In the regions of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, the production of so-called adobe bricks is still widespread - unbaked clay bricks. This building material is very good for hot and dry climates.
The production of this brick came from ancient times, and nevertheless, it cannot be considered a very simple matter that everyone can do. In modern construction, an improved technology for the manufacture of adobe bricks is called adobe blocks, they, as a rule, significantly exceed brick in size.
In order to make a mud brick, it is necessary to dig a hole in the ground - shallow, but quite spacious. Dry clay is poured into this hole and, flooding it with water, is left in this form for a while. It is necessary that the water is completely absorbed into the clay, after which it becomes very viscous, and it is kneaded, as a rule, with your feet.
With the advent of modern technologies, everything can be made much easier by using a concrete mixer for the same purposes. In this case, a pit is not needed, the clay is immediately poured into a container for concrete and filled with water. In order for the finished brick to have greater strength and air permeability, straw is often added to clay and water. And if the clay is very oily, you can add some more sand. To increase plasticity, dry manure is sometimes added to the brick. For the same purposes, inclusions of molasses and starch, sometimes liquid glass, are made. Lime or cement is also used as an additional material to give the brick moisture capacity.
After the mixture has been mixed in one way or another, you need to prepare the forms for the brick. Before use, you need to moisten them and then sprinkle with sand. Wet sand will stick to the walls, and this will subsequently facilitate the removal of the finished brick from the molds, excluding its accretion with the walls of the mold during the drying process.
The ready-made brick mass is laid in a mold, tamping each brick carefully and very tightly in order to exclude the occurrence of voids inside. Excess clay is removed from the edges of the mold.
To achieve readiness, the brick dries for at least two weeks, in the open air. In case of rain, the bricks are covered and the drying time nevertheless increases. After the bricks are ready, they must be removed from the mold onto a flat and solid area.
It is best to start making adobe bricks with your own hands in the spring. In this case, by winter, the brick and the building built from it will have time to dry well by winter. If the manufacturing technology has not been violated, then raw brick with the addition of straw will serve well for the construction of a building one or two stories high.
