I am fotunate to live in SW Arizona where the blocks dry quickly, I suppose. Except in mid July when the temps hit 120 on occasion and then one wonders if it is indeed fortunate. The only thing I would wonder about slipforming vs blocks, and especially in a colder, wetter climate, is that the slipformed wall is not going to dry any faster than the blocks and I would think that they would dry slower as the air cannot get to them as easy as it does on a block removed from its form. Then when you add more slurry in the next lift, the water is absorbed in the lower lift and so on. The only slipforming I have done is with more of an adobe mix with cement added and I was able to move to forms in an hour. This is of course in hotter temperatures. What I have read of other peoples experiences with slip forming has been in warmer , drier temperatures and they still remark about the length of time for the wall to set up. Also, the amount of cement used by Bob is equivialent to the amount of cement used in concrete so the green and cheap aspect goes out the window with that. I don't use any cement in my cardboard pulp blocks and they are harder and as sturdy as the ones in which I've added cement to. I feel that the cardboard has a lot of glue in it that helps to bind the blocks and the pulp breaks down into longer pieces than newsprint or shredded paper so perhaps that helps as well. I also have very fine, almost bentonite like clay to mix with and that I'm guessing is helpful also. I must admit that I live on 3 and a half acres so I have plenty of room to stack blocks and equipment. From: Ron Richter <ronerichter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [papercreters] Re: Look at the size of storage field that would be required
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, April 12, 2010, 8:43 AM
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:
Date: Sunday, April 11, 2010, 10:20 PM
A good percentage of "average papercreters" have switched to slip forming, which is more efficient than blocks, and does not require any drying field.
spaceman
All opinions expressed or implied
are subject to change without notice
upon receipt of new information. On 4/11/2010 9:43 PM, countryatheartok wrote: Donald you are right that is not the size field the average papercreter would need to dry blocks, and that field was Adobe and not papercrete. A true look at what a papercreter who is looking to build say a 1820 sq ft home, say the size of the home is 26 ft wide and 70 ft long. That would require 1536 block, not deducting for doors and windows. That would be about 13 stacks of 120, 24"x12"x6" and one stack would look something like this.
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