Momentum

I managed to build up a little momentum later in the afternoon today. I got to within 100mm of the top of the first form panel by about 4pm, then lifted the second course into place and nearly killed myself drilling the holes for the clamping bolts. Both cordless drill batteries were flat so I broke out the rotary hammer, and when the 14mm drill bit caught as it was breaking through the last of the steel the drill (China’s Torqueyest, it would seem) threw me for six, wrenched both arms, broke the drill bit (!) and I only just caught the form panel before it fell on my head.

I’m a little bit sore now.

After I finished swearing (who, me?) and saying “Ow!” very many times I got the panel bolted into place and continued ramming. By about 5:30pm I finished the last of the batch, but not before it had dried out considerably and although I was initially skeptical as to how well the Plasticure would work, it did indeed prevent the mix from properly absorbing any more water. It seems however that a determined will can (with enough water) override the hydrophobia and I managed to wet the mix enough to use the last of it.

An aside: I think TechDry have a good racket going here - this stuff looks and smells exactly like watered down PVA glue. I’m tempted to try it on wood and see if it works like PVA glue too…

Anyway, with scant regard for the fading daylight and my aching arms I mixed up another batch with the aim of ramming at least half of the wall today. I reached the top of the second form in record time - I’ve figured out how to use the pneumatic rammer, it would seem. Rather than (as I was doing) moving slowly through the mix with the aim of thoroughly ramming down the soil, it seems that the tool is more effective if it’s moved across the soil fast enough so that each beat of the ramming head only slightly overlaps the last. In this way much less compressed soil is re-disturbed and you end up with a nicely compressed mix in no time flat. Well, perhaps some time, but less than before :)

Having nearly filled the second form, it was time to discover whether or not I need to make more form panels. I’ve read once or twice that ye olde earth rammers have leapfrogged two sets of panels up a wall, exposing the rammed wall below as the new section is rammed above. I had no idea whether or not this would work, or whether I’d end up with a large pile of once-rammed soil on my footing but to my relieved surprise it works rather well. Actually lifting the lower panel into place is, however, another matter entirely - these things are heavy, heavy, heavy and if I was thinking about getting a hernia, this would have sealed the deal. I really must work out a better way for the next lift, or the term “nearly killed myself”  will become “was tragically crushed by”…

This is what lay hidden behind the first form panel. Please excuse the nasty phone-flash-photo - by this time, the sun was shining on Americans…

I got about half way through the next batch of soil, and to a height of around 1300mm working by the light of a silvery Hilux before King Kompressor cried enough and ran out of fuel. This thing sure does like a drink - 10 litres of BP’s finest to get this far…

So that’s where I left it. It’ll still be there tomorrow, and then we’ll see what a dry joint looks like in a rammed earth wall…