Straw Light Clay - Alternative to Straw Bale Building, Craik, SK
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- Опубліковано 14 гру 2014
- Building our new house from SLC (Straw Light Clay). Wind and sun were enough today that we didn't need the generator for power. Great alternative to straw bale construction. See how it's done...
This is the new old way of building! I wish some people knew their history. I’m doing a Earth ship/straw bale home and people freak out. Why? So much money saved and we’re not Tearing up the planet. You have great idea’s. Thank you for posting. I’ll be using some of these inventions of yours👏😊 You’re fantastic ☺️
I am watching these inspiring videos again. You are both amazing.
Thank you ♥️ Long journey and lots of trial and error along the way but worth it ♥️
MEGA THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very helpful Thanks for the upload.
i really liked your video and learned a lot from the discussion particularly your replies in the comment section. your knowledge on d subject looks great. I'll post my questions if any comes as i'm also doing project on straw clay bricks. Thanks for the video and replies.👍
What a cool contraption
If you want a more in depth explanation of how to mix the clay slip for SLC (Straw Light Clay) visit our UA-cam Channel. There is a 30 minute video that explains exact proportions as well as what to look for in selecting clay material. ua-cam.com/video/lhZypnoeWyU/v-deo.html
interesting alternative. thx
I haven't read all the comments, but, I want to know if you have a video of building the SLC mixer. It looks like you welded 55 gal barrels together for the 'shoot'. but show us the rest of the build....nice looking rig.
Thanks for the comment. Yes. A very simple but effective build. Here's a vid explaining how it works
ua-cam.com/video/JUuClXG2mQE/v-deo.html just a furnace motor, some caster wheels, and steel drums assembled into a tube. We threw some forks inside to help toss and mix the straw and slip. Gravity does the rest.
Love the vids! Thank you! I was wondering if tumble weeds would work?
Hey Sharon, yes, tumble weeds, paper, wood pulp, grass, any natural fiber will work - 1. just ensure the fiber is below 30% humidity when you begin 2. EXPERIMENT with what % of clay you need to keep the wall structured 3. Nothing green. It has to be dried. Anything green has the chance of releasing sugars in the form of fermentation...so your natural fiber has to be at the point of no longer containing any "nutritional value". A "hay" bale works only if you roll it out, and let the sun dry it out completely to the point animals wouldn't care for it any longer.
Riverstone Studios - Natural Organic Skin and Body Care Thanks for the response!
Thank you so much for all the knowledge you guys are excellent!Would there be any issues with using straw light clay to insulate bays in a 2x6 stick framed building? I would be sheating on exterior with plywood and on the interior with cedar planks not applying plaster. Stay safe and blessed
Thanks Dan. You're talking about mixing styles and methods that I probably wouldn't do. For example. Here in Canada, 2x6 conventional construction looks from the outside like this: siding, Tyvek/breathable membrane/sheathing(osb/plywood), 2x6 framing with non-flamable insulation, followed by a vapour barrier (plastic sheeting), and then wall covering. It works because it's a complete system. Remove any of the components and you get rot/condensation/weather damage.
SLC is just another type of building system. It becomes flame proof/pest proof because of the finishes applied inside and out and responds a certain way to condensation issues between inside/outside temperature differences based on the entire system. I wouldn't use bare straw in the walls without a flame retardant mixed in for starters, but I have a feeling you might end up with condensation issues between inside/outside temps if you live in a climate that requires insulation. There are a few companies that are experimenting with pre-fab wall systems very similar to what you are talking about, but unfortunately, I don't know much about how they are put together as most are experimental at this point and I'm unsure of the regions they are being tested in.
I like the idea, it's a great way to use up the straw we have left from reshaping our straw bale's . Would you advise it for inner walls?
+Mark van Schoubroeck Yes. SLC can be used for inner walls no problem. Personally, I don't run electrical wire through straw. Life changes and I've had to move electricals way too many times in other homes we've owned so I always use surface mounted conduit on parged walls so most of our inner walls I like to use drywall and studs rather than straw. Running services through hollow walls is much easier.
Very cool, thanks for sharing.
I have built a few straw bale buildings and I am clay slip curious now. Mainly I was thinking that it would be nice to have thinner walls then a whole bale width. Is there a reason that you went so wide with this? It looks like you basically are just as wide as a straw bale anyways.
LOL. Good eye! We were originally going to do straw bale and had started on this building as such. We had the framing done and parts of the wall infilled. After a plow wind came through our place and took out most of our yard including outbuildings, wind turbine, and this partially built structure, we had to regroup and look for a way of salvaging our foundation and uprights that were left. Thus where we discovered and started experimenting with SLC.
I would never recommend anything over 12" thick. Anything greater is just work and expense with no additional R value. In fact, it can be a detriment to drying but we decided to use what we had rather than starting over. Thus the 18" thick walls.
After building both Strawbale and SLC, I would never build strawbale again. I love the flexibility and consistency of SLC. Easier to work with, nicer to finish and I love the fact that your walls can be any thickness from 4" up to 12" (or greater in our case lol)
Thank you for your videos! Hey I'm curious, how do you tamp down the material when you get up near the roof and there isn't any room for tamping?
***** Best way of tamping is put the roof sheeting on after you finish the walls. If it's not possible (such as in our case) we used full square bales to stuff into the top 2 feet. We then push in straw clay mixture (heavy on the clay side) into any holes or spots. This works because of the thickness of our walls. On something like a 12" or thinner wall, you can also put form boards only on the backside of the wall and build your wall from the front side without a form pressing the straw in by hand using a heavier clay version of SLC (about 30% clay) so it has some stickiness to it and helps it form and bond better.
Thanks, I think I'm going to try the "roof last" method. Your videos are responsible for kickstarting a hexagonal slc structure with timber frame.....thank you! Ps we both have a lot in common, both musicians who live off the grid ;)
Sweet! Wishing ya all the best!
Hi, it's incredible how you run into more and more alternative build techniques. I am planning a 2br home with strawbale or cordwood but where I'm going to build there is little info on these types of techniques. Uruguay I believe will have a coastal Mediterranean climate (rains about 1500mm p/yr) can get to 0°C in winter and rainy and 30+ in the summer, most of the time it's high humidity. What would be best SLC or one of the other build types?
Yeah, when we started there was almost no videos on-line - especially about SLC which is why we started posting on it. SLC is not the best choice for humid areas. The best part of SLC is its resilience to hot and cold / wet and dry conditions. It really stands up and performs well to extremes +30 to -30 C and humidity levels that run the range from 10% to 100%...Where a lot of other building styles can't perform well in those extremes, SLC shines. HOWEVER, SLC doesn't like mild, humid weather conditions. The high natural fibre content would probably begin to breakdown and compost over time. As a general rule any straw or natural fibre construction needs to have a majority of it's yearly life spent in conditions favorable to less than 30% humidity. It can take wet seasons...but needs a good period of the year where it can remain dry. I would look more toward cob, adobe, or cordwood for a coastal area myself.
@Mauricio Look up Bareque or Bahareque construction, it's very common in South America. It's pretty much the same concept of wattle and dab. There's plenty of very old buildings in Colombia still standing. Hope it helps
Hello,
Thank you for this vidio my question is can Alpaca fiber from sheering the animals be used in the straw mix, also i hear lime mixed in the mixture bonds hard. what do you think.
Hi Pamela, Thank you and yes to the Alpaca fibers. We personally do not have experience with this so I would highly suggest making some test walls for yourself to see how it performs...and no to the lime. I would look at a hempcrete type of mix over SLC if you'd like to use lime. SLC doesn't really bond as a result of the clay but more so because the dampened and turned straw fibers twist, wrap, and lock together as they get mixed up and placed into the wall...Once pressed down it "ties the knots" making for an incredibly tightly woven wall that is tough to destroy. Lime works well with sand as a lock and key system. I don't believe the proportions would be right. The lime particles typically are used to "key" into the tiny spaces around sand, cement, or clay for a tough finish...but lime mixed with such a small percentage of clay slip would not necessarily add additional strength - it will just make it harder to place as it is caustic to bare skin. You'd have to have a much higher ratio of slip to be effective which puts you into a "crete" instead of a "light clay" builld. I'd save it for the plaster finish - but again, experiment - I'd love to hear what you find with your own testing.
