Thanks for the info on the bucket mixer, Ernie.
Unfortunaley, due to the problem of our being "income challenged"
right now we don't have the option of purchasing a pressure washer,
although it sounds very interesting. I'm always open to new ideas,
even if I can't use them right now I put them on the back burner
until I can (like when we have money). We actually had some friends
who were interested in going in with us on a papercrete brick-making
enterprise (one is a mechanic with access to axles, trailer hitches,
etc. to build a tow-behind mixer, and one has a cement mixer--we
once found a load of hammer-milled paper free for the pick-up, and
although we missed out on that opportunity he became interested
enough in that concept to check into purchasing a used hammer
mill). Unfortunately, they both ran out of time on their projects
and ended up building traditional stick-built. So, since we have
lots of buckets and time and labor (my husband and son consider
this "my project," and when I'm doing "my thing" they kick in the
labor when I ask--although my husband does show off my brick
experiments whenever he gets a chance) we'll probably end up cutting
a hole in the top of a bucket and using it for a guide, as you
suggested.
Okay, so here's the next question:
If we were to erect a reciprocal roof, and cover it with chicken
wire (which we have), and/or maybe used carpet (which we have a
source of), and covered it with papercrete:
1) How thick would the papercrete need to be--and if we were using
the "bucket" method (which would take a lot of time but would be no
problem, because we have a lot of that), would the subsequent layers
adhere to each other?
2) Would the reciprocal beams be strong enough to hold up not only
the papercrete weight, but the snow load in the winter?
3) I've heard of some papercrete structures not being waterproofed
at all--if we didn't waterproof the papercrete how much weight would
it soak up when it rained/snowed, and would the beams hold up under
that additional weight? And, more importantly, would it leak?
4) If we did waterproof the roof, would it be best to put a layer
of plastic underneath the papercrete, over the papercrete, paint the
top of the papercrete with a waterproof paint or tar mixture, or add
asphalt emulsion to the mix? (My ex and I once build an adobe
house, and added asphalt emulsion to the bricks--it worked very
well.)
5) I've seen photos of a shed made with a papercrete-coated carpet
roof. If we used carpet, would the chicken wire be necessary? Or
would a different material, or none, be preferable?
Thanks to anyone who has any experience/input on this.
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