Papercrete is a material made by pulping used paper. Papercrete almost always contains various additives (commonly sand and cement) and is formed or molded to a useable shape. After allowing it to dry for a few weeks, a lightweight and versatile building material results.
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With that low max temperature I would use very little to zero cement in the blocks, a little in the mortar, and then plaster on a finish coat with a fairly large amount of cement to weatherproof and toughen the walls. That way you get maximum insulation value.
On 6/30/2012 10:24 AM, trendawareness wrote:
Is your application going to expose the pc directly to flame?<<
No flame at all. My large blocks will form an insulating shell for a thermophilic (hot compost) heater with a max temperature of about 150F. It will have an inner chamber made of ferrocrete that will contain a rainforest-like environment. I live in an area which has twice as many heating days as cooling days and my goal is to make an inexpensive supplemental heating unit using 90% or more recycled materials which then will consume its own weight in waste biomass every two weeks. That's how I "discovered" papercrete. Rather than buying lots of styrofoam I was researching how to make insulation out of newspaper and came across Livinginpaper, Eve's Garden, and the other sites. Been a fan ever since. Thanks Dan ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: papercreters-digest@yahoogroups.compapercreters-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: papercreters-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.2180 / Virus Database: 2437/5101 - Release Date: 06/29/12
--- On Sat, 6/30/12, Clyde T. Curry <clydetcurry@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Clyde T. Curry <clydetcurry@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [papercreters] Compressing Wet Papercrete To: "papercreters@yahoogroups.com" <papercreters@yahoogroups.com> Date: Saturday, June 30, 2012, 2:10 PM
Hello Alan, This is clydetcurry@yahoo.com - Fillers generally are effective at controlling shrinkage. Tests between, Barry Fuller (Living In Paper, Zach Rabon and Myself while at Evesgarden, seemed to reveal, somewhat conclusively that a paper pulp briquet looses no insulating value at up to a 50 % high mass filling, ie. Mortar. My base mix of 1 of cements 3 of aggregates (sand, perlite, scoria, pumice or rice hulls) (Mortar) as 50% volumetricly , approx. 80 lbs of newsprint will yeild the other 50% - I promise you this mix will experience very little shrinkage ! Good Luck - Clyde
From: Alan <rustaholic777@yahoo.com> To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 12:26 PM Subject: [papercreters] Compressing Wet Papercrete
Looking at Dan's form I am wondering just how far I would need to compress
wet papercrete to assure no further shrinkage.
If I had a form built from 2X12s which are about 11 1/2 inches would compresssing the papercrete to ten inches do it?
Alan in Michigan
--- On Wed, 6/27/12, Daniel Ford <trendlinesystems@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Daniel Ford <trendlinesystems@gmail.com> Subject: [papercreters] Best way to pour a 6" x 12" x 52" block? [2 Attachments] To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 11:12 AM
<*>[Attachment(s) from Daniel Ford included below]
Dear Papercrete Group:
I'm working on a project that requires a consistent 6" h x 12" w x 52" l block. I've assembled the molds and have filled the first one to the top and will backfill the shrinkage in a day or two. (see attached photos)
My question is whether or not this is the best way to pour a 6" block or should I fill it half way on the first pour? I need to make 50 of these and the sooner the blocks dry the sooner I can complete the project.
For background, my mix is 1# paper, 1# portland, 1# sand, .05 # Borax. I live near Cincinnati OH and our summers are hot and humid.
Hard to tell, but if you mean me, my flatbed does not have sides. I do have slatted sections that plug into holes to form a fence but no way would a poly sheet, or even a tarp, be able to hold the weight of cement with the large openings. I've thought about it more than once over the years and I just don't have anything suitable for bulk cement, either for transport or for storage.
