Primitive Technology: Two Walled Tiled Hut
At the brick and tiled hut Cutting wood for a sheltered workshop with a stone axe Cutting the pole 4 m long Digging post holes 4 m apart two 2.5 m post put in 50 cm deep Loya cane to lash on the ridgeline The ridge line is fixed to the upright posts 18 poles are leant onto the ridgeline, 9 to a side, 50 cm apart (I measure distance with my feet=25 cm) Cutting palm fronds with a sharp stone for roof thatching Splitting the palm fronds down the mid rib Ground dwelling vine to lash thatch on Vine is lashed to rafters before lashing thatch to it The palm leaves point down from the mid rib to shed rain Subsequent rows of thatch overlap previous layers to shed rain When one side is finished, it acts as a lean to shelter while the thatch for the other side is being collected and processed A gap remains along the ridge that could leak Ridge capping is made from a bunch 8 whole fronds overlapped and tied into a bundle These are then lifted onto the ridge with a pole 2 pieces of wood are lashed together to form jockeys to weigh down the ridge capping The so called "jockeys" straddle the roof like a rider on a horse, hence the name. No gap now Neatening up thatch which would stick out annoyingly Sweeping floor Grading dirt floor as flat as possible for roof tile drying area A wallaby eating grass as is their custom A tile mold of cane and a tile form of wood are fetched to make tiles at the new shelter Area is cleared for a slaking pit to wet and mix clay Water is put in the pit to make mud Mud is used to make a flat table top to form tiles on The table needs to be slightly higher than the surrounding ground so the tile can be slid off and onto the tile form A water rat being a rat in water This will be the source of the clay for the tiles, it's suitably more dense and plastic compared to normal mud The clay is dugout by hammering in wooden stakes and levering out the clay 25 pots of clay were added to the pit This was slaked with water It was trodden on to get rid of any dry bits A large stone was selected as a place to crush grog to temper the clay. I intend to keep using it until eventually it is bowl shaped to form a mortar A large constrictor keeps warm in a hollow tree Later when it woke up and stretched out it was about 3 m long Old broken roof tiles from a previous project The old tiles are crushed to form a powder (called grog) which when mixed with new clay, prevents it from cracking during drying and firing The clay is taken from the pit and mixed with the grog It just needs enough so the clay is gritty 12.5 cm cubes (measure with fingers) are enough to make one tile
The shelter does it's job of keeping the rain off the work The table is dusted with dry dirt so the clay won't stick to it The clay is then pressed flat into the cane mold (50 cm long, 20 cm wide to 15 cm wide) The tile is smoothed with water It is then shifted onto the curved wooden tile form and the mold is removed The form and tile are then taken to the drying area The tile has it's sides slightly pressed onto the ground so that it won't silp over when the form is pulled out The form is then pulled out leaving the curved clay tile to stand on it's own A row of 22 roof tile were made Another row of 22 tiles were made for a total of 44 tiles More clay Note the shelter is a essential for keeping the tiles dry before firing 88 tiles 132 tiles Rat footprints make an interesting tile decoration that could last 1000s of years A skink finds suitable (but temporary) accommodation under a roof tile Mud is formed into a flat stable base for the site of a kiln which will fire the tiles Bricks made in previous videos are taken to the site of the kiln 4 rows of 3 bricks laid on their sides are made for the first layer of the kiln Then 4 rows of bricks are laid on the first layer This forms the ash pit and firebox layers The walls of the kiln are then built up with bricks on their sides in layers of 10. Bricks are laid on their sides because they are less likely to crack this way and it uses fewer bricks Only when bricks are laid firmly bedded in mortar will they not crack when laid flat Finished kiln Hammering in stakes to hold the wood pile (1 m high stakes in a 75 cm square) Dry sticks are broken to 75 cm lengths (the length of the kiln firebox) Wood is stacked neatly in a pile next to the kiln 75 x 75 x 100 cm pile of wood is more than enough for one firing for this sized kiln Fire by friction The fire helps dry the tiles Unfired bricks are taken from another hut to act as the grate in the kiln These bricks will act as a grate holding the tiles above the flames while also being fired in the process 12 bricks in a 50 x 50 cm ware chamber Fire is taken to the kiln Tiles are taken to the kin The tiles are staked in the kiln in 3 rows with one row pointing down and two rows pointing up (the tapered tiles fit better this way) The fire is just drying the tiles at this stage. The clay must be bone dry before firing to avoid steam explosions and spalling of the tiles I fit 42 tiles in this batch but it can hold a maximum of 45 seen as in later firings Mud is used to plaster the kiln to stop air getting in This should stop cold air getting in and slowing the firring process Stoking a drying fire in the lower ash pit The tiles are covered with old broken tiles to keep the heat in, re-radiating it back onto the tiles bellow Wood is put through the upper firing ports to begin the proper firing These are lit with a fire from beneath in the ash pit The wood in the upper firing ports catches fire and starts burning properly The wood is raised up on bricks so that air