IMO the greatest strength is achieved with the finest pulp. There has been discussion of this on the list recently, with Curtis opining that coarse chunks of paper in the mix add tensile strength, and Slurry Guy opining the opposite. Curtis has undoubtedly mixed more pc than SG has. Based on my experience with mixing a little pc, I believe that the finer pulp yields a denser and stronger final product. AFAIK no one has actually done scientific testing to determine which is really stronger, and to what degree.
Paper strips dipped in watery portland cement is where I started back in 1976. Papier Maché with portland cement instead of gypsum plaster. I soon found that blending the paper strips gave me a consistency similar to potter's clay, easy to work with and with good final strength.
Someone recently posted a link to their website describing a method of dipping burlap into portland cement and hanging it on a metal framework. Hemp would probably be stronger than cotton. It works, but is not papercrete. It would make a nice outer shell without any of the benefit of insulation which papercrete gives you.
Spaceman
http://starship-enterprises.net/papercrete/
chiong_guo wrote:
__._,_.___I am new to this but prior to discovering this group I had tried with sawdust + portland cement. I had also tried chalk + cement glue. The result had always been disappointing as the brick or slab (1/2 ") is often crumply. It breaks easily. One reason i think is because cement doesn't adhere to wood...but paper is made from wood. Is there something that I could add to make the brick stronger ? If fiber in the paper is what gave papercrete its strength then won't using paper strips instead of pulp makes it stronger ? Could we soak paper strips in a watery slurry of portland cement for perhaps 1/2 an hour and then overlaying the strips on a wire-mesh made of metal or other fabric ? Could doing the same with old cloths - preferably cotton - provide good result ? Thanks for any experiences or information shared. ------------------------------------ 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: mailto:papercreters-digest@yahoogroups.com mailto: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 incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.6.9/1635 - Release Date: 8/26/2008 7:29 AM
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