[Strawbale] Plaster Question (and historic bale house)

[Mark Piepkorn]

Hi Mike,

         Basic generalizations can be made about soil types in a 
given area, but that's about it. Chances are good that there are 
pockets of clay around you, but finding them can be darned near 
impossible. You could ask the local road boss (they'll know where 
they get their road base), nearby artisan potters (if there's 
high-quality local clay, they'll probably know), landscapers, and 
network with other natural builders in the neighborhood if you've got 
some. If you can turn up any history of brickmaking in the area, 
you'll be onto something.

         The qualities of clay and sand as they come out of the 
ground vary tremendously, even from one shovelful to the next. What 
might seem at first glance to be a fantastic clay might turn out to 
be mostly silt. Once you find something that seems promising, you go 
into a testing phase that can feel interminable.

         If you don't have The Natural Plaster Book, pick up a copy. 
Any bookstore can order it. At the very least, read this:
http://www.thelaststraw.org/bonus-articles/earthplaster.html

         Depending on the project, it may be worth sourcing milled 
clay - call stone and gravel quarries to inquire.

         The pros of using local clay and sand is that it can be 
beautiful and solid and joyful and have low embodied energy. The cons 
are that it might not work very well - either because the materials 
just aren't up to it, or the know-how isn't there. Unfortunately, the 
know-how of local materials mostly comes from using the local 
materials, particularly when wading into the realm of chemistry.

         I see from your website that you recently worked on a SB 
project with Deva.
http://www.harris-mgmt.com/Article_StrawBale.html
Reconnect with him. That guy is extremely knowledgeable.


         Abruptly changing topics, you're probably aware that you're 
living in historic territory: namely, the hometown of David Brown's 
lately departed and sadly lamented haybale house that was in Old 
Saybrook. (Yes, those of you who think I must have misspoken: hay, 
not straw.) Built "wrong" in practically every way, the thing 
survived beautifully for about 30 years. Then it burned down. I'd 
love to know if the cause was pinpointed. Though occupied, it didn't 
have electricity. It was heated with a woodstove, however.

         More:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Old+Saybrook%22+%22hay+house%22

         Mike, if you have any info, I'd love to hear it.

         I'm CCing this response to a couple email lists.


Mark



At 01:24 PM 12/11/2007, Mharris wrote:
>Hi everybody. There may have been a problem with my email yesterday, so I am
>reposting my question. Sorry for the redundancy.
>
>I'm reaching out to the list for any feedback/guidance regarding sourcing
>and selecting materials for natural plaster. We're helping with a project in
>Old Saybrook, CT (at the mouth of the CT River). There has been some
>impression that we don't have clay or sand that is good enough just around
>here. I'm not ready to buy into this belief.
>
>What are the considerations, pros and cons of using locally found clay and
>sand?
>What is experience can the list share in this regard?
>
>Thanks!
>Mike Harris