This is amazing! Is it possible to have a 2 story home built from this?
Tari Newton Totally. The SLC is not load bearing capable, so your wood framing takes up the weight load for your second story. Regardless of single story or two storey, remember that you require cross bracing through your wood framing for strength.
I've always heard not to stucco straw because it doesn't breath and soaks up water but holds it next to the straw which could cause rot.
I think a good cob mix on the walls would work better at least from the things I've read.
+Chris Adams thanks Chris. I always say build for your area. Totally dependant on wind loads, yearly temps, and humidity levels. Cob and natural finishes weather poorely here because of our conditions. Those same conditions that will strip the clay right off the outer walls here helps wick moisture out of the wall through the cement stucco...we built for our challenges and when it comes to natural techniques we've learned one size doesn't always fit all.
ok i was just wondering
Thanks Chris, we've heard that too. So you're right on the mark...but experiment and know what you need in your area. Cheers!
Spring and summers are warm to hot (+30 C) with rain, and typical winter days are -25 C...plus we usually get a cold snap in January for a week of -30 or colder. Because of the winter months was the reason we chose SLC over doing cob. Both methods are similar, just proportions of straw and clay are reversed. One gives your more strength, the other more insulating value. As far as covering the SLC, we decided after 3 years of experimenting to go with a lime/cement/sand stucco. Of all the tests we did, that mix seemed to give us the best results. 5 yrs later, our first house is still performing well with no concerns.
Could you please give some instructions of how to make the mixer? How many drums, and how to actually make it? Thanks. I am also concerned about building with this method in Poland. The worry is that the clay may not dry until frost come and damage wet clay. Any info on drying it i west scenario polish weather?
Hey John, even frozen, the wall will "freeze dry" through the winter months because the cold air is actually so dry it will draw moisture out of the wall...even frozen. We have a similar climate here in Canada as Poland. You can find more info on making the mixer at this video: ua-cam.com/video/JUuClXG2mQE/v-deo.html
Why does this work better in Canada? I'm in BC and looking at alternatives to go off grid. I've looked at log & cord / straw bale / and cob construction. This appears more like what I've seen as Cob, but still different. This looks very interesting...!
And I have not heard about Straw Bale rotting.... Is that common?
Hey Roger, thanks for the really great questions. From our research, SLC stems its roots from Germany (which has a very similar climate to Canada). We were in the middle of building a stacked Nebraska style straw bale house when we ran out of weather in the fall and had to shut down.
A freak windstorm with 126 km/h winds took our partially built straw bale walls down leaving us a mess of broken straw. We also had just dug a reservoir on our land and had a couple hundred yards of clay hanging around so we researched what we could do with the two products (loose straw and clay).
From our research, Cob isn't well suited for Saskatchewan. Because the walls are so dense, it doesn't provide enough winter insulation unless you start getting into insane thicknesses...which then leads to drying issues and slow and heavy building. We stumbled across SLC and fell in love because its straw based, perfectly formed walls with a bit of clay slip to bind things together...and very easy to place the material (straw bale starts to get more difficult after the 4th course in height) Once you remove the forms, there is no other prep work - they're set for plastering once dry.
Any natural product - including straw will begin degrading with humidity and moisture levels over 30%. It's not normally an issue but depending on where you live in BC this may or may not affect you. In SK, we have June and July with 85-95% humidity and +30 heat...but all winter long we're -20's with 10% RH so any moisture the walls take on during the spring and summer draws out easily. Long and short - Straw bale works well in climates where more months of the year are dry and cold than warm and wet.
