Making Adobe Bricks

Double Adobe School celebrates 100th anniversary

Ms. Bemis thanked the former students for taking time to attend the reunion. She also mentioned that the Cochise County Historical Society is interested in doing a journal to present more than 30 stories and pictures from the history of Double Adobe so far collected to honor the past of this community. “The purpose of this journal is to encourage people to write their own family history and how Double Adobe became important to your family,” said Bemis. Nostalgia, laughs and memories filled the old auditorium that once provided shelter to these people when they were children and eager to learn. In every childhood memory that the panel shared a smile was reflected in somebody’s face due to the common life experience. “Me and my friends enjoyed being in clubs, FFA, 4-H and all those things but, at the end, is the people within the activity that made it great. And you folks (referring to the audience) have made it great for the panel and I, to be part of Double Adobe,” said panel member Phillip Bond. John Stocks, now retired from the U.S. Postal Service, recalls this Valley School. It was in 1907 that John’s father homesteaded on 160 acres in the area. The Stocks family moved from their tent home in Lowell (near Bisbee) to the ranch where the children alongside of their parents helped build the new house. In February 1908 John’s mother developed pneumonia and died. Johnnie was the youngest of seven. He was not yet of school age nor was he old enough to be left home alone so when school opened in the Fall he made the daily three-quarter mile trek with his brothers and sisters to school. The school was located on the William Campbell homestead and class was held in a one room frame out-building furnished only with rough benches. Young John usually spent the day in a nearby chicken pen which proved to be an ideal play-pen with its four inch layer of sand, crushed bones and egg shells. The McDonald ranch was the site for the 1909-10 school year. This was about one mile north of the Campbell property. The range land was open and cattle drives were common sights. John remembers one such drive during that school year at the McDonald ranch. The onrushing cattle crossed the school playground. John and his brother Bill had no time to return to the ranch house so they took refuge by the adobe walls of the school privy. Then as a last resort John was went inside and bill scurried atop the tiny structure.

Adobe Homes for All Climates: Simple, Affordable, and Earthquake ...

The lay-up of adobe bricks is an easy, forgiving way to achieve a solid masonry-wall system. Contrary to stereotypes, adobe is perfectly adaptable for use in cold, wet climates as well as hot and dry ones, and for areas prone to earthquakes. With its efficient use of energy, natural resources for construction, and minimal effort for long-term maintenance, it’s clear that the humble adobe brick is an ideal option for constructing eco-friendly structures throughout the world. The book is ideal both for first-time do-it-yourselfers and for experienced adobe builders seeking to improve their craft. Drawing on the experience of more than fifty major adobe projects since 1993, Adobe Homes for All Climates describes Adobe Building Systems’ patented reinforcement and scaffolding systems, showing readers how to construct adobe homes more easily and safely, and with superior strength, durability, structural integrity, and aesthetic appeal, as compared to earthen homes of the past. All aspects of adobe construction are covered, including making and laying adobe bricks, installing lintels and arches, conduits and pipes, doors and windows, top plates and bondbeams, ideal wall dimensions, adobe finishes, and other adobe construction components, such as the inexpensive use of scaffolding. These methods will produce a premium product that will meet and often exceed inspection standards. During my engineering studies at North Carolina State University I began an interest in green building. At the time (1998) there wasn’t much activity in the field, other than promoting more natural paints or carpets. When I moved to New Zealand to study architectural design, I discovered there was a renaissance occurring with earth building. I began working as a designer for adobe homes in 2000 and fell in love with the material and the process. It was fascinating to make bricks and build walls with local material from the nearby quarry. I knew I had found my niche in construction once I was introduced to adobe building. Adobe is best adapted to wetter climates with the addition of a stabilizer. We find Portland cement to be the most user-friendly material to use, as it fortifies the bricks to be stronger and more resistant to moisture. We can make bricks in the rain and build our walls with more confidence in wetter climates.

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When Technology Fails, A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency

If you are making your own adobe blocks, you should cast sample adobe cylinders ... Adobe gang molds and hand screed. Figure 7-22. Making adobe bricks in a ...