This video showed up in my suggestions because of my interest in stabilized compressed earth blocks. Yes! Finally someone in the US working with the interlocking ones! You got a new subscriber!
Thank you for watching our video and leaving a comment! As we mentioned in the video, our progress is very slow, but we are determined to keep going! 💪 When we started this journey, we searched for a U.S.-based UA-cam channel documenting similar projects but couldn’t find one. So, here we are, challenging ourselves as both builders and UA-camrs. We still have a lot to learn and improve, so please follow our journey. We hope it inspires and helps someone like you! Good luck with your project!
Concrete strength depends partially on the aggregate you add to it. It's about a 10% mix of Portland to sand or gravel or fly ash, or what ever you have an abundance of. Rammed earth is more specific. You want to use like 7 parts soil, 2 parts sand to 1 part portland. However, this changes if your soil has a high clay or silt content. You either have to step up your sand or topsoil content to find that perfect point of binding. Before Portland cement was invented, lime was used. (Lime, animal blood, slaked plaster, horse hair...) Your last block seem the most sturdy, but the super wet material when pressing blocks will prevent the compression you are looking for to get the most out of you Cinva ram. It's like hydraulic resistance. When you use less moisture you get maximum compression, then you want to cover the bricks with a tarp for 24 to 48 hours to let the portland work, then you want to wet the bricks down and recover them with a tarp, and then continue to re-wet the bricks when they appear to look dry for the next 45 days. A concrete foundation, wall, etc usually takes about 45 days to cure before it is hard enough to build onto. A lot of times forms are left on the concrete to slow the drying process down. You can make CEB blocks harder than the concrete block in your video, but it requires keeping the bricks wet. I've made concrete sculptures where after the concrete cured hard enough to handle, I submerged the sculpture for about 48 days in water, and it is probably the strongest piece of concrete I've ever made. The higher content of clay in your mix, the longer it is going to take for the CEB block to cure. Rammed earth walls can take years to cure.
@@elmerkilred159 Thank you so much for your detailed and informative comment! We really appreciate it-it’s encouraging to hear that we could make our blocks as hard as concrete. On our next visit, we’re planning to mix AB aggregate into our soil along with 10% cement to improve the blocks. Like you mentioned, a good bonding agent is essential, and we’ll keep experimenting with the water ratio too. It’s amazing that you made a sculpture out of concrete blocks! We hope we’ll eventually get to a point where we can handle and shape our blocks with ease. Thanks again, and have a great day!
The internet is finally defeated! The fact that the strongest one is from material right ther eon your land and at your fingertips is good as far a supply availability! Should be able to make out like bandits ans save time and money in that aspect. Looking forward to seeing how the new block mover from out the machine yall are working on turns out... -N
I am not an expert but I do pay attention... 1. I do not believe clay and cement mix particularly well, they mess eachother up. 2. Mixers are designed to mix, the internet is dumb, be lazy. 3. Your soil would have some clay content and clay LOVES water, more water = more gooder. 4. Adding some kind of fibre may be beneficial.
Thanks for your comment! Getting the perfect soil mix really is an art, and we’re still figuring it out. Some of our drier batches were probably a bit too dry-we should’ve added more water. Honestly, they might’ve turned out better than the wetter ones you see in this video. And we were discussing about hay type material in the mix. We will see. We’re learning as we go, so hang in there with us! We’ll keep sharing all the ups and downs. 💪
We did think about it but we just haven’t gotten around to trying it. There has to be a reason that other compressed bricks don’t use it. But we may try. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@leeslivingoutofthenorm I would highly recommend it. I've also heard that plant material can be used as long as it does the same job as the hay. Looking forward to your next experiment. Where in AZ are you located? I'm in Phoenix. Let me know if a site visit would be possible sometime next year.
I think you need to pay attention to the curing process as well. Leaving them to be sun-dried in a windy desert is not recommended: you need to keep them moist for at least 3 days.
@ Thank you for your comment. Yes I agree 100%! We have videos coming up next two weeks. We started to mist blokes a couple times a day. We should cover them with tarps but e haven’t tried that yet. Arizona is definitely dry( I can feel it on my skin) so I’m sure blocks are craving for some moisture!
You are doing well !
@@nebiyuashagrie3238 Thank you! Slow progress but we are still determined 💪
This video showed up in my suggestions because of my interest in stabilized compressed earth blocks. Yes! Finally someone in the US working with the interlocking ones! You got a new subscriber!