The Germans used SLC because it's what they had available and it worked for their climate 700 years ago. Mexico and the SW States used Cob because it's what they had available and it worked for their climate. Northern and Western States started used Straw Bale because wood was in short supply and expensive to source on the prairies when it was first being settled. It's more about knowing your location and what will stand up to your climate. Hope some of this helps.
Yes, straw bales will rot if they get wet and can't dry out fast enough. They are baled dry and have to stay that way until render is applied. Straw bale construction works best in climates where you can depend on not getting any rain during the building season. You need to get the building up and protected by a roof in one season. And your straw bales need to be protected from the rain until then. If you buy your bales ahead of time they need to be stored in a barn until you're ready to use them.
what about termites attacking the straw? If termites are going to be a problem, do you have a recommended termite treatment solution?
+ian cormie Sorry, but we don't have termites here in Canada...nor do I believe termites are a problem Germany where it originated. Because SLC typically is built with wood frame construction, I'm assuming the same steps required to protect a wood constructed building would be used, but I have no experience and the only advice I can give is what I always say, "always build for your area" Mud houses are great in the desert - not so good in coastal areas. Adobe is good in warm climates, straw in cold, SLC/Straw bale - doesn't work in coastal areas, etc.
hi, do you make any protection from mice getting in to your walls?
Thank you - Really good question about mice.
Like any other type of building, living on an acreage, in a farming area, Spring and Fall result in the occasional mouse finding their way into the house...but never through or into the straw walls. They find their way either through the hole chopped into our concrete slab for water/sewer entrance or through spots in the soffit and then enter through the roof. Open windows with no screens will also let them in. We've also had neighbours in a straw bale house who watched one scoot in through the front door their kids left open :)
Straw bale isn't a problem for mice - especially if you use a lime based plaster on your finishing and take extra care sealing at the base of your foundation. Mice DO NOT like chewing or ingesting lime or cement as a general rule - and against popular misbelief - don't harbour in 2 foot thick packed straw walls. They prefer easy points of entry and open cavity walls with little or no insulation.
The best protection against mice, insects, or rodents of any type for any and all types of construction is a well sealed building tied in tight from ground to roof.
Eat them
One thing that I never see being explained is how electrical wiring is done, whether it's SLC, cob, cordwood or earthbag! PS: why cover the outside beam w wire at all?
Thanks for the comment rvpace2u. Some people will run electrical through the walls. We choose not to. All of our wiring is surface mounted in conduit after the walls are finished. Internal wiring is impossible to add/move/repair if it is buried within the walls.
Re: wire on the outside beam. Yes, we've left beams exposed in the past but now like stuccoing over them (personal for looks) If they are exposed, we require good expanding & flexible sealant between the parging and the beam to accommodate shrinkage and material movement. Our temperatures here in Saskatchewan Canada range between -40C and +40C with a humidity range of 5% in winter to 98% mid summer so movement in the materials has to be taken into account. There are no absolutes - just finding ways that work with your locale. :)
rvpace2u you cut a channel with a chain saw about 6 in deep so an accidental nail in the wrong spot does not short the wire the channeling keeps it concealed .
Will you explain the straw mixture equipment
Hi Manohar, here is a video we made on it ua-cam.com/video/JUuClXG2mQE/v-deo.html
Why wouldn't you use a clay/lime type plaster instead of cement???
Because you should always build for your climate. We spent 2 years trying every type and combination of materials against our climate Lime/cement beat out every other sample we did when dealing with 100km/h wind, rain, snow, freeze/thaw cycles.
Deciding to use clay/lime because other people do it only works if you live in like areas of the world.
It's the same reason I laughed when I heard someone cut down trees in BC to build a straw bale house that they had to haul bales in for from 700 km away. (The building failed within 5 yrs btw) Wrong products, wrong climate, wrong thought process. I ALWAYS mandate that you need to build for where you live and not by any other standard. Build to last a lifetime and set your own green goals.
what about using a portable compacter to tamp it down?
The goal is around 30-40 psi of pressure. I've used a hand held tamper (5 lb 8"x8" steel plate on a wooden handle - not powered), 2x4's, feet, even a framing hammer in tight corners with good success.
