introduction to working with cob
DESCRIPTION
This is the PPT presentation We Are All Farmers Permaculture Institute did on cob during our hands on cob workshop!TRANSCRIPT
Cob Basics and Ballyhoo
The We Are All Farmers
Permaculture Institute
What is cob?
• Earth building, often with clay, straw, and sand
• Lots of cultures have a version of it: mud huts, adobe, etc.
cobcottage.com
http://www.sim.org.au/south-sudan-project
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/tf467nb57c/
What is so great about cob? • Permaculture perspective on cob: low cost, abundant,
community, lasts, DIY, can source locally, can replace and repair locally, can stack functions,
A little divergence: Other stuff like cob: Papercrete: http://www.papercrete.com/
And http://makepapercrete.com/
What brings you to cob? • Want to make our own bread/pizza, etc. outdoors
• Goal to make a rocket stove with cob “masonry” = = =
= much less expensive than a mason stove or Kachelofen
• And you???
ilovecob.com
Ceramicstoday.com
When We Gave it a Try
Lessons Learned by Us
Season matters Letting it dry Don’t light fire prematurely Want to try it again!!
Pointers
• Can get a soil test to know clay content • Try to get everyone using the same ratios
• You can try to use mixers, too, but feet work fine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmyHayp5qtg
• Very annoying music, but another concrete mixer at work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cHBpOviwvc
• “if you want to reduce/eliminate cracks, let the cob dry slowly & completely before firing. You can fire it up sooner, but know that you will likely have cracks. I also like to fire it up at least once prior to plastering.” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFuGzhPxofE
Resources Great video series on how to build a cob oven: http://www.youtube.com/user/sigikoko?feature=watch
How to build a rocket stove + cob: http://ilovecob.com/archive/tag/rocket-stove
• http://www.cobcottage.com/pics
• The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage: The Real Goods Solar Living Book (Illustrated) by Ianto Evans (Author) , Michael G. Smith (Author) , Linda Smiley (Author) , Deanne Bednar
• Rocket Mass Heaters: Superefficient Woodstoves YOU Can Build by Ianto Evans (Author) , Leslie Jackson (Author)
• Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost Wood-Fired Mud Oven, Simple Sourdough Bread, Perfect Loaves, 3rd Edition by Kiko Denzer (Author) , Hannah Field (Author)
• Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds for Domestic Supply, Fire and Emergency Use--Includes How to Make Ferrocement Water Tanks [Paperback] Art Ludwig (Author)
• Cob Building Pictoral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tu0lIRKMLI
• More ideas, inspirations and how to’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk1kzP2QHpg
• Start with a clay model: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7slPrX1Vmk0
• A cob outhouse! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4EEhi7T8A8
• Basic Cob Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_83Nsf0z1s
• A bit shaky video work, but you see a lot of cool stuff! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XChnijYFBY
Troubleshooting Cob
http://www.inspection4.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/cob_walls.pdf
http://www.cobcottage.com/questions
Testing cob construction for earthquake survival (more annoying music): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJk_AFY4sgE
Appendix. Please get your own copy of Build Your Own Earth Oven: A Low-Cost Wood-Fired Mud Oven, Simple Sourdough Bread, Perfect Loaves, 3rd Edition by Kiko Denzer (Author) , Hannah Field (Author)