Hello Alan, This is clydetcurry@yahoo.com - Fillers generally are effective at controlling shrinkage. Tests between, Barry Fuller (Living In Paper, Zach Rabon and Myself while at Evesgarden, seemed to reveal, somewhat conclusively that a paper pulp briquet looses no insulating value at up to a 50 % high mass filling, ie. Mortar. My base mix of 1 of cements 3 of aggregates (sand, perlite, scoria, pumice or rice hulls) (Mortar) as 50% volumetricly , approx. 80 lbs of newsprint will yeild the other 50% - I promise you this mix will experience very little shrinkage ! Good Luck - Clyde
From: Alan <rustaholic777@yahoo.com> To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2012 12:26 PM Subject: [papercreters] Compressing Wet Papercrete
Looking at Dan's form I am wondering just how far I would need to compress
wet papercrete to assure no further shrinkage.
If I had a form built from 2X12s which are about 11 1/2 inches would compresssing the papercrete to ten inches do it?
Alan in Michigan
--- On Wed, 6/27/12, Daniel Ford <trendlinesystems@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Daniel Ford <trendlinesystems@gmail.com> Subject: [papercreters] Best way to pour a 6" x 12" x 52" block? [2 Attachments] To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 11:12 AM
<*>[Attachment(s) from Daniel Ford included below]
Dear Papercrete Group:
I'm working on a project that requires a consistent 6" h x 12" w x 52" l block. I've assembled the molds and have filled the first one to the top and will backfill the shrinkage in a day or two. (see attached photos)
My question is whether or not this is the best way to pour a 6" block or should I fill it half way on the first pour? I need to make 50 of these and the sooner the blocks dry the sooner I can complete the project.
For background, my mix is 1# paper, 1# portland, 1# sand, .05 # Borax. I live near Cincinnati OH and our summers are hot and humid.
Looking at Dan's form I am wondering just how far I would need to compress
wet papercrete to assure no further shrinkage.
If I had a form built from 2X12s which are about 11 1/2 inches would compresssing the papercrete to ten inches do it?
Alan in Michigan
--- On Wed, 6/27/12, Daniel Ford <trendlinesystems@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Daniel Ford <trendlinesystems@gmail.com> Subject: [papercreters] Best way to pour a 6" x 12" x 52" block? [2 Attachments] To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 11:12 AM
<*>[Attachment(s) from Daniel Ford included below]
Dear Papercrete Group:
I'm working on a project that requires a consistent 6" h x 12" w x 52" l block. I've assembled the molds and have filled the first one to the top and will backfill the shrinkage in a day or two. (see attached photos)
My question is whether or not this is the best way to pour a 6" block or should I fill it half way on the first pour? I need to make 50 of these and the sooner the blocks dry the sooner I can complete the project.
For background, my mix is 1# paper, 1# portland, 1# sand, .05 # Borax. I live near Cincinnati OH and our summers are hot and humid.
>>Is your application going to expose the pc directly to flame?<<
No flame at all. My large blocks will form an insulating shell for a thermophilic (hot compost) heater with a max temperature of about 150F. It will have an inner chamber made of ferrocrete that will contain a rainforest-like environment.
I live in an area which has twice as many heating days as cooling days and my goal is to make an inexpensive supplemental heating unit using 90% or more recycled materials which then will consume its own weight in waste biomass every two weeks.
That's how I "discovered" papercrete. Rather than buying lots of styrofoam I was researching how to make insulation out of newspaper and came across Livinginpaper, Eve's Garden, and the other sites. Been a fan ever since.
Hard to tell, but if you mean me, my flatbed does not have sides. I do have slatted sections that plug into holes to form a fence but no way would a poly sheet, or even a tarp, be able to hold the weight of cement with the large openings. I've thought about it more than once over the years and I just don't have anything suitable for bulk cement, either for transport or for storage.
I get borax at a place called Laun-Dry Supply in 30# bags, Three Elephants brand. I guess 3 elephants can outdo 20 mules.
Lime and boric acid are definitely far apart chemically with lime being a strong base vs the acid. I have only made one batch of pc with lime in it, and it got lost in the shuffle ten years ago, so I can't address this from personal experience. I remember one day watching an 8" long centipede crawl up on some wet pc that contained borax, and about a foot in he stopped, squirmed a bit, and seemed to fall apart. I think the chemical reaction may gave given him gas, and that's not so great with an exoskeleton. Maybe it blew all his gaskets.