can get underneath and then up through the wood for better combustion About an hour in and unburnt gases combust above the kiln in a fireball Coals are raked out from the ashpit sometimes if they clog the air flow When the tiles turn glow red they should be fired and will not dissolve in water The next day the tiles are taken out The nice sound indicates the tiles were fired well There is a slight sheen on the clay indicating a bit of an ash glaze due to a high temperature The tiles are put into water to test that they are water proof. Better they dissolve now then later in the roof of a hut from rain Here are the bricks that were fired in the kiln. 2 broke this time due to the heat and weight of the tiles They are crushed into grog for the next batch of tiles The other bricks are water tested as well The bricks survived a few hours in water, passing the test They are stacked in a pile next to the hut The roof tiles also passed the water test These are laid against the bricks in 3 neat rows The next batch of bricks The next batch of tiles This time a roof of tile is placed on the kiln to shelter it from rain before it is fired With enough wood collected the next firing can begin The roof is removed This simple updraft kiln is producing surprisingly high temperature as evidenced by a black mineral melting out of the clay This tile in the center of the kiln actually started to soften and bend in the heat Wood ash from the firings is sifted and formed into bricks for storage, The ash can be calcined to make a cement in future projects A small bowl is made for the firing as well. I keep losing them as I leave them in the creek as scoops for iron bacteria and they get washed away in floods
The pot goes on top of the tiles and is covered in pot sherds Burning march flies as punishment for biting The pot is glowing orange Fired pot Nice ring indicates the pot is well fired (hollow sound would indicate a crack) 2 tiles and one brick broke this time The ash bricks are stored in the brick hut until they are ready to be turned into cement 1 month in and the next round of tile making begins by taking unused clay to the pit Scrap clay from another hut is also taken to the pit for slaking More raw clay is also mined I'm testing some soil for bricks to see if it's suitable A basin is dug to soak the brick mold in A wet mold helps the clay bricks slip out more easily 2 rows 4 m long= 50 bricks The unfired bricks and tiles are stacked up to dry quicker While they dry, the site for the hut is prepared 2 foundation trenches 2 m long x 25cm wide and 25 cm deep are dug 2 m apart Water is poured in to help soften the soil for digging Stone rubble is put in the trenches to allow water to drain out Drains extend out to let the water flow A foundation stone is placed onto the rubble to form a base to build the mud wall on Foundation stones laid onto rubble Foundations complete Water to soften soil for digging Soil is dug and mixed with water to form mud The mud is placed in a layer on top of the stone foundation about 25 cm wide and 5 cm thick The same is done with the other foundation About 2 layers a day could be added without the wall slumping The walls had to be covered with bricks and tiles during construction to prevent rain from dissolving the work The tiles effectively sheltered the walls from the rain When the rain events eased, wall building could continue The digging was hard on the hands with nails wearing down and bleeding from mixing the sandy soil This can be avoided by simply having more rest days but the wet season was coming so work had to continue After reaching a height of 1.25 m the gabled portion was begun 4 stepped portions of wall decreasing by 25 cm from the ends formed a roughly 30 degree angle gable An estimated 1.25 to 1.6 tons of soil went into making the two walls, taking about 2 weeks to build with a few digging sticks and a clay water pot A seedling germinates in the still wet mud wall Cutting wood for the roof with a stone axe The pole is cut to 3 m long so it will jut out 25 cm from the end of each wall 10 such poles were laid on the gables to form the roof To stop the logs rolling, they were mortared in place with mud Tiles were immediately put in place over the gables to protect the mud walls from rain Rows of tiles with concave faces up and narrow ends pointing down hill are laid next to each other Then tiles with concave faces down and narrow ends pointing up hill are placed on top of the rows below to cover the gap between the rows Finally cap tiles cover the gap in the ridge at the top of the roof With the tiles finally dry, they can now be fired These are the test bricks made from new soil Here I fit 45 tiles into a single batch Fire by friction The next batch go straight on the roof Bricks made from the new soil are no good, it's weak and breaks easily when fired A mouse and it's pups are evicted from their nest in the tiles The radiant heat from the kiln is uncomfortable. Water is splashed on the face and hands as coolant during stoking One more batch to go and I'm hoping it will just be enough to finish the roof After rain, the effectiveness of the roof is apparent between the covered and uncovered portions of floor The tiles are tediously placed to finish the roof The last tile is put in place by being pushed up with a stick The 2 wall tiled hut is finally complete after two and a half months of work, just in time for the wet season Natures Bureau of Meteorology forecasts rain Some water at the end of the wall A drainage trench is dug to drain water away from the shelter First fire in the new hut Two walled tiled hut
2024-12-06 21:06