Wow, this is great! Any issues with fire or zoning?
Because we are mortgage free / insurance free and live in a rural area, we are allowed to build. We are zoned as rural agriculture so no zoning issues to contend with. Even though other builders do run wire through their straw, we prefer not to. Anywhere we need electricals along straw walls we always surface mount in conduit be be 1 better than code. SLC as with Straw bale is not recognized in the building codes here yet even though CMHC (Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation) has done a good job of testing both methods. If we were to have a mortgage we would have to show insurability...insurability is based on meeting code - which we can't because it doesn't exist yet!
@@Naturally-Kelly you are awesome with your answers. Any update to the insurance challenges?
@@LitoGeorge no updates to insurance. We do not carry any, but I know our neighbours were able to get.
@@Naturally-Kelly thanks a stack. House holding up ok?
@@LitoGeorge Yes. Very well. We've been 9 years living full time in our straw bale house. So long in fact, its time to start doing renos :) Fresh paint inside and out this spring. Plus after 2 kids growing up, some of the interior wood work needs sanding and restaining just from daily wear.
What do.you do out there? Saskatchewan? Is that Canadian wheat prairies?
Yep - we own an acreage in the middle of the Canadian bald prairies. Lots of farming around us. My wife and I make a living producing organic skin care products that we sell through our online store (riverstonenaturals.com/shop)...but we like to joke and tell people we just live on love :)
@@Naturally-Kelly I hope you can become self sufficient. What do you make skin care products from?
@@jukeboxhero1649 Thanks. We grow as many of our raw ingredients as we can - Mint / Calendula / St. John's Wort / Comfrey...We make 52 products that we ship throughout all of North America. They range from Soaps to salves to essential oil blends. The base of most of our products is Coconut Oil and Beeswax. We've been doing the Online Shop full time since 2012...but in the local community nobody really understands online commerce or healthy skin care...that's why we joke that EVERYone around here thinks we just live on love :)
@@Naturally-Kelly you and your mate should get to making some more helpers. You'll be glad you did.
Doesn't the plywood bow out when you compact it?
MrFakit Yes. In our build, we have 6' between wood beams. The outside curve is never an issue, but as you move up the wall, the inner curve of the plywood form wants to bow out so after about the first 3 feet of height, I start to add crutches to the middle of the form - nothing fancy, just a 2x4 wedged against the curve out to the floor to help hold it in. Good job on catching that. It's a non issue on straight walls as you can use heavier form boards.
Riverstone Studios / Riverstone Naturals - Organic Skincare aa
I'd be worried that cement stucco doesn't breathe. old timber frame cob houses in the uk have been getting rot because they got a cement finish at some point so the cob started to capture and retain moisture building up the rot that eventually spread to their timber frames.
I wouldn't doubt it. I would NEVER recommend putting cement finish on any UK house straw/wood/or otherwise - Period. You have to build for your climate. 9 years later, our 1st house is performing excellently with no issues...here in Saskatchewan where we average 10% humidity for 6+ months a year, 30% humidity Spring and Fall and 80% humidity for 2 months in the summer strength and protection are key - breathability is a not an issue. The cement surface becomes so dry that it actually helps to pull moisture out of the wall as a wick. People seem to have an idea that 1 size fits all when it comes to construction. I always say build for where you are at. Believe it or not, I know people who have cut down trees to build a straw bale house in the forest...having to haul bales 700 km...and then have rot issues with their house - because it was built in the middle of a forest! You always need to build for your location with local materials and know how your materials interact with your locale. We spent 2 years conducting 4 season tests with 6 finishes before committing to a recipe.
@@Naturally-Kelly Got it! I'm no architect I'm just trying to put together enough information to build something with out shooting in the dark and this is very helpful thank you!
Could hydraulic lime be used instead of clay in the mix .thanks
Lime could probably be added, but not sure about how well it would work. Clay slip is used as a way to soften and stick/fold the fibres together. Lime is typically used with sand. Sand has large particles where lime is powdery and made of small particles. Mixing sand and lime works as a parging material because the lime "keys" into the sand like a puzzle piece to lock and form a rigid bond. You would have to experiment if you are thinking of using it with straw as a glue.
