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<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14.0px'>Received this email message today – just passing it along to see what responses you may have. You can reply to Michael at the email address included in the message and view his sculpture at the web site noted. Does anyone know Michael?<BR>
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Joyce<BR>
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Joyce Coppinger<BR>
Managing Editor/Publisher<BR>
The Last Straw, the international journal<BR>
of strawbale and natural building<BR>
PO Box 22706, Lincoln NE 68542-2706<BR>
Phone 402.483.5135<BR>
<thelaststraw@thelaststraw.org><BR>
web site: www.thelaststraw.org<BR>
and our new blog at <a href="http://thelaststrawblog.org">http://thelaststrawblog.org</a><BR>
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<B>From: </B>Michael Meredith <meredith848@yahoo.com><BR>
<B>Reply-To: </B>Michael Meredith <meredith848@yahoo.com><BR>
<B>Date: </B>Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:41:03 -0700 (PDT)<BR>
<B>To: </B>"thelaststraw@thelaststraw.org" <thelaststraw@thelaststraw.org><BR>
<B>Subject: </B>bales<BR>
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hello, I am an inventor, and would be curious to know if you have ever tried pre-soaking bales in a clay/concrete mix.<BR>
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Easily prepared with a mixer in a bucket, this slurry can be poured over bales sitting in a plastic trough. <BR>
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This pre-soak will, of course, result in a stronger bale, as well as improving the bonding to the stucco.<BR>
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usually, a mix of 10% or 30% portland cement to clay soil is used.<BR>
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Stacking these moderately wet may allow the elimination of staking bales, etc. For example, clay-crete mortar between the bales bonds them, chicken wire is stretched over the walls, and a clay /crete stucco is applied. This provides a continual tension member from the roof, to the foundation.<BR>
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The clay/crete soaked bales will take the stucco more rapidly than a bare bale, the stucco will stick better, and go on faster, too. This will certainly strengthen the walls.<BR>
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To fill in with insulation here and there, add in a mix of hay with crete. Hay/crete has a very interesting texture ( it is lovely), and any mulch can be used.<BR>
Burlap dipped in clay/crete or in plaster can be draped over any form, and will take the shape of the form. You can make furniture this way. i make sculptures this way.<BR>
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Really going wild, hang steel mesh( sheep mesh should do) from the ridge line to the walls' top plate. Place hay/crete on this, and mesh with concrete stucco on this( perhaps ferro-cement). Then waterproof with Duraback polyurethane. Add copper powder to the duraback if you wish, and you now have an inexpensive copper roof, which will need a cheap re-spray in 30 yrs. or so. It can be well insulated with the hay crete.The tension forces are counteracted by the compressile forces of the concrete once it sets. Of course, you may also wish to try a ferro-cement dish roof, or a sheet metal dish roof.<BR>
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You can print this if you wish to...<BR>
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Michael<BR>
statueofmotherhood.com<BR>
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