I have varied pc's cement:paper from 0:1 to 2:1 depending on what I'm using it for. If it is just insulation, then all you need is fireproofing. If you need strength then add minerals to taste. Just paper with borax/boric acid is considered to be fireproof without added minerals, like cellulose blown insulation. Cellulose insulation makes great PC too, but it is pricey for me and the boric acid smells a bit like ammonia.
Is your application going to expose the pc directly to flame? The insulation value is inversely proportional to the mineral content, while the fireproofing is directly proportional to the mineral content. Someone made a fire pit with pc blocks and posted that it worked great. I don't remember seeing any followup later. An archive search might turn something up.
I predict that in the use of your power spray washer for mixing PC you will at least once get a mouthful of pc, hopefully before you add the cement. : )
When I'm mixing in a 55 gallon drum, as it gets about 2/3 full of pulp I float the cement and borax on top of the mix, then use the nozzle under the surface to suck the island under, mixing as it goes. That way I don't get a big cloud of caustic dust. At that point I get the long wand going up and down all the way to the bottom to make sure there aren't any lumps lurking in the corners. By the time this is done, the barrel is usually full and ready to go. A gate valve on the bottom of the side, or an elephant trunk, saves a lot of bucket work if your drum is elevated. It doesn't take much to seal pulp in a drum, it is pretty much self sealing up to a pretty good gap. If you have a pump, it can be plumbed directly into the bottom or side of the barrel.
On 6/29/2012 10:14 AM, trendawareness wrote:
Spaceman,
consider using boric acid<<
I am, 5% by weight. But all I can find at the moment is the 4lb boxes in the grocery store. I read somewhere that lime would serve the same purpose. Do you concur?
use cement 1:1 <<
I am. I just noted that elsewhere someone else had recommended 1:2 for the heavy duty jobs. Do you think 2:1 would be OK for use light duty applications?
>>I found it to be easier to build walls in place and in one piece<<
I thought of that, and several others in different threads have promoted the slip forming method as well.
Neither will work for me in this instance as I'm constructing a prototype heating unit and the dimensions may change before all is said an done. So the stackable 6" x 12" x 52" block is ideal for this project. When it's finalized, I may mortar a lot of the blocks to make wall panels.
Thanks!
Dan
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, Tasha <tashatesla@...> wrote:
>
> Dan,
> You could _minimize the trimming_ if you make the mold larger at the top - visualize an inverted trapezoid (larger side on top).
> Do an experiment with the local material to see what the shrinkage is, and adjust the mold accordingly to get the shape you want.
> You may not have too trim much at all.
> As a separate topic, I found it to be easier to build walls in place and in one piece. Use sub-flooring (1.5 in thick) for the sides and it
> looks pretty good when dry. A surprise is that it isn't too heavy (no sand!), but then I only built 4 feet of wall at a time (15 inches thick).
> I clamped the top only, which made taking the form off pretty easy too - the wood has enough rigidity to hold its shape even when form is full.
> Glad you're having fun - ummm ... right, that's what it is ... ... yes indeed ... lol
> TASHA
>
> On 6/28/2012 07:37A, trendawareness wrote:
> >>> have found that if I make the molds bigger at the top, then the dried product is much more rectangular.<<
> > Tasha,
> >
> > Sorry I missed this post in my last reply. I kept my molds "square" thinking that backfills should help retain the shape.
> >
> > However, next time I build a mold, I'll definitely build it a bit larger than what I need and then trim the block when an exact dimension is required.
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Dan
> >
> >
> > --- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, Tasha<tashatesla@> wrote:
> >> I have found that if I make the molds bigger at the top, then the dried product is much more rectangular.
> >> How much? Depends on your shrinkage - have to experiment with a couple, but worth the time.
> >> TASHA
> >>
> >> On 6/27/2012 08:12A, Daniel Ford wrote:
> >>> Dear Papercrete Group:
> >>>
> >>> I'm working on a project that requires a consistent 6" h x 12" w x 52" l block. I've assembled the molds and have filled the first one to the top and will backfill the shrinkage in a day or two. (see attached photos)
> >>>
> >>> My question is whether or not this is the best way to pour a 6" block or should I fill it half way on the first pour? I need to make 50 of these and the sooner the blocks dry the sooner I can complete the project.