@@Naturally-Kelly I’m just thinking hempcrete is lime and hemp shiv maybe straw would act the same .as shiv
@@paulwright9262 Possibly. I'm sorry, I don't have any experience with hempcrete.
Can you tell me the detail of drum construction why do want to do that?
Hi Manohar, You can find a video on how we built the drum tumbler here: ua-cam.com/video/JUuClXG2mQE/v-deo.html and a video of our cement mixer here: ua-cam.com/video/bkPy64CJcwQ/v-deo.html. With Straw Light Clay, you need some way of mixing your clay water and Straw. You can do it by hand - just stir some clay and water together in a pail, put a tarp down on the ground for your straw and then splash the clay slip over it, then use your hands or a pitch fork to mix together, but machines just make it faster with less effort.
Thanks for the video. I'm wondering how you know the exact R-value per inch for straw slip clay. I have read a lot of different values around the Internet, from the most promising to the most depressing values. I always assume that the R-value per inch will be the same is hempcrete. Which is on itself not as great as other materials but it is easy to do it yourself at a low cost. I would also use another technique for placing and fitting the straw slip clay. Instead of temporarily fixing plywood (I guess) to the frame, I would make 2 wattle walls, one on the interior, one on the exterior. The cavity in between I would fill with straw slip clay and the exterior I would finish with wattle. That is because here in Belgium wattle and daub timber framing is a (lost) traditional building method. Combining that with straw slip clay would give a stronger wall than just straw slip clay and on the other hand it would be better insulated than traditional wattle and daub. That's just my opinion.
+Brecht Schatteman please see www03.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/catalog/productDetail.cfm?cat=45&itm=7&lang=en&sid=UzVBvzLrl6RWcj9IKj49ySeKXI3cJOEgdAzW0yOSGwbXjzTYC7RngLSmEJ5ihOTo&fr=1453477269256
This is a publication put together after Canada Mortgage and Housing did extensive research on alternative building methods. They found at a density of 40 psi the r value of traditional straw is 1.6 / inch. I'm with you, I've heard everything from R10 to R60 for bales. CMHC's research lines up with what we are actually seeing in the Straw bale house we live in. It also makes sense that R value is tied to density and type of straw used.
Regarding wattle and daub...I've seen videos of people building SLC that way and it looks very viable. That style you are talking about seems to be a mix of various styles used from Africa to Central America to Europe over thousands of years. There are even some wattle and daub buildings here in Canada from the late 1800 immigrations. I love the fact that because us humans have been moving around the world for so many years, there is a beautiful fusion of techniques that have been adopted and modified for various climates and conditions. All the best! Kelly
+Riverstone Studios - Eco-Body Care thanks for the reply! I'm sorry for the effort you put in posting the link, I did find it on another video. Sorry! A conductiviy of 0,09 in metric system is pretty good. hempcrete gets around 0,056 insulation with whool, cellulose, kork, al get around 0,04-0,035. I hoped they would have put more information on it. Because in my idea for the wall, the SLC doesn't need to be 40 psi dense, because the wattle and daub would already give enough strengt to the wall (enless you would want to be able to hang heavy stuff to the SLC wall, but I would find that kind of wrong, you have the timber frame to hang te heavy things to imo). So maybe that can achieve better insulative value. I wished they would gave the results of other densities too. That way I could maybe figure out what would be ideal for my idea. Maybe I should experiment with it myself. Than I could test if there would be a difference if I just used the straw is it came, or if it would give batter value if I would chop it in smaller pieces (smaller pieces makes it easier to fill without gaps). I love timber frame, and I also love the old brick buildings because they are a work of craftsmanship, not machinezed stuff. I also like log houses, but they were not traditional for my region so I think I won't build a log house. I also like how techniques hqve changed and immerged over time. I hate it how now the industrie is focussed on plastics, aluminium etc, they are unecological and I prefer the natural feel of wood. Here in Belgium in the DIY-shops there are almost no tools with wood shaft. Almost all are with plastic. The only axes easy to find are the large wood-splitting/tree chopping axes with plastic shaft. That just as an example of how much of tradition is lost in Belgium. I would like to 'blow new life' (it is a dutch saying, I don't know if you have something like that in English) into the traditions. Starting with becoming a volunteer at a Gaulic farmstead. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menapii The picture there of the Menapian dwelling is part of it. Once I graduate and have money I will also invest in traditional tools and I would like to build my own 'garden shed' myself (in Belgium it is hardly possible to build only by yourself, the permision is valid for only 5 years, not enough to build a whole house to the Belgium standard all by yourself in your free time. What makes it harder is the 'minima measurements' for living spaces, and so thus the house). Hatefull, but what would you expect of a overpopulated country (if you compare to other European countries) with a deficient gouvernement. One of the reasons I like to watch this video, it gives me an impression of how it could be like. Thanks for the video! and also, sorry if I made mistakes, I don't have English autocorrect on my computer. Greetings, Brecht
Brecht Schatteman
Can you use grass hay instead of straw? Straw is very hard to come by where I live
Yes. You can use ANY natural fiber.
