Mud Bricks

Following last weeks experiments with the newly acquired red earth, this weekend we took the next step in trying to make bricks from mud.

Victor, a Venezuelan friend from University (and a construction manager in his normal life), gave us a hand this weekend.

To create mudbricks, we have to figure out the best combination of clay rich red earth, straw and sand, mix it and then slam it with force into a brick mould. Victor can be seen here taking measurements of the wall, before deciding what size to use for the bricks.



This Movie shows amongst other how the mould is quickly made from wood planks, and then some bricks shaped. At first, the mixture had too much water so that we could not use it for bricks. The second time we found a better mix: 1.5 parts red earth, 2 parts sand, a few handfuls of straw and 3 cups of water. Unfortunately I forgot to press the record button on the camera, so we have only very little slamming action by Peter.




Three lovely bricks! They look alright as they are, but the question is how much cracking will occur with drying.