Thank you for watching our video and leaving a comment! As we mentioned in the video, our progress is very slow, but we are determined to keep going! 💪 When we started this journey, we searched for a U.S.-based UA-cam channel documenting similar projects but couldn’t find one. So, here we are, challenging ourselves as both builders and UA-camrs.
We still have a lot to learn and improve, so please follow our journey. We hope it inspires and helps someone like you! Good luck with your project!
Concrete strength depends partially on the aggregate you add to it. It's about a 10% mix of Portland to sand or gravel or fly ash, or what ever you have an abundance of. Rammed earth is more specific. You want to use like 7 parts soil, 2 parts sand to 1 part portland. However, this changes if your soil has a high clay or silt content. You either have to step up your sand or topsoil content to find that perfect point of binding.
Before Portland cement was invented, lime was used. (Lime, animal blood, slaked plaster, horse hair...)
Your last block seem the most sturdy, but the super wet material when pressing blocks will prevent the compression you are looking for to get the most out of you Cinva ram. It's like hydraulic resistance. When you use less moisture you get maximum compression, then you want to cover the bricks with a tarp for 24 to 48 hours to let the portland work, then you want to wet the bricks down and recover them with a tarp, and then continue to re-wet the bricks when they appear to look dry for the next 45 days. A concrete foundation, wall, etc usually takes about 45 days to cure before it is hard enough to build onto. A lot of times forms are left on the concrete to slow the drying process down.
You can make CEB blocks harder than the concrete block in your video, but it requires keeping the bricks wet. I've made concrete sculptures where after the concrete cured hard enough to handle, I submerged the sculpture for about 48 days in water, and it is probably the strongest piece of concrete I've ever made. The higher content of clay in your mix, the longer it is going to take for the CEB block to cure. Rammed earth walls can take years to cure.
@@elmerkilred159 Thank you so much for your detailed and informative comment! We really appreciate it-it’s encouraging to hear that we could make our blocks as hard as concrete.
On our next visit, we’re planning to mix AB aggregate into our soil along with 10% cement to improve the blocks. Like you mentioned, a good bonding agent is essential, and we’ll keep experimenting with the water ratio too.
It’s amazing that you made a sculpture out of concrete blocks! We hope we’ll eventually get to a point where we can handle and shape our blocks with ease. Thanks again, and have a great day!
The internet is finally defeated! The fact that the strongest one is from material right ther eon your land and at your fingertips is good as far a supply availability! Should be able to make out like bandits ans save time and money in that aspect. Looking forward to seeing how the new block mover from out the machine yall are working on turns out...
-N
Thanks! Tell me why a squirrel ran by and now I’m looking at gardening stuff! I blame you!
@@leeslivingoutofthenorm hahaha...as you should!!!
-N
I am not an expert but I do pay attention...
1. I do not believe clay and cement mix particularly well, they mess eachother up.
2. Mixers are designed to mix, the internet is dumb, be lazy.
3. Your soil would have some clay content and clay LOVES water, more water = more gooder.
4. Adding some kind of fibre may be beneficial.
Thanks for your comment! Getting the perfect soil mix really is an art, and we’re still figuring it out. Some of our drier batches were probably a bit too dry-we should’ve added more water. Honestly, they might’ve turned out better than the wetter ones you see in this video. And we were discussing about hay type material in the mix. We will see.
We’re learning as we go, so hang in there with us! We’ll keep sharing all the ups and downs. 💪
Why didn’t you add some hay?
We did think about it but we just haven’t gotten around to trying it. There has to be a reason that other compressed bricks don’t use it. But we may try. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@leeslivingoutofthenorm I would highly recommend it. I've also heard that plant material can be used as long as it does the same job as the hay. Looking forward to your next experiment. Where in AZ are you located? I'm in Phoenix. Let me know if a site visit would be possible sometime next year.
@@aldowaldo05 We are located SE in Cochise county. Someday we would love to invite people over to show our progress in person!!
I think you need to pay attention to the curing process as well.
Leaving them to be sun-dried in a windy desert is not recommended: you need to keep them moist for at least 3 days.
@ Thank you for your comment. Yes I agree 100%! We have videos coming up next two weeks. We started to mist blokes a couple times a day. We should cover them with tarps but e haven’t tried that yet. Arizona is definitely dry( I can feel it on my skin) so I’m sure blocks are craving for some moisture!