[GSBN] Hand Compressed bales

Fri Nov 4 15:56:08 UTC 2011

Darcy, Please include me when sending out the details of the PAKSBAB moulds.

Has anyone attempted a light coating of clay slip or lime on these 1'x1'x2'
bales? or other size for that matter? This came up on the little straw
house for Haiti as a means to mitigate potential moisture issues.

Tim

On Thu, Nov 3, 2011 at 3:06 PM, Derek Roff <derek at unm.edu> wrote:

> -        Are there certain car or lorry jacks that work better than
> others?
>
> The Hi-Lift jack (which Darcey mentioned), and similar designs, have a
> couple of useful design features for making hand-compressed bales.  One is
> that they have a greater range of travel than most auto jacks- sometimes a
> meter or more.  Another is that they offer controlled movement in both
> directions, rather than relying on gravity, and/or potentially releasing
> too quickly or incompletely, as some jacks would when adapted to a new use.
>  They often come with a square metal base, and a larger lifting surface
> than many jacks, which makes attachments and modifications easier.  They
> lack the finicky precision mechanisms of hydraulic and screw jacks, which
> makes mud and dust less of a problem, and servicing/cleaning easier.
>
> Derelict
>
> Derek Roff
>
> On Nov 3, 2011, at 3:36 PM, Darcey Donovan wrote:
> Hi Andy and everyone,****
> ** **
> The PAKSBAB team is making great little 1' x 1' x 2' bales in Pakistan
> using our hand balers (compression moulds and farm jacks).  I initially
> took an American made Hi-Lift jack to Pakistan which is still in use, and
> we have since imported additional ones from China.****
> ** **
> The straw is cut by hand using a sickle and is wrapped into sausage-like
> bundles and placed side-to-side in the mould.  Andy, I will email you some
> pictures of the moulds and bale fabrication process, farm jack specs, and
> our fabrication procedure off list.  I need to update my compression mould
> drawing, but I can do this in the next week and email it to you as well.
> If anyone else is interested in this information please send me an email
> off list and I will cc you on my correspondence with Andy.****
> ** **
> We often use wattle and daub for our interior partition walls. ****
> ** **
> I haven't been to Pakistan in almost 2 years but Surkhab Khan and the team
> are forging ahead.  We're about to start our 27th straw bale house - our
> 3rd one in collaboration with the organization SCIPPER (Spinal Cord Injury
> Project for Pakistan Earthquake Rehabilitation). We also recently formed an
> advisory board and are working hard to bring straw bale construction to
> scale in Pakistan.  Step by step...****
> ** **
> Darcey****
> ** **
> Darcey Donovan, P.E., C.T.O.****
> Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building (PAKSBAB)****
> P.O. Box 1083****
> Truckee, CA 96160 USA****
> (530) 902-5516 cell****
> (530) 582-4965 fax****
> darceydonovan Skype****
> darcey at paksbab.org****
> www.paksbab.org****
> ** **
> *From:* Andy Horn [mailto:andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za]
> *Sent:* Thursday, November 03, 2011 7:29 AM
> *To:* 'Global Straw Building Network'
> *Cc:* ecoengr at sbcglobal.net
> *Subject:* Hand Compressed bales****
> ** **
> Dear Darcey & others****
> Some time back in the Dec 2006 Last Straw there was an article about the
> work of Darcey Donovan and Greg Zaller in an earthquake struck area of
> Pakistan, where they used hand compacted bales using car jacks to make
> their bales for some community projects.****
> ** **
> We have a Hospital project in the icy highlands of the small mountain ****
> kingdom** of **Lesotho****, where the locals are growing wheat
> (organically) and harvest by hand. We intend to build using straw bales and
> I am looking specifically for information about how best to make and
> utilize a hand compactor.****
> ** **
> We did already make up a simple timber mould simply to establish the
> quantity and hence cost of the supply of the straw that we would likely
> need to bale with. We used a hacksaw (with a fine steel cutting blade) to
> cut the straw, placing the cut ends to the outside and thinning ends
> towards the inside alternately so as to lay it in a regular fashion. We did
> not try use a car jack as at that stage we were just looking at quantities.
> The locals sell their straw in bundles for roof thatching. We found that it
> will take approximately 20 of their bundles to make a single bale.****
> ** **
> In order for the idea to be replicable we need to keep it as simple but
> effective as possible. There is a local metal worker who could weld up a
> mould for us and I am sure we can lay our hands on some car or lorry jacks.
> I have never been down this road before and have no idea of the finer
> technicalities of making your own bales.****
> -        Are there certain car or lorry jacks that work better than
> others?****
> -        how to best design the mould?****
> -        how best to lay the straw into the mould?****
> -        What kind of level of compression is one looking for and how
> does one establish the right level of compression?****
> -        How to get this as efficient as possible?****
> -        What can go wrong?****
> -        etc etc****
> I did already try follow John Glassfords link on his web site that he
> mentioned (see his mail below) in regards to looking at this for th Haiti
> project, Thanks John ….but would appreciate much more specific detail.****
> ** **
> ** **
> The other thing that came up was the possibility to make thinner bales for
> internal walls ….but again I have had no experience with this.****
> ** **
> Any input would be hugely appreciated.****
> ** **
> ** **
> Many thanks****
> ** **
> Andy Horn****
> ** **
> ** **
> [image: cid:image001.gif at 01CC9A24.6D7276E0]****
> G ' day Balers
>
> Sounds good to me bales for ****Haiti****. Remember it was an earthquake
> and if you have not seen the work been done by Darcy Donovan here is a
> story posted some time ago now:
>
> (Just scroll down)
>
> http://glassford.com.au/main/?paged=5
>
> Also you must all have seen the video of the test done in ****Reno****:
>
> http://imedia.unr.edu/shakertables/straw_bail_house_test_270.mov
>
> I love the hand baler that the Pakistanis are using.
>
> Seeing there is high unemployment in ****Haiti**** and if there is any
> rice straw in the paddocks then the hand balers would work.
>
> Anyone know how Darcy is going last time I heard Darcy was still in ****
> Pakistan****?
>
> Kind regards
> The Straw Wolf
> Huff 'n' Puff Constructions
> http://www.glassford.com.au
> 61 2 6927 6027
> In ****Australia**** (02) 6927 6027
>
> Mountains of the Moon 2011
> http://www.mountainsofthemoon.org****
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-- 
Tim Owen-Kennedy, Owner
Vital Systems, natural building & design
P O Box 751, Ukiah, CA 95482
www.vitalsystems.net
888.859.6336
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