Making cob is, in a lot of ways, like making food.  As with food, you have to get the right proportions of ingredients.

 

 

Cob Recipe:

 

 

sand 50-70%

clay 15-30%

straw 10-40%

Water for texture

 

 

Making cob, like many food recipes, can sometimes take a lot of adjustments.  Depending on the specific sand and clay you use, there can be a wide range of the necessary proportions.  The way to find out what is best for your specific ingredients is to do a few small test batches.  This can tell you if you need to add more or less of an ingredient.  While food is taste oriented, cob is very much "touch" oriented.  You really need to start experimenting with different mixtures and to just feel out the cob and get accustomed for what a good mixture feels like.

 

 

 

How is working with cob like making bread dough?

 

 

When making bread dough, you usually place the flour down first so the dough doesn't stick to the surface.  You do the same thing when making cob, except your sand is placed down first so the clay doesn't stick to the surface you are working on.  Also, in much the same way that one kneads bread dough, one must really knead in each additional cob layer into the one below it and around it.  You can also make what is called cob burritos.  To see these concepts in action, go to Process page.