> >>>
> >>> For background, my mix is 1# paper, 1# portland, 1# sand, .05 # Borax. I live near Cincinnati OH and our summers are hot and humid.
> >>>
> >>> Thanks
> >>>
> >>> Dan
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ------------------------------------
> >>>
> >>> Yahoo! Groups Links
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
Hopefully one project will cure you of this desire to make life excessively hard.
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "trendawareness" <trendlinesystems@...> wrote:
>
>
> >> have found that if I make the molds bigger at the top, then the dried product is much more rectangular.<<
>
> Tasha,
>
> Sorry I missed this post in my last reply. I kept my molds "square" thinking that backfills should help retain the shape.
>
> However, next time I build a mold, I'll definitely build it a bit larger than what I need and then trim the block when an exact dimension is required.
>
> Thanks
>
> Dan
>
>
> --- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, Tasha <tashatesla@> wrote:
> >
> > I have found that if I make the molds bigger at the top, then the dried product is much more rectangular.
> > How much? Depends on your shrinkage - have to experiment with a couple, but worth the time.
> > TASHA
> >
> > On 6/27/2012 08:12A, Daniel Ford wrote:
> > > Dear Papercrete Group:
> > >
> > > I'm working on a project that requires a consistent 6" h x 12" w x 52" l block. I've assembled the molds and have filled the first one to the top and will backfill the shrinkage in a day or two. (see attached photos)
> > >
> > > My question is whether or not this is the best way to pour a 6" block or should I fill it half way on the first pour? I need to make 50 of these and the sooner the blocks dry the sooner I can complete the project.
> > >
> > > For background, my mix is 1# paper, 1# portland, 1# sand, .05 # Borax. I live near Cincinnati OH and our summers are hot and humid.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Dan
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
> > > Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
Tasha, You just made me think happy thoughts about a very good and very beautiful dog.
We must have a picture or two around here someplace,,,,,,
Alan
--- On Wed, 6/27/12, Tasha <tashatesla@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Tasha <tashatesla@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [papercreters] Best way to pour a 6" x 12" x 52" block? To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 8:26 PM
Hmmm ... don't know how I want to take this. "Heard your name , and I thought of my dog" Sort of funny when I got over the shock (of being compared to a dog).
Just pulling your leg - you get that done a lot ? ... lol All good ~!~!~! TASHA
On 6/27/2012 04:46P, Alan wrote:
Tasha,
Amazing reading this.
You talking about dogs.
The only other Tasha I have known was a beautiful Brindled German Shepard we had for a couple years.
We got her by stopping by my brother-in-law's place when they were 200 miles away. Tasha had no food or water and they had been gone two days.
We fed and watered the dog then loaded her up and brought her home.
We left them a note telling them why we took the dog.
Two years later they came asking for their dog back.
We let them have Tasha back and they did a lot better for her.
To me it is like she is still around.
Back then I shot a Super 8 movie of her and our other two dogs, ducks and the goats.
More recenty I paid to have that movie and several others put on a DVD.
Hey Ken, I thought you were following me ... lol ... nope, not gonna go there ... I get in enough trouble as it is. Papercrete is probably not going to work out well in developed countries. The building codes are usually archaic, and labor is expensive. If labor is cheap (or free), it'll work if no inspections are required. Commercially, I determined that money could not be made with it, so contractors won't deal with it. Bottom line, portland is the main constraint - current around $8 a bag here.
As an interesting side topic, I made a few bales with no cement and no sand - just mix, pour and dry. Those bales are 15x15x48, incredibly light, and still going strong after several years in the weather. They get wet, but dry well, and no obvious ill effects. My dogs enjoy their doghouse made of all-paper, and it insulates VERY well - they'll escape to there when it's hot. Hmmm ... starting to ramble ... gotta quit that ... TASHA
Tasha are you following me lol As for collecting paper I subscribe to tons of companies for catalogs and just general junk mail my post man hates me. Anyway having used a 30-30 (with 10in stop with 14in blocks)on about the same recipe as Tasha's I have to agree with her. But recipes are a dime a doz. having built 6 buildings so far with PC with 4 types of mixers, looking at your forms if you can roll your mixer over them to load them would be your easier way. Buy the way I am modding a 1hp electric motor in a 55gal drum mixer to a 5.5hp gas powered mower setup, pics are forthwith.