Grass has nutritional value. Straw does not. Depending on where you live, pests may decide to munch on your grass hay building. Better to import straw or choose another material altogether. Another reason to prefer straw over grass hay is cost. Grass hay will be priced for sale as cattle food. Straw is a waste product only useful as animal bedding and will be priced accordingly.
Can you tell me what your son was pouring into the spinning barrels. It looks like muddy water.
Robert Krause Yep, Joshuah is pouring clay slip into tumbler. The ratio of clay to water is mixed roughly to the thickness of milk.
My size 10 1/2 shoe is 12" by 3.5", giving 42 square inches. At 200 pounds body weight you are getting 4.8 PSI standing on one foot, maybe 3 times that - 14.4 - stomping on one foot. That is nowhere near 40 PSI.
Thanks Tom, you're absolutely right. I joke about my "calibrated foot" :)...I should have mentioned that you're looking for 40 PSI in the finished dried product. When it is wet, it is extremely soft. Once dry, you're looking for the side of the wall to be able to withstand 40 PSI without deforming if you are looking to have 1.6 R rating. Stomping on it gets you close on that finished dry wall. It's not a fine science and the product is very forgiving. I'm amazed at how just wet straw and a little bit of clay can produce such a resilient product in the end. We held a workshop and on the second day we gave the participants 2x4s and hammers and told them to rip apart the wall the built the day before...they had a very difficult time.
how about a 6 year update video? inquiring minds want to know.....
Planning for this summer to do some updates. Thank you for the kick in the butt :)
@@Naturally-Kelly glad to give energy where needed. wheres the garden hose?
whats the dressing ?
What do you mean by "dressing"? If you mean how is the straw held together - it's clay slip. If you mean how will I finish it? It was eventually coated in cement/lime plaster (stucco). Hope this helps.
thanks, how do you make clay slip... if i live in NY where do I get clay..? on line?
I think Audrey should be wearing goggles...
I cant see the advantave to bails are already load bearing and the wet hay producing rot as opposed to covering the hay bails with cob? I think this is a very bad idea for anyone to do. And his chicken wire does not rest on top of his hay to apply a top coat.
This is called COB, albeit poorly made COB.
Different ratios. 2 different products COB is mostly clay with a straw binder / SLC is flipped mostly straw with a bit of clay for binding. Used for 2 different climates.
all that work for straw light clay and you used stucco to cover it. should have used cob or natural plasters
Thank you Peter. We've done extensive testing here in Saskatchewan on styles and renders. Unfortunately cob is too dense of a product to handle -35 C and of the 6 trials of plasters we did, only the cement based could handle the 125 km/hr winds/rain we can get. Build for your climate - not for your fancy :)
Riverstone Studios - Natural Organic Skin and Body Care
I could tell you were in canada, but didn't realize you were way up.
I do like you improve mixer.
so slow...