Mudmob - Natural Building, Earth Renders & Tiny Houses - Jar shake test • fill a jar 1/3 full with crushed subsoil and add water until the jar is almost full: a pinch of salt or a tiny squeeze of washing-up liquid will help to settle the particles faster • screw on the lid and shake the mixture vigorously, until all the little clumps of subsoil have dissolved. • Now set the jar down and watch as the larger particles begin to sink to the bottom • In 10 seconds coarse sand settles at the bottom • In 10 minutes all the finer sand and silt settle • Leave the jar undisturbed for several hours, days or weeks until the finest silt and then clay particles will gradually settle • Layers are usually slightly different colours, indicating various types of particles • The layer above the silt is clay • A thin layer of organic matter might be floating on top of the water: some organic matter may settle on the clay • Measure the height of each layer to figure out the percentage/proportion of the materials in the soil | Facebook
jar shake test for soil type in building a cob house
