Re: [papercreters] question about cement

The clay soil I have here in SW Arizona is fine and works great for papercrete. I have made blocks with cement and clay and the only difference is that the mix with cement dries faster. They both absorb water to an equal degree. If you have access to clay I would recommend using it instead of cement in the mix. Much cheaper as well as much greener. Some of the newbies that have cropped up on the site lately seem to be bent on reinventing the wheel. There is tons of information in the archives of this site and much to be learned from the experiments and results of others. --- On Wed, 5/4/11, Spaceman <Spaceman@starship-enterprises.net> wrote: From: Spaceman <Spaceman@starship-enterprises.net> Subject: Re: [papercreters] question about cement To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2011, 4:32 PM   I have about 100 pounds of potter's clay sitting outside. It has been there since I moved here in 1992 and the weather has not affected it at all while I find time to make a wheel. Papercrete made with portland cement is not waterproof at all, unless you seal it. I suspect a clay mix might even be more waterproof since clay actually makes a pretty good seal. I don't have any clay on my sandy property other than the potter's clay so I have not tested it, but several on this group have used clay with great success. I have made a lot of papercrete with paper and cement and I have watched it soak up a thunderstorm so fast that there is no runoff. None soaks through, either. It's like a sponge, to coin a phrase : ) spaceman All opinions expressed or implied are subject to change without notice upon receipt of new information. http://Starship-Enterprises.Net On 5/4/2011 2:37 PM, Alan wrote: I have not done any papercrete yet but I grew up doing lots of stuff with clay. If you use clay instead of Portland Cement your papercrete will not be as water proof. Unless you fire the clay it will soften up when it gets wet. Why take the risk? Pay for the cement. Alan

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