What is your water content? If it takes that long to dry I would suggest using less water, if you are starting with 6 parts paper pulp is it watery? Or have you drain it of all visible water before you add the Portland and sand.
I start with 6 parts drained paper pulp, I then add the 3 parts Portland Cement, I blend this well and sometimes let it set for a while before I add the sand, I have never added wood ashes but was contemplating doing so on my next batch, I think I would keep it at about 2 parts and reduce the sand to 2 parts, and keeping the cement a 3 parts would work well, but 2 parts cement would also work well, that way I would be back to the 3-2-1 mixture, if you double that mixture you get 6-4-2 and you could get a little stronger mixture with 6-4-3.
I like the looks of your block, are you pressing it or just pouring the mixture into a form.
BTB
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "bencv@..." <bviglietta@...> wrote:
Good morning. I am pleased to join this group.
I am a member of a group which has been experimenting with papercrete for the past year. We are finding that in our area, upstate New York, it takes perhaps eight weeks a cement block sized piece to try to its fully contracted form. A variation which has two holes in it is still taking 5+ weeks. I will upload a picture of it right now.
Our recipe has been 6, 3, 3, .5 of newspaper, Portland cement, sand, fireplace ash.
My question is whether this is the experience of others? Do we have a bad recipe?
Thank you.
Ben Viglietta
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