I tried precision blocks once. I made a mold with keyed sides so I could build a mortarless wall with interlocking blocks. What worked for me was filling the mold, patting the pc in, then waiting a while. Every fifteen minutes or so I came back to the same mold and added more wet pc to keep it topped off. After doing this a few times the pc quit settling and the mold stayed full. It was an experiment since I have never built with blocks, and I only made a few of them. I think they would have worked out fine for the intended purpose.
Of course with the inherent shrinkage as pc dries, you would definitely need to oversize your mold slightly and trim to size. The exception to this would be using a mix like Bob does with lots of dirt and portland cement, pretty much a non shrinking but very heavy pc.
spaceman
On 2/4/2012 8:19 AM, trendawareness wrote:
I'm designing a device that calls for using papercrete insulated block or panels. But the nature of the project requires blocks that fit precise dimensions (+/- 1/4" inch or so.) A moderate amount of gaskets or seals can be used to fill small gaps. The device may have to be disassembled from time to time, so mortar is out. An example would be a panel 5ft high, 3ft wide, 6in thick. Does anyone have any experience making PC panels to precise measurements? If so, what's the best way to go about it? Here's my ideas of how it might be done: (1) Pour the mix in a horizontal mold, allow it to firm, then re-fill the spaces created by the contraction. (2) Pour the blocks into a slightly larger horizontal mold then sand them down to size. (3) Construct a vertical mold, then use a small scale slip form technique. (4) Construct a form using 1 in. EPS board for the outer sides and edges, then fill the 4 in. voids with PC. Thanks! ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: papercreters-digest@yahoogroups.com papercreters-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: papercreters-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2112/4786 - Release Date: 02/03/12
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