Comments on: DIY How to Make Papercrete in a Tow-Mixer

By: marjamada

marjamada — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:25:22 +0000

@JohnnyO3333 – Well… got a calculator? I got 42 blocks, each block 12 x 8 x 5.5″. If you multiply those, you’ll get volume in cubic inches – just guessing, about half of the volume of your block. But we could have used more of the capacity of our mixer and less cement – ours were stronger than needed for the purpose. We could have made 56 blocks, 4 gang-molds in a full mixer.

By: marjamada

marjamada — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:02:14 +0000

@waellerbe – Possible, but not advisable. Papercrete will cure inside bottles but not dry out, so your bottles will be very heavy. Second, bottles are too smooth to stack or bond well to each other. If you find a use for cylindrical blocks, you can use bottles to mold papercrete, then dump out the cured ‘blocks’ and try to use them. Looking for free molds? Good idea, but bottles are less than ideal, even though they’re free.

By: Robbi165

Robbi165 — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:35:22 +0000

I was told in Arkansas that a Papercrete House is legal when the foundation laid is regular Concrete with a height of three bricks over that on the sides…and that this is what constitutes compliance with building-codes for whatever county it’s in to have it be registered as a house legally. Great Video, guys!!

By: BOPMatrix

BOPMatrix — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:43:15 +0000

Very nicely done video and explanation. Thank you!

By: marjamada

marjamada — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:37:03 +0000

@Robbi165 – Code legal… that’s good news, thanks for that.

By: AnnihilatingAngel

AnnihilatingAngel — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:44:05 +0000

An excellent example of DIY. I’ve often toyed with the idea of making a small-scale Gothic castle out of papercrete, straw bales or mud – since I’ll never have the cash to afford to live in one otherwise.

By: waellerbe

waellerbe — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:01:31 +0000

@marjamada Thank you for your response, and please forgive me in return for taking more than 6 months to respond to your message here on YouTube. You have a *good* point regarding the challenge with Papercrete not being able to dry inside the bottle. Back to the basics of making blocks without bottles.

By: waellerbe

waellerbe — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:27:20 +0000

@marjamada I support your response. We have been taught to be irresponsible when it comes to what to do with waste paper. People not talk about it that much, but the fibers within waste paper helps to create an ingredient for Papercrete that can help to produce bricks that are very solid. In addition to being energy efficient, Papercrete can also be formed to be fireproof as well. The possibilities are endless as far as I can see.

By: waellerbe

waellerbe — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:32:47 +0000

@AnnihilatingAngel By all means LIVE your dreams. Growing up in the ghettos of Brooklyn NY, we would manage to find some way to build a “club house” out of recycled materials. Thinking back on the situation today, I can now see that as youth, we had a desire to BUILD something. Today I hope to encourage you to let that Gothic castle dream of yours come to fruition. We’re rooting for you.

By: didaskalos777

didaskalos777 — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:00:32 +0000

@marjamada I have seen that in several of your responses that you emphasize that PC is like wood and treat it as such to avoid mold and rot… two questions: 1) Is the PC mixture termite resistant? 2) Do PC have a more concrete-like or a more wood-like tensile strength if poured into panel molds instead of block molds? Great video. Thanks!