Thank you spaceman and all - this truly helps. So, I believe I will (division of your measurements and packymcks's method for portable mixers) use a combination of 1) shredded paper (60%?); 2) Portland cement (20%?), sand (20%?) and throw in some borax and water it up until I like the consistency, since my dirt has little clay properties being that I am high on a mountaintop surrounded by granite :)
I probably should use maybe a little more Portland cement in the stepping stones for strength??
Mother
From: spaceman <Spaceman@starship-enterprises.net>
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 11:48 AM
Subject: [papercreters] Simplicity
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 11:48 AM
Subject: [papercreters] Simplicity
I have made a lot of papercrete over the years. The first batch I mixed
was in 1976. I live in a papercrete house that I made with my two hands
and a lot of help. Over a decade ago I did some math and saw that I had
done about 350,000 pounds of papercrete at that time. I've done lots
since then but haven't kept any kind of records and I'm not interested
in going back and adding it all up. Even held a few workshops over the
years. I'm only mentioning this as a reference that I have some experience.
Papercrete is a simple cheap material. It is relatively green even
though it uses portland cement which has a big carbon footprint, because
it is mostly recycled paper that would otherwise likely end up in a
landfill. All that is needed is paper, cement, water, and a way to mix.
Most people who mix papercrete add something to prevent bugs, mold, and
fire. This can be as simple as sand or other mineral content, and the
cement is part of this. Borax or boric acid seems to be popular, and
that is what I use because it is relatively cheap and works well.
Another reason for adding sand or other minerals is for added
compressive strength. Without them papercrete has plenty of strength,
especially considering that the normal application is 12" thick or more.
Without them papercrete has a better R factor. It's all relative. Do you
need a wall with R36 or R50? Depends on where you live. I do because I
live in a hot place. If I lived in Tahiti, not so much. Papercrete is
not suitable for applications where it is under tension. You don't want
to make papercrete beams.
There is nothing wrong with experimentation - it is good and someone may
discover something that will revolutionize papercrete. What people are
doing now works well, and there isn't any urgent need to "fix" it.
Experience shows that things like rebar are not very effective since
papercrete tends to shrink away from them and leave them rattling around
in a void. The panels that had beer bottles in them (from the video)
dried and when they were moved the bottles fell out of the holes. This
is typical of things embedded in papercrete. The good news is that you
don't need them for the normal uses of papercrete. The paper fiber is
the reinforcement.
You could add all sorts of things to papercrete, even to the point that
it is no longer papercrete. You could substitute expensive synthetic
fiber for the paper, but then you have fiber reinforced concrete, not
papercrete. You can throw in plasticizers (have you priced them?) and
other things intended for specific concrete applications. You don't need
them but if you want to use them, you would be smart to read the
ingredients and the MSDS. Paper, cement, and sand are pretty much benign
after the cement has reacted with the water and cured.
Papercrete is very forgiving. You can vary the mix over a wide range and
still get good results. The formula I gave the other day as a starting
point is by weight and can easily be divided for smaller batches, just
like any recipe. Actually mix some papercrete and vary the amounts to
see for yourself, that's the only way you'll ever know.
<too long, didn't read!>
spaceman
was in 1976. I live in a papercrete house that I made with my two hands
and a lot of help. Over a decade ago I did some math and saw that I had
done about 350,000 pounds of papercrete at that time. I've done lots
since then but haven't kept any kind of records and I'm not interested
in going back and adding it all up. Even held a few workshops over the
years. I'm only mentioning this as a reference that I have some experience.
Papercrete is a simple cheap material. It is relatively green even
though it uses portland cement which has a big carbon footprint, because
it is mostly recycled paper that would otherwise likely end up in a
landfill. All that is needed is paper, cement, water, and a way to mix.
Most people who mix papercrete add something to prevent bugs, mold, and
fire. This can be as simple as sand or other mineral content, and the
cement is part of this. Borax or boric acid seems to be popular, and
that is what I use because it is relatively cheap and works well.
Another reason for adding sand or other minerals is for added
compressive strength. Without them papercrete has plenty of strength,
especially considering that the normal application is 12" thick or more.
Without them papercrete has a better R factor. It's all relative. Do you
need a wall with R36 or R50? Depends on where you live. I do because I
live in a hot place. If I lived in Tahiti, not so much. Papercrete is
not suitable for applications where it is under tension. You don't want
to make papercrete beams.
There is nothing wrong with experimentation - it is good and someone may
discover something that will revolutionize papercrete. What people are
doing now works well, and there isn't any urgent need to "fix" it.
Experience shows that things like rebar are not very effective since
papercrete tends to shrink away from them and leave them rattling around
in a void. The panels that had beer bottles in them (from the video)
dried and when they were moved the bottles fell out of the holes. This
is typical of things embedded in papercrete. The good news is that you
don't need them for the normal uses of papercrete. The paper fiber is
the reinforcement.
You could add all sorts of things to papercrete, even to the point that
it is no longer papercrete. You could substitute expensive synthetic
fiber for the paper, but then you have fiber reinforced concrete, not
papercrete. You can throw in plasticizers (have you priced them?) and
other things intended for specific concrete applications. You don't need
them but if you want to use them, you would be smart to read the
ingredients and the MSDS. Paper, cement, and sand are pretty much benign
after the cement has reacted with the water and cured.
Papercrete is very forgiving. You can vary the mix over a wide range and
still get good results. The formula I gave the other day as a starting
point is by weight and can easily be divided for smaller batches, just
like any recipe. Actually mix some papercrete and vary the amounts to
see for yourself, that's the only way you'll ever know.
<too long, didn't read!>
spaceman
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