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I just got a sample in of a building block just going into manufacture on Maui. It may be the first time in fifty years that a building product made in Hawaii of locally available materials is coming on line.
It is made of compressed earth and is of good appearance and strength.
The standard block sample I have is 12" long x 4" tall x 6" deep. A chocolate color.
More later.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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Yes, please
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It may be a week or two before I post more info. If anyone wants to see it and will be in Pahoa this weekend give me a call. 987-5987
Assume the best and ask questions.
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How do they make this adobe? It sounds fabulous!
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I don't know if it would work but I have sometimes wondered if you could take a combustible material such as sawdust or pulverized coconut fiber and mix into it ground up seashells or dead coral (calcium carbonate) and washed sand (salt removed) and then compressed it into a block, would you then have say a rectangular presto log that you could burn for fuel and it would end up as a square glass block. If the mix was right you could use the blocks to barbecue a steak and then use the glass blocks to build yourself a lanai. Probably a hair-brained idea but then again glass is basically just sand and lime. My guess is that the carbon residue would probably make for pretty crumbly glass.
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Your talking a couple thousand degrees for glass - most cooking fires don't approach that.
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You're right rainyjim, most cooking fires. But when I fire up my space grill 800 barbecue, It's like looking into the sun. Sorry for moving somewhat off topic but the compressed earth blocks dredged up an old idea that was somewhat related so nuff said about that.
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Sorry for moving somewhat off topic
The idea is interesting enough that I'll happily ignore the off-topic-ness.
Glass brick lanai commemorating grilled steaks? Hmm...
I've melted glass in a bonfire, so it's definitely possible ...
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Compressed earth block is not quite like adobe. Its been around for awhile and takes more equipment and expertise than adobe. It uses a variable formula of earth mterials that is damp, not wet, and is put into a pressured block press to compact it. It may have stabilizers and waterproofing additives.
Its an interesting technology that works well for some uses but not for everything. Aso, it tends to be labor intensive.
In general, puna is hard on structures and while ceb is resistant to termites, it can still be destroyed by all the other stuff that the puna jungle-rainforest/volcano-earthquake environment offers. Doing a waterproof ceb mixture might be difficult/expensive.
Also, its not strictly, organically, renewably because of raw materials mining.
Yes, i am looking into alternatives like many people here. Nope, i havent found a perfect solution.
I hope those on this forum will continue to discuss this topic so we can learn fom each other and come up with ideas which enhance puna living for the longterm.
