JUDITH WILLIAMS wrote:
I know I could go back through the archives (in fact I am doing that one at a time starting with the first post) but would appreciate if my memory could be refreshed on this subject. Are you pulping the paper with the power washer or mixing the entire batch of papercrete?
The entire batch - I start with dry paper, a plastic drum, a small bucket of portland cement, and the washer. Paper into the drum, and spray until it's mostly pulp, usually about 3/4 full depending on the paper type and amount. I put the portland cement on top and then submerge the nozzle and use it to draw the cement down. Then I finish pulping while moving the nozzle up and down and round and round, making sure it all gets mixed well. Waiting until last to put in the cement means that most of the back splash is just paper, and I am very careful to prevent splash once the cement is added. I don't care for the taste of portland cement. I have an 8x12 opening in the side of the drum at the bottom, covered with a piece of sheet metal strapped in place. I put the drum above the form before I mix so I can just unstrap the cover and let the papercrete drain into the form.
In the last couple of weeks I have modified my method some because of the heat. I pulp a couple of drums full late in the day, and let them drain overnight through several 5/16 holes around the bottom. Early in the morning before it gets hot I mix in portland cement by hand or with a plaster mixer blade in my drill. This pc isn't going into forms, it is being hand applied into the gaps between pc triangles on a dome so I want it thick. By the time it gets really hot I'm inside for siesta, and then pulp some more right before sunset.
I'm sure if I pre-soaked the paper it would pulp faster and easier, but dry paper is lighter. Call me lazy or call me efficient, but don't call me late for dinner. The spray washer has the power to pulp the dry paper, even at half speed. That's why I bought the best one I could find in town.
Spaceman
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