Humanmanure

  

Two New Summer Workshops

Solar Hot Water

2 Sessions
 

Session one will offer an overview of solar water heating for the home, covering basic concepts and systems including: batch heaters, flat panels and evacuated tubes. The processes of thermosyphon and heat exchange will be explained, with emphasis on simple and basic technologies that can be applied by the homeowner. We will look at an operational on-site hot water installation that was built from ordinary materials, some of them salvage. Finally, we will apply some of the concepts we have covered, working on a simple water heater constructed from a salvage tank. Participants will leave this session with the basic knowledge to plan for their own solar hot water systems.

Sessions two is optional for those who wish to gain more knowledge of solar heating and to further plans for their own systems. Together we will problem solve individual systems and, hands-on, cover basic skills, such as soldering pipe, iron pipe fittings and the simple construction involved in installing hot water panels. Limited to 6 participants

Cost: Session One : $35 Saturday, June 18 10-3 Lunch Provided

Session Two: $50 Saturday, June 25 10-3 Lunch Provided 
 

Tying Knots, Coiling Cords and Sharpening Tools

We'll learn by heart the 3 basic knots that are needed for anything you might want to do, from tying up a bundle of  newpapers to lashing down a  boat in a hurricane.  Other knots will be demonstrated, but are optional.  We will also learn how to coil up an extension cord so that it will uncoil easily and flat when pulled from one end.

In the same workshop, we will learn to sharpen various tools found around the home:  knives, pruning shears, lawnmowers, chainsaws, chisels, etc.  Bring your favorite dull tool.

Cost:  $25  Saturday,  July   16   1-4 pm

Earthen Oven Workshop this Spring

FULL

Come join us for Mud Hen East's first East Coast workshop led by John Corcoran.

This workshop will lead participants through all the stages of building an earthen wood-fired bread/pizza oven.

In this workshop we will begin with a discussion of the basic elements of building with earth. This will cover aspects of soil composition, suitability for construction, and methods for testing. Next, we will go through the steps of design and construction of our project, culminating in hands-on work as we mix local mud and actually construct the earthen oven.

Come prepared to get your hands - and everything else - muddy.

Workshop is at 225 Kidd Lane Tivoli New York 10AM-3PM, Saturday May 28th, lunch included. RSVP liza@lizamacrae.com

On June 11th we will meet again to fire up our oven and make pizza. Bring friends, drinks, pizza dough and/or toppings.

Cost of workshop: $35

Mud Hen East

We have sold our mud house here in Cerrillos N.M. and are heading back to New York's Hudson Valley. It is a bitter sweet choice that has brought up all sorts of storms of the heart. But alas for me, aging parents beckons me home.

There will be lots to do to feel settled in our home in Tivoli. Lots of weed pulling, grass cutting and for me the ritual cleaning that washes away unfamiliar smells and allows our family smells to settle.

It is my hope when we get settled to begin to grow Mud Hen East. One of the first projects I want to do is earth plaster over sheetrock in our downstairs studio. It is there I imagine a sort of earth building laboratory for brewing clay paints and earth plasters. A place for experimentation and teaching. Stay Tuned

FuturArc

check out an article on us and our friend Simone Swan in this months FuturArc: see link on right

George Bernard Shaw Studio

a reminder that it is not the size of our studio that matters

I wanted to put it out there to all of you that Carole Crews, the renowned Taos adobera and enjarradras of Adobe Gourmet , who has worked with and alongside a long line of women adoberas has just published a book! As the back blurb reads "Open the door to self-reliance..create and maintain natural clay finishes over a variety of surfaces. Beautify walls or make works of art with natural materials collected from the Earth or purchased lnexpensively from ceramic suppliers". As a student of Carole's, I recommend her book highly , she opened the door for me to the world of clay plasters and clay paints. Through her recipes I have earth-plastered over adobe, made alis paints, made homemade plasters and clay paints from ingredients from the ceramics store. This book can aid the independent-minded self-reliant soul who inhabits any kind of home. The mystery of clay plaster over sheetrock is revealed through recipes from Yolanda Rawlings and Janine Bjornson. To buy the book send a check for $22 plus $5 shipping to:

Carol Crews

HC 78 Box 9811

Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557

http://carolecrews.com/