[TheForge] OT: My floor is poured: the saga OT:

Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer artgawk at thegrid.net
Thu Oct 23 18:30:38 EDT 2014 

Bruce, years ago i realized being hairy and conventional respiratory protection were in conflict.
After a bunch of preliminary steps, i ended up with a snorkel mouthpiece plugged directly into a respiratory filter socket.
Exhale through nose.
Gotta change filters 2 X as often.

On Oct 23, 2014, at 3:24 PM, Bruce . wrote:

Acute exposure to ANY dust is dangerous, especially in large quantity.
Glass dust would be especially so because it is sharp.  Wear a good dust
mask if working with such stuff.  (Being bearded, I tend to use a moist
bandana over my nose and mouth instead of a dust mask because dust masks
won't seal against a beard.)
But unlike pure silica, glass will eventually dissolve in the body, so if
it doesn't kill you soon after exposure, the problem might eventually go
away.  Don't count on it though.

Bruce
NJ

On Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 6:12 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer <
artgawk at thegrid.net> wrote:

> Sounds like silicosis by the ton...That was 3 cents a TON, i think Jerry.
> 
> In this connection, refineries sometimes sell sulfur really cheap too..
> It's strong, 5X stronger than cement,  especially with some styrene and
> fiber mixed in,  easy to melt in a 55 gal barrel with a bonfire, and pour
> at around 250F.
> It's water proof and very acid resistant. Like the styro, make sure it's
> never subject to flames...(IE, below grade).
> It doesn't burn particularly hot, but it's persistent and really , really
> noxious!
> 
> 
> On Oct 23, 2014, at 2:58 PM, jerry Frost wrote:
> 
> Oh yeah, ants LOVE foam, any kind, ants or foam. Crushed glass is good
> stuff
> and if they're selling it for $0.03/lb they can't afford to ship it to the
> glass plant. If you can find powdered glass it makes excellent ant killer.
> It gets in their joints and shreds them from the inside out and even their
> little crunchy bodies are deadly to the next ones to come along. Just don't
> breath it, it's only less dangerous to us.
> 
> Jer
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TheForge [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
> Bruce
> .
> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2014 1:44 PM
> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] OT: My floor is poured: the saga OT:
> 
> And ants!  Ants will nest in styrofoam.  Voice of sad experience, here.
> 
> Bruce
> NJ
> 
> On Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 1:49 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer <
> artgawk at thegrid.net> wrote:
> 
>> Hope it works as well for you as it did for me...That backfill has a
>> staggering R value!
>> Don't neglect to cover it with something that'll keep fire and rodents
> out.
>> 
>> On Oct 23, 2014, at 10:39 AM, Andrew Vida wrote:
>> 
>> The recycler had 3'x4'x6' bales of compressed plastic, but they were
>> over 1000# each and I am in no humor to wrestle that.  The polystyrene
>> blocks are extruded from the chipped raw material. Density varies
> significantly.
>> No matter.  I'm looking to provide a seepage channel and these should
>> do the trick.
>> 
>> Oh, and I also have left at least 4 trails between Charleston and
> Elkview.
>> 
>> On 10/17/14, 1:30 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
>>> Andy, the styro i was getting was in the form of wired, compressed
>> bales. They had a press that'd turn a giant dumpster full into a 3' X 4'
>> bale, that i then stacked 3 high on my flatbed. Exhausted, i drove
>> home in the dark having tied down the load. I feared that the cops
>> would follow the debris trail for 60 miles and find me days later.
>>> I used some of the bales whole where i was concerned about sliding,
>>> then
>> opened up the remaining bales to fill the rest of the space. Before i
>> placed the styro, i did a multiply redundant series of waterproofing
>> coats on the outside of the retaining wall ( parge coat, rubberized
>> asphalt sheet and heavy plastic sheet.
>>> I topped the styro backfill with a foot of leachrock for vermin and
