Thanks for the link. I posted the article in the Sustainable Alternatives Forum... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/gogreen/all/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/781026/
...and forgot to give you credit for posting it first. Sorry.
How to make papercrete containers.
That's ok, darius, great idea! Spread the word!
I've posted this a couple of different places but haven't gotten any responses. I know there are still people here doing papercrete, so can you help me, please?
I just did my first experiment the other day with Papercrete and I have a couple of questions on the papercrete.
1. Have any of you determined the proper ratio mix of paper slurry to PC for larger papercrete projects? I'd like to make some large containers with it, so any advice & tips would be appreciated.
2. What's the drying time before taking it out of the mold? I took mine out after about 28 hours & part of it broke off.
3. What's the curing time for papercrete before planting in it?
4. Do you seal these inside or out before you use them? If so, with what? Will polyurethane work?
Thanks!!
No idea but papercrete is showing up outside of DG - like I'll bet if you google it you'll get some hits.
x, C
SCnewbie, I see you posted on the Hypertufa and Concrete forum. If you do a Search on Papercrete in that forum you will get several hits.
I've done the search here and although I've found a ton of great info & inspiration, I haven't found anything about the ratio mix & the setting time, although I'm not entirely thru all the threads yet - there are a TON of them..
I'll try goog, tho, and see what comes up there.
Thanks.
Actually, the recipe is at the top of this thread. As are step by step instruction and photos.
Thanks, but I've read this entire thread a couple of times and it's not telling me what I want to know.
What does "8 sheets of paper" equate to in volume measurement? That's what I want to know. I did a huge amount of paper slurry the other day & mixed one handful of that with one handful of PC until I had the amount I wanted for my project.
Also, although I waited more than 24 hours before taking it out of the mold, it still broke, so I'm wondering what the average "setting" time is.
I'm also wondering about sitting it in a water bath to cure it, like they do hypertufa.
SCNewbie:
The questions you ask have everything to do with the climate/zone you're performing your project. Humidity, aridness, heat, cold will have an actual effect on the condition of your medium. And those considerations will have an effect on the "time" issues you bring up.
I can tell you that I've successfully used the papercrete recipe above and adapted it to Zone 9b. Anywhere from 115 degrees to 40 degrees. You must use your own common sense. For example, where I live sometimes I have to CREATE humidity so the 'crete doesn't dry out too rapidly..... a cause of breakage. You kind of have to understand how concrete works for you. You feel it and you sense it. Try again.
Lalalalalalala :-)
Good luck on your project.
Yes, I've seen that now. ;) I took Carrie's suggestion & Goog'd it, and found a lot of sites - thanks, Carrie! Sometimes I forget there's a world out there, because sooooo much info is in here. :)
A lot of those sites were about people building homes out of papercrete, but within that info was a lot of discussion of their different mixes, so I figured out this is a pretty subjective mix.
The one thing I was surprised was that most of them talked about drying their projects immediately & quickly.
Based on my 'memory', I believe you have to let it sit for a week or more, before unmolding, so it won't break. But, that, too, depends on your climate.
You're welcome! :>)
My father's house is made of something similar - Rastra. Apparently although paper is recycled and recyclable, Portland Cement is very hard on the environment. I was looking into Rastra when I saw all the mentions of Papercrete.
Where does he live, Carrie?
Hap
Until this month, Santa Fe NM. He had a bad stroke a year ago and his moving back east to be where everyone else he's related to lives.
x, C
Wow, Carrie! I just googled rastra and it's very interesting. I just wonder what the $$ is. Can you tell me more about his home?
Not really. HE could, and would, but he's not really able to use the computer anymore. $$ was not a big problem for him, I know. It was poured in place, I think, maybe. He designed it to be super-efficient, his house I mean, and super-water-conserving. There is a little more info here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/630933/
Starting 9/23/06. We went to visit him there in September and I couldn't figure out where to post the pictures I had taken!
But if you look at all those hits for Rastra, there are as many which call it dangerously misleading - PC has a HUGE carbon output for what you get. I guess I mean a huge energy IN-put for all that insulating, recycled, etc.