Ken Lead Follow or get the Hell out of the Way deepdesertsurvival
Dan, No expert here, but it seems you have too much cement, and that's the expensive part. Several years ago I made a few blocks with 1 cement and 3 paper. They're sitting behind the workshop, exposed to the elements, and they're still fine. Have you experimented with different mixes? My efforts went through a LOT of pours, and finally arrived at 1-3 or even 1-4 as a good compromise of weight and rigidity. (no sand). Just for laughs, I tested a dried block with a 30-06 and was amazed. My blocks were 12 inches wide, and penetration was about 5 inches - the paper absorbs energy and distributes to a much wider area. I stopped my efforts after a few hundred blocks though - didn't have a good application for the blocks. As I remember, it was a real pain just collecting the paper ... lol TASHA
I start off with 3 gals wet shredded paper, then add 1 gal portland
cement, mix that until there is no paper visible, then add 2 sand or 2
clay or 1 of each. Sometimes I add paint if the location calls for it.
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "Clyde T. Curry" <clydetcurry@...>
wrote:
>
> Im sure others may disagree, still after 1000 mixes i find the
following to be the strongest most productive mix to be as follows -
> Make mortar and add paper - Mortar typically is made with 3 of
aggregate and one of cement - then add newspaper fiber - For instance,
in one yard of material (27 cubic feet ) Half the mix would be fiber
(approx. 80 pounds ) the other half would be  about 12 cubic feet of
sand, perlite, or pumice, does not matter which, filled with 3 cubic
feet of cements. Cements should be adjusted with 10 to 20 percent of
pozzolonic material for the fastest cure and to get rid of the excess
water that is held by the excess of unreacted calcium hydroxide in the
cement - More later- ask questions _ Clyde T Curry
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Emiro R emirojas@...
> To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2012 10:05 PM
> Subject: [papercreters] Additives
>
>
> Â
> What is the most common aditives used in some papercrete
formulations?. I understand there are some compounds used for curing,
glueing, insect repellent etc. Pls, give me some info. I am new. Thanks
>
From: "clydetcurry@yahoo.com" <clydetcurry@yahoo.com> To: "papercreters@yahoogroups.com" <papercreters@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 1:39 PM Subject: Re: [papercreters] Additives
Yes. 12 divided by 40 = .3 cubic feet - if a bucket is .66 cubic feet- then a little less than a half a bucket- the cement will pack within the sand, so you see this standard mix is 50% mortar and 50% paper - 2 lbs of fiber is maybe 1/4 of a bucket - it will expand - still weigh the paper
I hate to be anal about this, but if a 5 gallon bucket equals 2/3 of 1 cu. ft. how is it possible to put in 3 cu. ft of sand? Do you mean 0.3 cu. ft. of sand?
Can you translate this for me to a batch that would be mixed in a 5 gallon bucket? As I envision it, I would soak about 10 lbs of newspaper overnight in a 5 gallon bucket, then add enough water to cover 1 inch above the newspaper, then macerate the living hell out of that. When it's all in a mush, I would add the portland cement (volume ? or weight ?), perlite (volume ? or weight ?), and fly ash (volume ? or weight ?) assuming I can find it. I would like to use a standard 15 oz soup can or something like that for all my measures for the sake of simplicity. How many cans of the portland cement, pelite, and fly ash would I need to add to the macerated newspaper?
