Mud Mortar test bricks

Instructional video on making mud brick for a mortar test using clay and sand.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• mud
• brick
• making
• mortar

[QUAIL72]

One thing I noticed was that the sand appeared to be a very fine silca sand. Sand is a binder for strength that ties it all together like straw does. If the sand particles are too small they loose the ability to do so.

[d5a4m3o2n1]

@QUAIL72 I only used play sand because I had some left over from another project. Sand does not act as a binder, neither does straw. Clay is the binder. Sand's strength is very beneficial if you were mixing for structural reasons, but in this video I'm using it to keep the clay from cracking. But if you did want structural mortar, you'd want what a lot of people call "manufactured sand" which is rock that's been crushed at the rock quarry. It's got sharp edges. And you also wouldn't use straw.

[d5a4m3o2n1]

@QUAIL72 Like I said below, it is play sand that was leftover from another project. Sand is not a binder, it adds compressive strength, but is mostly used because it doesn't shrink as the water evaporates, cutting way down on shrinkage, but you have to mix clay with it or it won't stay together. Straw is used to keep the material together while it's wet, it has little use after material has dried. Just think of a rock wall mortared with clay, then scale those rocks down to sand-sized particles.

[scouser001cod5]

Or u can avoid this all and use mud and it's dries out in 3 days. And thats in the uk!

[d5a4m3o2n1]

@scouser001cod5 The reason you mix it with sand is to amend the clay. With no sand there is a good chance of big cracks developing.

[maradonasssssss]

yes but having clay in the mix the brick will normally crack unless you put straw right?

and i think u can put it in small cracks if u cut your straw very small.

[d5a4m3o2n1]

@maradonasssssss That's why you mustdo "test bricks" (because if there is too much clay, there will be cracks. You will not have cracks

if you have the proper proportions of clay/sand. Also,

if you add straw the crack problem is nearly eliminated because it acts as reinforcement.

To others, I may post a new video on cob soon.

[TheWolfmoon21]

Fascinating///i will use this if i ever go into the wild if or when things get more intense in the NWO

[nedatronics]

The narration aint bad!

[dtades01]

I am no mud experit but thanks for sharing your knowledge peace