Oh! This is heartbreaking! But it'snot just a situation like this thatt might lead a person to the
experience of reusing old cob. And that's the beauty of cob,you can use it over and over again. there are a few methods of remoisturizing the cob. Soaking in a
bucket of
water is not my favorite, but might be the quickest. I like laying soaking wet towels over it because it's harder to "over wet" it, then adding water to the towels a few times as I test for moisture penetration.
I bet I ma not the only one who has some practice in this, and soon,so will you.
Good luck