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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Natural Building.

Adobe bricks are essentially cob building blocks, where a large portion of the drying time (which can be significant) is done before the building process begins. They can be used to build a large list of items very quickly, including RMHs, built in furniture, ovens and even whole houses.

To make adobe bricks you need an adobe form. Typically a wood frame, open at the top and bottom for forming cob into bricks. Wet the adobe form by dipping it in water, place it on bare ground and toss in a wet-ish cob mix (literally tossing in handfuls, throwing it down hard will eliminate air pockets). Level the mix off to the top of the form, then pull the form away, leaving the wet brick behind. Wet the form between bricks. Repeat. When dry enough to move without deforming, flip the bricks on their narrow edge to finish drying.

Minimum requirements:
  - Make 12 bricks
  - 12” by 6” by 3”

To get certified for this BB, post the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Show your mix and tools
  - Action shot
  - Bricks drying on edge
COMMENTS:
 
author and steward
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Kirk,

Might there be two or three decent youtube videos that you like that we could embed in this BB?
 
pollinator
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paul wheaton wrote:Kirk,

Might there be two or three decent youtube videos that you like that we could embed in this BB?



Dunno.  I'll search around.
I might have images too.
 
Kirk Mobert
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I don't have any good images (or at least haven't found any) of making adobes in my stuff.

There are a few videos,

I think this one is one of the better ones:


This guy is always excellent. I think he makes it hard on himself with an overly dry mix. (and yes, he's making a kiln to fire stuff, the process is pretty much the same)


 
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Approved submission
Knocked this one out at the 2019 PEP1 event at Allerton Abbey.  Sifted soil to remove rocks.  They had clay slip and chopped straw in barrels already on site.  Used 3 pails of sifted dirt, 1 pail of straw, 1/3 pail of clay slip and some water to make a wheelbarrow full.  Please note that the recipe is site specific so your soils may vary.  That filled 8 molds at 6" by 12" by 3.5".  

Put some water and slip in the wheelbarrow first.  Then added the dirt and mixed with a hoe.  Added water slowly (Don't do too much!!!).  Then added the straw and mixed it in.  Then shoveled it into the forms and poked it in with fingers and used a board as a screed to level them.  Left them sit overnight and popped the form off in the morning and stood them up to dry.  My bricks are the closest row to the wheelbarrow.

I'd humbly suggest changing the requirements to be 3-4" thick so that a 2x4 can be used to make the forms.
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Sifting station (with tools)
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Filled form (mine is on the right)
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Flipping up my bricks
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Clay slip (rehydrating more for next time)
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Chopped straw
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Stacked to dry. Aren't they prettier than Jeremy's and Baylee's?
Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify that this BB is complete!

 
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Approved submission
Made some adobe bricks. The sandy dirt was screened and mixed with a bit of clay, straw, and water. It was pressed into the mold. Since the mix wasn't too wet, I could remove the mold fairly soon after and place the bricks on their sides to fully dry.
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Staff note (Mike Barkley) :

I certify this BB is complete.

 
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Mike Haasl wrote:

Added water slowly (Don't do too much!!!).  Then added the straw and mixed it in.  Then shoveled it into the forms and poked it in with fingers and used a board as a screed to level them.  



Hey Mike, I'm curious: why did you add straw to the bricks? Wouldn't they burn out and leave voids? Wouldn't they be insulative rather than absorbative? Guess I don't totally get what's going on here.
 
Mike Haasl
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I'm not an expert on cob or adobe but I think the idea is that these bricks are for structural or building applications, not fire ones.  So the straw is insulative and structural.  I think...
 
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Approved submission
Here is my submission for the Natural Building - Sand - Make 12 Adobe Bricks BB.

To document the completion of the BB, I have provided the following:
- Make 12
- photo of my mix and tools
- an action shot
- photo of drying bricks, on edge
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Mixing Straw in to Sand/Clay mix
Mixing Straw in to Sand/Clay mix
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Throwing Mix into Form
Throwing Mix into Form
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Screed Process
Screed Process
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Standing Bricks on Edge
Standing Bricks on Edge
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12 Bricks on Edge
12 Bricks on Edge
Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Barkley approved this submission.

 
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Approved submission
Made 12 adobe bricks at the PTJ. Cob mix was approximately 2 parts sand and 1 part clay with a bunch of straw sprinkled in. Dried on a hot day in the shade to prevent surface hardening.
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Staff note (gir bot) :

Mike Barkley approved this submission.

 
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