• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • Timothy Norton
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Jay Angler
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Tereza Okava
  • Andrés Bernal
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Matt McSpadden
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Jennie Little

Technology for making rammed earth blocks

 
Posts: 86
Location: Durham region - Ontario, Canada - Zone 5
2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hello Mr. Oehler,

I've been interested in earth bermed structures since learning about them a couple years ago on this site and then from your materials. I've found this company out of Texas, Earthco Megablocks http://www.earthcomegablock.com/blog/ and they are developing a technology to make large rammed earth blocks.

To the point, do you have any thoughts on the use of this tech or how your designs could be hybridized with it? I've thought that this combined with a moisture barrier could build an Earthship or one of your structures quite nicely.

Have a good day,
 
Posts: 1274
Location: Central Wyoming -zone 4
47
hugelkultur monies dog chicken building sheep
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
i love this idea, i think that a moisture barrier would certainly be a necessity but a great option for an area without much in the way of wood, i didnt get much out of scanning over your link but does this work ok with VERY sandy soils? or is it unnecessary to have clay, like cob?
 
Ed Johnson
Posts: 86
Location: Durham region - Ontario, Canada - Zone 5
2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I imagine it requires some clay. I think there's some mention in there about the soil mix
 
author
Posts: 60
Location: Bonners Ferry Idaho
1
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I invested about $400 thirty years ago in such a devise that was used a lot in S America. It was called a CINVA Ram. Learned about it in one of the Whole Earth Cataloges. Made some bricks but they crumbled easily. Tried adding portland cement. still crumbled. came to find my soil had almost no clay. Hadn't added any straw either. If you do get a mixture that works either use it for interior walls or look up in Rob Roy's books about the plaster with fiberglas in it for the inside of exterior walls to keep the earth pressure from pushing them in. or use a vertical crawl space. -- MO
gift
 
Rocket Mass Heater podcast gob
will be released to subscribers in: soon!
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic