I enjoyed this video very much – it made me want to get back to clay:
- It gave me confidence that my experiments in the earthbag cellar were in the right direction – and that with additional refinement, wonderful results can be achieved with earth!
- It confirmed how important the material mix is in achieveing a good finish (though in our experiments I tried to lean as much as possible on the natural clay-soil we had on site – and in retrospect it needed even more sand than I put in).
- It made me a bit jealous of people who have access to refined materials … though I am glad to explore with the stuff underneath my feet 🙂
- It made me reconsider how thin the finishing layers (after base layer) can be – which means much less material to mix, carry and apply! Maybe that also makes it more accessible to bring on-site more specialized materials (I am used to working with tractor loader quantities)?
- It made me even more curious about experiencing first-hand good tools (like Japanese trowels), I only had the basic DIY concrete-oriented stuff typically available here in Romania.
- It confirmed my impression that the clay in the mix dominates in terms of color. We experimented with some coloring additives (metal oxides, also readily available in Romania). But it was unpredictable because of the dominant color of the clay. It seems that clay color is key to good, full bodied color!?
Some useful links from the maker of the video:
- Japanese Plastering – tools and materials in the USA (maybe worldwide?)
- Japanes Trowels – tools in the USA (with worldwide delivery?)
Does anyone know of a source for Japanese trowels in the EU?