Papercreters: Re: [papercreters] PPB's

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Re: [papercreters] PPB's

Nice looking operation setup there. I started out very similar, if a
slightly smaller setup. The only real improvements I found to that is I
have elevated the molds to make less back bending and the molds are
sitting on a big sheet of mesh. I lay an old bed sheet in the molds
before I pour to allow the excess water to run straight through, speeding
the drying time. Plus this gives a nice texture to one side of the block.

Wayne

>
> ã€€
> ã€€
> I've been making paper adobe and paper blocks out of cardboard mixed in
> the
> usual papercrete manner with a tow mixer doing the pulping. I make the
> paper
> blocks using my forms I use for the paper adobe, 12"X16"X6". I find that
> the
> paper blocks shrink more than the ones with clay in the mix but not that
> much as
> I squish the mix into the forms and when some of the water has drained
> away top
> them off with more mix and level the tops. I lhave a large sheet of heavy
> plastic tarp nailed to the ground and I place the forms on this which
> enables
> the water to run off rather quickly and doesn't create a big mud hole.
> Â
> I pull as much of the plastic off the cardboard as is feasible when I
> stack it
> but there is always quite a bit left to deal with. I leave this
> plastic tape in the blocks as I feel this material will help bind the
> blocks
> together. I try to put it in the middle of the blocks and work it in the
> mix and away
> from the edges but on occasion some will find it's way to the edges but is
> easily trimmed away.
> I use this method with the larger pieces of cardboard as well as there is
> always some
> that hangs up on the front of the blade and stays in bigger chunks.
> Â
> The paper adobe blocks made in the forms described above shrink to
> approximately
> 5"X11"X15" while the paper only blocks shrink perhaps 1/4 to 1/2" more on
> all sides.
> Soaking the cardboard is almost a must as it is quite tough and resists
> the pulping
> operation much more so than newsprint, especially large multi layer boxes.
> The blocks made in this manner do take a long time to dry, but once dry
> they are
> as strong as the paper adobe blocks I make using clay as a binder and they
> are lighter.
> I live in a very hot dry climate (SW Arizona) so this works in my favor. I
> also have a lot of
> room to spread out the blocks while they are drying.
> Â
> I bought some boric acid online and I am going to spray this on the
> surface of the
> blocks for fire retardancy. I will have to experiment with this and may
> have to add it to
> the mix. The blocks themselves will burn but I believe in a wall where the
> air can't get
> around the entire block it would be like a slow smolder. Even out in the
> open the burn is still a smolder so I think the fire issue can be
> resolved.
> Â
> I will try and post some pictures of my operation.
>
> --- On Sat, 6/4/11, Wayne <huon@intas.net.au> wrote:
>
>
> From: Wayne <huon@intas.net.au>
> Subject: [papercreters] PPB's
> To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 11:28 PM
>
>
> Â
>
>
>
> PPB's or Pure Paper Blocks are the most lightweight building product I
> have come across. In simple form you just mix paper to a pulp with water,
> pour into moulds and let dry. Sounds easy but as with many things the
> devil is in the detail, so prctice and experimatation is the key.
>
> 1. The Pulp.
>
> I use a horizontal style cement mixer and a thin soupy mix. This allolws
> the wood fibers to be teased apart gently. Toss any paper/cardboard whole
> into the water, but cardboard will benefit the most from pre soaking. I
> piock out the stickytape/plastic from the mix after it has separated.
> Once the pulp has no chunks of paper left visible it can be poured into an
> old bath or similar vessel for thickening. Thickening is simply a matter
> of letting the pulp settle and the excess water run off. A large bucket
> works well for smaller amounts. As each batch settles the next one can
> gently be poured in to push the excess water out.
>
> 2. The Mould.
>
> This is where it gets a little bit harder. A simple brick muold can be
> made by building a square from timber and sitting this on a mesh base.
> Line the mould with a piece of cloth. More complex designs require more
> complex moulds, but the main thing to remember are that you have to allow
> water to escape and you have to allow alot of settling room. For example
> I use a 4" thick flat mould to make a 1" thick flat panel. A 10" tall
> mould will make about a 4" tall brick but it does depend on the thickness
> of your pulp.
>
> 3. Drying.
>
> Allow the poured mould to drain (over the thicknesser if you want to
> recycle the water) for 24hrs. Then set it aside out of the rain to dry.
> This can take months for a larger pour, or can be sat near the wood heater
> over winter to speed up smaller pours to a few days drying time. As the
> block dries it will shrink away from the mould. Once dry to a firm touch
> the cloth liner can be peeled off for use in the next mould.
>
> 4. Imagination.
>
> This is the key ingredient. As an example of product I have a square
> timber mould 24" x 24" x 4". I sit this on a piece of galvanized mesh
> with 4" squares. Lay a piece of old bed sheet over the whole thing and
> pouir in the pulp. When dry I peel of the cloth to reveal a smooth panel
> with a soft squared pattern that makes an intersting wall board panel with
> fantastic insulating qualities. It can be nailed, screwed or glued. It
> will hold a plaster screw better than plaster. It can be screwed or glued
> to a beam made from pulp. It can be sawn (the sawdust from this is a
> light fluffy cotton wool like product that is a great fill insulation).
> It has good soundproof ability. If you add borax powder it can be made
> insect proof, rodent proof and FIRE PROOF!!!!
>
> This may be a little of topic but this is the closest group I have been
> able to find for learning and building with pulp.
>
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