permaculture

["John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

> I talked with my buddy Martin Jelenc about ferro-concrete, he says
> galvanized lath has no serious issues of corrosion from dis similar
> metals.  I would still steer clear of chicken wire.

Why, what's the diff?  Galvanized mild metal or galvanized mild metal,
afaik, just different shapes...in most all the info I dug up on DIY
ferrocement most every project used multiple layers of chicken wire,
including in third world humid climate water tank projects.  That sort of
thing has been done for quite a while - several decades at least.  I
didn't find any info on eventual problems with galvanized mesh - though
perhaps no one ever followed up, of course, and different aid groups kept
making the same mistake.

> I'm still thinking
> about wether welding the steel makes any sense.

IMO it doesn't if you're thinking about doing it for reasons of strength. 
It does if you're thinking about quicker (but more energy-burning) ways to
tack the armature together before plastering and have the equipment and
skills to do it.  Don't know if it would be quicker though -
someone/something would be needed to hold the various pieces together for
welding so by the time that's covered it might take as long or longer as
tying by hand...?



John Schinnerer, MA
-------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net