Mixing cob… mesa style. This is a sloppier version of cob that’s good for infill, shaping and scratch coat plasters. Raw earth, straw and water. I’ve been using this for everything lately. In the video it shows a sloppy mix as it comes out of the mixer and the same mix after it has sat out in the sun and the wind. It stiffens up quick. I’m a fan of the cement ( cob ) mixer. It allows you to do several other things while the barrel is spinning. Electricity can come from variety of sources. Of course using power from the sun to make cob would be natural building nirvana. Even better… the human power of friends and neighbors.

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Evening at the Moonunit. A video pictorial of Project MoonUnit at night.
With special guests Jo-anna Horn and Nedly Underfoot.
Video by Michael Blaha.
Music by Low.

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Toby Hemenway is the author of ‘Gaia’s Garden, A Guide to Home Scale Permaculture‘ and is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Portland State University. He offers his experience in ecological design through workshops and writing.
Find out more about Toby and read his articles at patternliteracy.com.

This slideshow was filmed during the Natural Building Convergence in May of 2002 by Colin Brown.

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Eugenie Frerichs and Mike O’Brien presented “Ecoroofs: reintegrating water in buildings” at the Natural Capital Center. This slideshow was filmed during the Natural Building Convergence in May of 2002.

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Elke Cole is a natural building architect and teacher. She builds “homes that love you back”. Elke has worked with Cobworks, Cob Cottage Company, and Down to Earth Building Bee. She is teaching workshops this year at OUR Ecovillage in B.C. Canada.

This video was taken during the Natural Building Convergence in May of 2002. Elke was the Natural Building Teacher for the Southeast Uplift Information Station.

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http://ilovecob.com/video/elkecole/elkecole_62mb.mov

Hunt Utilities Group, LLC is a forming a ecological living campus in Pine River, Minnesota. They have constructed a building system made of natural building materials; clay, sand, straw, and wood. They have also employed passive solar and geothermal heating to make it through the bitter cold winters.In this video Ryan Hunt shows us around the campus and the gigantic cob mixer. I have become a fan real of the HUG Progress Journal. Special Thanks to Ryan Hunt for the tour!

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HUG Eco Campus

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Becky Bee is in the forefront of the United States cob revivial. She is a teacher, sculpture, facilitator, author, cobber and inventor. She is the author of “The Cob Builders Handbook“, one of the funnest cob instructional books. Speaking of fun books… The little book ” You Can Make The Best Hot Tub Ever” is about making a wood fired rocket stove hot tub.

Becky has a company called Groundworks, based out of Murphy, Oregon. She has taught workshops all over the globe and seems to specialize in woman’s workshops. She is also a part of Cob Together, an organization that teaches natural building techniques.

This video was taken during the Natural Building Convergence in May of 2002. Becky was the Natural Building Teacher for the Crossroads Gateway project at People’s Coop, SE 21st Avenue & Tibbetts Street, Portland, Oregon.

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I had the opportunity to mix some cob with the rototiller. A neighbor tossed the sand and the clay into place with the Bobcat. Then I went at it with this noisy gasoline drinking machine. It works really well! It made a great cob, the type for building mass walls. It mixes the straw in very well, though it chops it up a little more than I wanted… I just added more long strands for the wall mix.
I guess the straw can get caught up in the tines if its not a little wet.
Great way to mix the mud.

This video is a little long, but you get the idea…