Natural Paint & Plaster Course - May 2010

One of the BEST courses ever...!!!

Natural Paint:

Mixing paints made from local and natural ingredients, non-toxic, zero VOC's, and kinda' cheap.

Cheap, how cheap..?

Well we mix a 20L drum of Alis paint... costing something like R15. It can be used as an exterior paint and should last up to 10 to 20 years.

You don't believe it....

well time will tell on the exterior walls the course attendees just painted!

the paint from previous courses... is still holding strong with no colour fading or deterioration.

The team mixing the Alis paints.. we mixed about 4 or 5 different colours and recipe variations.

Helen as chief chef.

Erwin... our foxie doing some quality control on the Quark (old milk) paints.

Seems it passed with flying colours...!!!

The guys taking on some of the staff quarters with their various natural paints on the Riverbend Farm.

Looking good Jean.

A lovely toned down natural pigment using some of the natural clays.

Helen, now as Picasso putting the finishing touches on the building.

We also teach you to quickly clean your brushes - hee he!

Johan. enjoying himself with the quark paints.... jeepers check the colours bru!!

Aimee, our usual course mascot and "climb in boots an' all" participant does a stunning job painting some roses on the building entrance.

Thanx Aimee'kies

Colours galore.

onto, Natural Plaster:

Mixed with local ingedients, nothing from a quarry or a hardware store.
The fibre was a nice batch of loovly fresh horse manure.

Mark ensuring we have a good mix of plaster aggregate with clayey soil.

Stick it must stick.... and look beautiful and protect the cob walls.

Yip Ladies... the manure is fresh - harvested this morning from Colin and Co. our Plaster Machines (our horses).

Different trowelling techniques are demonstrated and practiced.

It seems even Sonia from InSynch Sustainable Technologies is becomming a Plastering Master.

Sonia is teaching the internal Lime Renders to some of the course attendess.


Gerald, Peter and Alex enjoying themselves..

Wow... the end of the day on Riverbend Farm at the InSynch Training Centre in Lanseria, South Africa.

Alastair

Straw Bale & Building Course - 27 Feb 2010

Straw Bale Building Course presented at InSynch Training Centre (ITC) in February 2010 in Lanseria Jhb/Pta, Gauteng, South Africa by Alastair & Sonia Armstrong from InSynch.

Students built a straw bale bedroom onto a straw bale cottage on the farm at the centre.
Next is the Natural Paint and Plaster course which will teach the students the next step in the straw bale building process and the harder part... the plastering... Hope to see you all there!!!

AlastairA
(alastair@insynch.co.za )

Straw Bale & Natural Building Course - Sept2009

Straw Bale building course presented by Alastair Armstrong from InSynch Sustainable Technologies (Pty) Ltd and EarthWorx Construction at the InSynch Training Centre in Lanseria Jhb/Pta, South Africa.

The students built a small bedroom onto an existing straw bale building on River Bend Farm, which is in the Rhenosterspruit Nature Reserve.

Mud/Cob Pizza Oven Course - 2009

Course presented by Sonia Armstrong from InSynch Sustainable Technologies (Pty) Ltd at Riverbend Farm near the InSynch Training Centre (ITC).

RAMMED EARTH Construction - August 2009

The course was run at the InSynch Training Centre (IST) in Lanseria, Jhb/Pta, South Africa.
The students built a demo Rammed Earth wall onto the training centre.
The wall will be used as a wind break and as a dividing wall for a future jacuzzi installation.
Solar Power will be used to drive the jacuzzi, of cause.
see:

InSynch Sustainable Technologies
EarthWorx Construction