces of cord
> wood.
>
> One sack of portland (60 pounds) and one sack of sand (94 pounds)
along with 60 pounds
> of paper = 214 pounds. That and perhaps a hundred or more gallons
of water will fill a
> 200 gallon stock tank. Each 200 gallon batch creates 25-30 blocks
which are 1 foot x 2
> feet x 5 inches, or 2 square feet at five inches thick per block.
25 x 2 square feet equals
> 50 square feet of coverage at 5 inches thick when dry. That entire
volume weighs a total of
> 214 pounds. Divide 214 by 50 and you have 4.28 pounds per square
foot (at five
> inches thick). Off the top of my head, I think that would be closer
to 10 pounds per cubic
> foot than six pounds, but the aforementioned is how I think that a
bunch of paper,
> portland, and sand can end up weighing less than a cubic foot of
tissue paper. It's much
> less dense than a solid block of tissue paper.
>
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