>> fireproofing.
>>> The french drain at the bottom  sloped 1/2" to the foot and was
>>> covered
>> in 3 layers of drain fabric.
>>> Unfortunately, the heavy plastic sheet under the french drain got
>> perforated in the process and the seepage leaves me with a damp shop
>> floor a few days after heavy rains despite  both sand and plastic
>> sheet under the slab.
>>> Somehow, 3 tons of sloppy clay is much heavier than 3 tons of almost
>> anything else. Groan.
>>> 
>>> On Oct 17, 2014, at 5:18 AM, Andrew Vida wrote:
>>> 
>>> Well, it turned out the recycler indeed has blocks of styrofoam and
>>> I
>> have been stacking them to the grade line.  Typar at the outer face,
>> then back fill.  They loaded two large boxes full... probably about 800#
> each.
>> I will be leaving in a short while to get two more and that should do
>> the do for us.  They are about 8" square by randome lengths, vary in
>> density, but seem to be porous.
>>> 
>>> The day after the north and east walls were completed, the rain
>>> caved in
>> the clay at the northeast corner.  I'd estimate at least 3 tons of
>> water-logged clay.  God bless my wife for her help.  We got it
>> excavated yesterday in about 6 hours and did it literally by hand, as
>> the shovels were utterly useless.  I was swearing to make a sailor
>> join a convent.  Not sure why, but when the clay grabs me such that I
>> cannot get my boot out, I go completely red.
>>> 
>>> Got the drain reset, gravel in, foam blocks on top and sealed the
>>> walls
>> with Hydrocide... pretty nasty stuff.  I'm still wearing it, three
>> days and about 8 showers later.  Need more foam block, and then backfill
> partially.
>>> 
>>> Mason told me to use non-shrinking grout between the bottom of old
>> footing and top of new block walls.  That is going to be a lot of
> grout...
>> :(  At that volume I would have gone broke on hydraulic cement.  That
>> damned stuff is $$.  I've never used concrete grout before.  I sure
>> hope it has the compressive strength to take the load.
>>> 
>>> I think I am going to fill the spaces where the steel columns are
>> encased by the blocks with portland.  The walls of the block are
>> shaved a mite thin in one or two places.
>>> 
>>> I will have Bibi take pictures today and post them so you all can
>>> bear
>> witness to the truer depths of my insanity.
>>> 
>>> The next step: concrete company comes to pour 6" cap on the old-new
>> floor.  That will give me a 12" floor, less head room (down to about
>> 9'4"), but I'm OK with it.  The second pour will act as a lock for
>> moisure and a kicker for the bottomost blocks against the inward
>> pressure of the surrounding earth.
>>> 
>>> Much yet to do, but at least the new foundation is in.  I cannot
>>> tell
>> you what a relief that has been.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 9/16/14, 6:57 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
>>>> I'm certain you do Andy! Um...Just one?
>>>> 
>>>> On Sep 16, 2014, at 2:50 PM, Andrew Vida wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On 9/16/14, 5:18 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
>>>>> Some years back i discovered free bales of styrofoam from the
>> recycling plant.
>>>>> They were so eager to get rid of them they loaded them for me
>>>>> after
>> hours..
>>>>> Covered my 12' flatbed with them stacked 9' high.
>>>>> They made great backfill behind the big  retaining wall and have
>>>>> been
>> stable for the last 15 years or more.
>>>>> Water resistant , insulating, easy to place and free. I covered
>>>>> them
>> with leachrock about a foot deep for fire and vermin.
>>>>> If you need more volume, break up the bales on a calm day.
>>>>> French drain below.
>>>> Now this is a really cool idea.  I was having a small fit trying to
>> figure how I was to get all that gravel situated properly.  Was
>> thinking of using gambions, but they are stupidly pricey and you have
>> to build them yourself... and they are endlessly heavy, even the small
>> ones.  But this I could do.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks Peter - I will check this out.  I'm sure I now owe you a beer.
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