Clay and straw bricks are called adobe and can be made independently. This material is environmentally friendly and is often used to erect buildings in a dry and hot climate. The basis of these products is a mixture of clay, straw, sand and water, which is well mixed until a homogeneous mass.
Bricks can be made from adobe and dried in a natural way in the sun, and then folded under a ventilated canopy. If you use brick made of clay and straw for the construction of buildings, then it will not be characterized by high water resistance.
For reference
This material is quite widespread in the southern regions, where there is little rainfall. Having built a building from this brick, you will get a comfortable temperature inside it, even in the summer heat. You can make such products yourself, eliminating the use of additional mechanisms.
Material preparation
It is noteworthy that you can independently make a brick from straw and clay. We build houses and outbuildings from bricks. But first you need to find out how it is made. The adobe brick is based on four components, among them:
The proportions of the components can be determined empirically, the ratio of the ingredients will depend on the quality of the clay, which can be found near the construction site. I must say that clay is almost never found in nature in its pure form, it contains sand in a certain amount. Depending on the fat content of the raw material, sieved river sand can be added. Clay can be mined where builders or stove makers dig holes. If the soil on the site is clay, then you can use soil that is removed from the foundation pit.
The clay is prepared in such a way that it does not contain impurities, stones and debris. If you have decided in advance to prepare a large amount of raw material, then it can be laid on the edge, covered with a film. In this state, clay needs to be set aside, this will only improve the quality of the material.
Clay and straw bricks are prepared using sand, it should be coarse-grained, the optimal grain size is 1 mm or more. When making bricks, it is best to abandon the dusty sands. And the one that you decide to use, you need to dry and sift, remove stones, plant roots, garbage and other inclusions from it.
Definition of proportions
If you decide to make a brick from clay and straw, then you need to determine the proportions, for this you should take one volumetric part of clay and the same amount of sand. The ingredients are mixed, water is added to them, after the composition is mixed, in the end you should get the consistency of a cool dough.
From this solution, a ball should be rolled up, the size of which will be comparable to the size of a tennis ball. This sphere must be laid in the sun for an hour, after which the ball is dropped onto a flat surface from a height of 0.5 m. If the proportions of sand and clay are optimal, then the ball will retain its shape, but if it is flattened without cracking, then the volume of sand should be increased. When the ball crumbles, the amount of sand needs to be reduced.
Form preparation
Now you know the name of the brick made of clay and straw. But if you want to make it yourself, then you need to prepare a form that can be made of plastic, metal or wood. The form should be a box without a bottom or with cells of the desired shape. The easiest way is to make wooden forms from the board, the thickness of which is from 24 to 36 mm. As soon as you decide on the dimensions of the brick, you will need to perform a drawing, according to which the material is cut.
Boards are fastened with self-tapping screws in 4 places, it is necessary to install fasteners in each joint. The number of products will depend on the size of the brick, while the shape should not be too heavy. At the edges of the design complement handles for easy movement. Walls should be easily cleaned from solution. To do this, they must be made smooth, and the corners should be well adjusted.
Manufacturing technology
The manufacture of bricks from clay and straw implies the need to prepare a pit for mixing the mortar. Its depth can be from 30 to 50 cm, the walls should be steep, but the bottom should be even. The pit must be covered with a waterproof material, for example, with an awning fabric or tarpaulin. The edges should extend beyond the pit by 40 cm.
When making bricks from clay and straw with your own hands, you need to pour water into the pit at one third of the depth, and then fill the sand and clay in the selected proportion. Kneading the solution with your feet, the components need to be kneaded, mixing them together. In order to achieve better mixing of the layers, the edges of the tarpaulin can be raised. In the process, you should get a clay-sand liquid solution in which there are no lumps. It is better to knead the adobe together, while holding hands, this will reduce the likelihood of a fall.
Reviews on the features of brick manufacturing
Straw can be added to the finished solution gradually, while the mixture is mixed with clay. According to people, dry grass should not be added earlier, since in this case it will float on the surface, it will be difficult to mix. Straw should already be added to the thick and plastic dough. There should not be puddles of water in the pit, but drying should not be allowed. Home craftsmen claim that the adobe can be unloaded with a shovel or pitchfork to deliver it to the molding site.
The form must be moistened, and then installed in the place where the brick will be tapped. Experts argue that the adobe should fill out the form completely, removing excess board. If you are thinking about how to make adobe, or clay bricks, you should remember that the walls of the form must be tapped after filling, this will fill the voids, and subsequently remove the form, holding it by the handles on both sides.
If the form is quite large, then it is easier to complete this stage together. Experts advise squeezing bricks from above if they stuck to the walls. Before filling the next batch, the mold should be moistened with water and placed next to the finished products to leave space for weathering.
Expert Advice
All subsequent batches should be performed in the same way. About 150 bricks can be made in one day, if 5 people are involved in the work. At the same time, the volume of adobe should be such that you have time to form products until they have time to dry. An already diluted solution will lose some of the strength. Clay and straw bricks, the manufacturing steps of which are described in the article, must be left to dry naturally for a period of 2 to 7 days. The drying period will depend on humidity and temperature. After the product is placed under a canopy, where it is stored until the start of construction.
Property Reviews
Adobe brick is an environmentally friendly material. In houses built from this brick, it is easy to breathe, and in the summer heat and high humidity do not prevail. The material is suitable for those who are not afraid to get their feet and hands dirty.
The clay and cut straw bricks , according to the owners of private areas, also have some disadvantages, which are expressed in the low ability to retain heat and high water absorption. In addition, such products do not have decorative properties. If you build a house from such a brick in a humid climate, you will come across the fact that the building quickly absorbs moisture, the product deforms and begins to crumble.
Builders give tips on how to avoid this. External walls are finished with clay burnt bricks, while inside they are protected by vapor barrier.
Conclusion
Bricks can be made from adobe and dried in a natural way in the sun, and then folded under a ventilated canopy. If you use brick made of clay and straw for the construction of buildings, then it will not be characterized by high water resistance. However, this material is quite widespread in the southern regions, where there is little rainfall. Having built a building from this brick, you will get a comfortable temperature inside it, even in the summer heat. You can make such bricks yourself, eliminating the use of additional mechanisms.