Mark Maitland

I conducted several soil sample tests per Earthbag Building by Kaki Hunter and Donal Kiffmeyer. I wasn't sure how much silt vs clay is in each sample. Should I separate the sand and rocks from the mix then test the finer suspended materials? There is a pretty good indication that I have a some silt and some clay due to the stickiness and slipperiness. I guess I just want a little more assurance of what the clay vs silt ratios are. Thanks for any suggestions.
-Mark

I plan on building a 12' diameter Corbeled Dome and was wondering if I can substitute 3/8" galvanized air craft cable for barbed wire? I have a readily available supply of Wire rope, and all the tools and connections to deal with it. With the connections (wire rope clips) it will be considerably bulkier than barbed wire, but also orders of magnitude stronger. I guess my primary concerns is tamping the bags onto this bulkier substitute will possibly tear the bags (the hardware used to connect the cables are golf ball size and have some sharp surfaces). Is the "lay" of the cable (its got a twist to it) enough to grip and hold the poly bags? (I have caught my hair/gotee on the strands of cable many times) Or will I need to add a piece of hardware to the cable for each bag? Im guessing this is an acceptable material, lastly would I need to have two rows or will one suffice? Thanks!
-Mark