Donald Miller wrote: It would seem that a lot of people who get interested in papercrete are turned off by the prospect of taking a little time and having some patience in the building process. This, in my humble estimation, is part of the beauty of papercrete. Donald, I did not mean to disparage the brick making, only that in Alaska the building season is very short. Sure, we get daylight all day but only those days before and after June 21are like that and the temps don't reach anything like they do in the southern half of the "lower 48". Anyone who "gets interested" is probably doing so for the reasons you stated. Efficiency of a final building, beauty of doing it yourself, ecological reasons, the fun of turning someone's waste into a home, etc. Whether one uses blocks or slip forms makes little difference. It still takes time to (recent posts in point) collect the paper, make slurry, pour bricks or wall sections, wait for drying to occur and then stucco or use some other method to protect the finished product. On the way, one will have multiple projects to make tools, unless as you state, they are to just buy a finished home. Also, with the efficiency of my towmixer, when I got started (making bricks) and things were working so well, I used a portion of my driveway (the only flat spot to lay forms and make bricks) that I quickly filled it and overflowed onto some yard (interesting grass patterns on the bottom of the bricks). Thinking I would leave them for a day or two and move them to finish drying somewhere else, a rude awakening occurred. They were still there 3 weeks later too green to pick up (although fine to gently rotate so the air could get at different parts of the bricks). I ran out of room and was stuck. My life style has me moving back and forth between Montana and Alaska in May and August every year, so when I am able to play with papercrete I do so with gusto and a real need to get "something" done. Doesn't mean I am not patient, nor disinterested, I am looking for economy of time. Many others may have similar problems. Some folks just need to do what millions have done in the past: build your home in the summer when it is warm and move into it when it gets cold. Having used both methods, the slip form method takes less time, and in my mind makes a more contiguous wall (perhaps stronger) than that of brick. It would be like comparing a cement block wall to a wall made with forms in a monolithic pour. (These statements are subjective and not researched). I am in total agreement with you on all aspects of your post except that because one goes to slip-forming papercrete they are somehow less interested or less patient than those that use bricks. Good of you to call me on that. I think you and I see eye to eye on the whole experience. Cheers Ron --- On Sun, 4/11/10, Spaceman <Spaceman@starship-enterprises.net> wrote:
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