Where I live, nobody's going to be using it to build houses anytime soon. If you have specific questions, I can probably get you the answer. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
xx, C
bump
I had marked this thread unread last fall - this is the thread that inspired me to make a few pots. Thank you again, Tomtom. Now that I've played with the process, I wonder at how organized you were to stop between steps, clean up your hands enough to take the photos, then move on to the next step. Of course, I'm thinking of how messy I can be and my camera doesn't come near such workspaces.:-)
Good to see you 4paws. LTNS....
After H. Wilma threw my lion's head over the roof of the house, I have not attempted anything else. But I had a good time with that and still have the makings of more. It's on my To Do list. LOL
Hap
LOL, Happy. I finally realized that by H you meant "hurricane." At first I imagined some superstrong and not-very-nice friend of yours named Wilma with whom you'd had an argument....
Thanks for this bump. I'm retiring May 31, and should have enough time to start dabbling...
LOL, don't bet on it! I have been retired 5 years and I wonder how I ever found the time to work.
Ha ha Darius, that's funny. It was easier to work - at least for me - in the olden days when there was no internet. xx, Carrie
FlowrLady congradulations. Retirement is great! Darius & Carrie are soo right. My first week of retirement I purchased a batch of craft items that I always said I would get to.....still haven't gotten to most of it. Just be sure to enjoy, enjoy & enjoy.
Thank you,4paws,for bumping it up.
The step-by-step photos were taken by my dauther.
So happy to be of some use for you.
This is the big papercrete container made last year.
Tomtom
Wow, What a gorgeous pot, beautiful!
Ditto, from me, TT.
Yippee!!!!
So nice to see you, tomtom, and more of your beautiful work!
I miss your web site!
Regards, and I hope you're doing very well!
OK Tomtom, 1. what is growing in there? 2. what type of soil do you use in your containers? 3. did I show you my beautiful alonsoa meridonalis last year? I was so amazed! (My first time growing anything from seed.)
xxx, Carrie
Thanks for your sentiments on my retirement. I have heard that many times, buy y'all are the first ones to say it to me! LOL I already have my quilt stash and my gardens and my grandchildren, and I either want to get a 2-day or so a week job, or volunteer. I have a lot of plans, but it's because I've told everyone not to book my time! LOL So the first thing I have to do is.... ta da da daaaaa take my mom to the doctor LOL!!!
And back to the papercrete, I don't know when I'll get around to doing it, but I WILL, I will, I will...
printing the above pages, am hoping to try some of these..wish me luck..
It really is quite easy and lots of fun to see the finished pot.
I hope to get a few more made this year. Tomtom has inspired me with the picture of a much larger pot than I've made!
Hi Bettypauze...please send pics okay and thanks Tomtom, very pretty containers and pics.
After nearly getting a headache trying to not miss a thing along the way, I have come to the conclusion that the next time I mix up hypertufa, I will use paper twists to get the textured sides. Other than that, for an experienced HT person, this should be easy and interesting. If I actually DO it, I will take pix and post - this is such a long thread - and has been here for such a long time.
I, like others, was having trouble figuring out the "mix". Cement IS Portland cement, and generally needs some sand, or peat, or perlite, or gravel to make it work. Concrete is the stuff you buy that already has sand/gravel along w/ the cement. Hypertufa has several recipes, but it is often 1/3 each portland cement, peat, perlite. One can get very confused by casual use of concrete and cement - they aren't the same.
Cement is like cake flour ...you need more ingrediants
Concrete is like cake mix....if you mess w/ the mix, you may ruin the outcome
Hypertufa is like a cake made from scratch ....many recipes, many outcomes
HTH
And I'm hoping to try my hand at it this summer... and if not This summer, next year for sure!
^_^ that's what I said last summer - I'll get to it eventually, I WILL. Carrie
Me Too..,,,
Hap
CARRIE< ME< TOO> SORRY FOR THE CAPS> SOMETHING"S WRONG WITH MY CAP LOCK>
oh no. it's ok, we know you're not shouting.
FlowrLady: the caps lock wouldn't affect the comma button, take a look and see what's sticking your shift key. :)
LOL Yo guys crack me up!
BUT it's time to get serious here. I want that giant pot in this photo that TomTom just posted:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=4826217
There is no way this was free form, but where do I find a mold for it? If I bought a pot, used it as a mold, would the cement mix ruin it?
Does this size project a call for a chicken wire frame?
Suzy