Im sure others may disagree, still after 1000 mixes i find the following to be the strongest most productive mix to be as follows -
Make mortar and add paper - Mortar typically is made with 3 of aggregate and one of cement - then add newspaper fiber - For instance, in one yard of material (27 cubic feet ) Half the mix would be fiber (approx. 80 pounds ) the other half would be about 12 cubic feet of sand, perlite, or pumice, does not matter which, filled with 3 cubic feet of cements. Cements should be adjusted with 10 to 20 percent of pozzolonic material for the fastest cure and to get rid of the excess water that is held by the excess of unreacted calcium hydroxide in the cement - More later- ask questions _ Clyde T Curry
What is the most common aditives used in some papercrete formulations?. I understand there are some compounds used for curing, glueing, insect repellent etc. Pls, give me some info. I am new. Thanks
They will sell in bulk here but only if you have a suitable transport. They will not dump into the back of a pickup, it has to be watertight. They won't sell it in bags, probably a non-compete agreement with the big box stores who buy from them. I do know of a small mountain of portland cement a couple of hundred miles away, but there again I have no way to get it home. I have been told people go there, break through the crust, and load up buckets and bins. It was abandoned by TXDOT a couple of years ago, and there has been no rain to speak of to ruin it. They might not accept it as highway material but it is supposed to be working fine for everyone. My flatbed is not suitable unless I could somehow come up with a large tank on it, big enough to make the gas worthwhile.
On 6/27/2012 5:42 PM, Tasha wrote:
Have you tried the sand yards? They try to be a good price for their sand customers. TASHA
On 6/27/2012 03:31P, spaceman wrote:
I think the reason contractors won't deal with it is because it is not in the codes. Papercrete would be easy to make money with IF it were an approved building method. Of course at that point it would become a commercial product with specifications and no longer the widely variable product we call papercrete. There are already companies who make a similar pressed concrete fiber board.
I also have done "just paper" and found that it holds up to the weather very well. One thing that will destroy it is a water drip. I had a water drip from an evaporative cooler that was falling on papercrete, and it is eroded at that point.
I wish I could find portland for $8 a bag, it is 1.5 times that here.
spaceman
On 6/27/2012 3:16 PM, Tasha Tesla wrote:
Hey Ken, I thought you were following me ... lol ... nope, not gonna go there ... I get in enough trouble as it is. Papercrete is probably not going to work out well in developed countries. The building codes are usually archaic, and labor is expensive. If labor is cheap (or free), it'll work if no inspections are required. Commercially, I determined that money could not be made with it, so contractors won't deal with it. Bottom line, portland is the main constraint - current around $8 a bag here.
As an interesting side topic, I made a few bales with no cement and no sand - just mix, pour and dry. Those bales are 15x15x48, incredibly light, and still going strong after several years in the weather. They get wet, but dry well, and no obvious ill effects. My dogs enjoy their doghouse made of all-paper, and it insulates VERY well - they'll escape to there when it's hot. Hmmm ... starting to ramble ... gotta quit that ... TASHA
Tasha are you following me lol As for collecting paper I subscribe to tons of companies for catalogs and just general junk mail my post man hates me. Anyway having used a 30-30 (with 10in stop with 14in blocks)on about the same recipe as Tasha's I have to agree with her. But recipes are a dime a doz. having built 6 buildings so far with PC with 4 types of mixers, looking at your forms if you can roll your mixer over them to load them would be your easier way. Buy the way I am modding a 1hp electric motor in a 55gal drum mixer to a 5.5hp gas powered mower setup, pics are forthwith.
Ken Lead Follow or get the Hell out of the Way deepdesertsurvival
Dan, No expert here, but it seems you have too much cement, and that's the expensive part. Several years ago I made a few blocks with 1 cement and 3 paper. They're sitting behind the workshop, exposed to the elements, and they're still fine. Have you experimented with different mixes? My efforts went through a LOT of pours, and finally arrived at 1-3 or even 1-4 as a good compromise of weight and rigidity. (no sand). Just for laughs, I tested a dried block with a 30-06 and was amazed. My blocks were 12 inches wide, and penetration was about 5 inches - the paper absorbs energy and distributes to a much wider area. I stopped my efforts after a few hundred blocks though - didn't have a good application for the blocks. As I remember, it was a real pain just collecting the paper ... lol TASHA
This blog isn't really about any one person. It's about papercrete and all the great people using it. If you want to join in the fun, please visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/
