This Guy Creates Wood Ash Cement Using Only Primitive Techniques

Cement is a modern building material that is used in almost every structure around the world. From modest domestic homes to towering skyscrapers, cement is used in abundance.

But what about cement made using only naturally found materials and with primitive techniques? This fascinating video from Primitive Technology presents one method of primitive cement production.

The material is made from re-fired wood ash mixed with crushed terracotta. The exhaustive process involves burning bark and leaves in a kiln at high temperatures to produce well burnt white wood ash.

This ash is then well mixed with water. The excess water is poured off and the resulting paste is made into small pellets and allowed to thoroughly dry.

Once dry, the pellet is heated until red hot, then dropped into a bucket of water. It boils the water and dissolves. The resulting paste is then mixed with crushed terracotta tiles, recovered from a previous project.

This is then formed into a cube and left for three days. After this time, it does not show any signs of disintegration, even after being submerged in water for 24 hours.

The host of Primitive Technology hypothesizes that the resulting material may have useful applications in holding bricks together where limestone or snail shells are not available for cement making.

He notes that wood ash is pretty easy to produce and is often a waste product from other projects or living scenarios. The host intends to continue his research into primitive cement making techniques.

Via: Primitive Technology