Clay Mortar

[edwardallen]

Hello, just starting our journey here.

The Rocket Mass Heater book describes a clay mortar that you can use to put the combustion unit together. It says you can sift sand to make this mortar... I'm just wondering if I can take some soil ( 50 sand/30 clay/20 silt) and separate it to get the sand out.

how pure would it need to be. (would putting it in water and getting the clay and silt out and then sifting through a window screen be enough.)

probably too much trouble and I should buy some masonry sand...

ALSO would a rocket stove work just sitting outside... or do you need the different air flow to get it to burn smokelessly...

THANKS

[chronictom]

Getting sand out of earth (soil) is going to serious be a pain in the butt...

If there is any possibility of getting it on your property, even if it means digging through a couple of feet of topsoil, it is worth it. If not sand, then look for crushed rock (gravel) that you can sift sand out of. Barring that, I can't speak to your area (which is where) but a truck load of sand isn't a big cost. I got 4 cubic yards delivered for 45$ in the spring here.

[canyon]

Have you tried your "soil" with just some water added? You never know it might be adequate on its own or with just a little sand added. As mentioned by chronic, try to find sand in your area. If you have a lot of stuff to mix (plasters,cob etc.) it could be worth it to haul or have hauled a nice load of masonry sand. But five gallon buckets from a local river/creek (screen at source) can go a long way too. For just a little for mortar it might be worth separating your dirt in water. Try anything and find what works best.