Looking for some sources!

[jeffpinto]

I'm doing a spot of research into mollusc shells, and one thing is frustrating me, so I thought there has to be a BAJRite or two who can give me some pointers.

I *know* that oyster shell has been used as a construction material in the past, and not just for making lime or mortar, but the shell itself used as a structural element, e.g. a packing shim; but I can't for the life of me find a printed reference to this going on.

If, by any chance, anybody reading this has encountered such a thing (perhaps in a building survey) and knows that it has gone into writing (grey lit. report or publication), please please please let me know!

[BAJR]

On it...

[GnomeKing]

I'm doing a spot of research ....
I *know* that oyster shell has been used as a construction material in the past, and not just for making lime or mortar, but the shell itself used as a structural element, e.g. a packing shim; but I can't for the life of me find a printed reference to this going on.... please please please let me know!

(emphasis added)


say WHAT ?!!! - are you serious ? you have never read "Bodgit&Bashit : a general buidlers guide", or "101 Other Uses for That Mollusc", or BAR:762 "A Worldwide Typology of Orthodox and Unorthodox Methods of 'Shimmy-ing', or even BAR:35 "A Worldwide Typology of Orthodox And Unorthodox Mollusc Disposals" !!?

I jest of course (aha- ha ha); so i will try to give it a more deserving seriousness:

As somebody with direct experience of building and using shims during construction projects, a couple of things spring to mind;

1 - anything to hand that will not rot can be very much sufficient.
2- shells are relatively predictable, but usefully variable, in size (much like a bag of shims from Screwfix), and can be broken easily to length (ditto)- much as 'modern' brick can be chipped easily to size with minimal effort....stone can be hard to chip in the same easy way for 'packers/fillers/shims', and materials in 'pre-modern' bricks also mean they don't chip in the same way........ therefore shell could be useful in those roles in ad hoc ways.
3-shims are used to maneuver heavy objects in various ways - shells could make useful shims under heavy objects being shifted into final positions (eg large stone blocks, tight fitting beams etc), but would be crushed in the process.
4-i dunno - maybe somewhere there is a local tradition of using whole shell (flat) as part of layered bonding in thick mortar, daub, or similar non-masonry construction - perhaps it even looks nice

So yes - perhaps shell is useful as shims - but it is probably very ad hoc.

Anyway, what kind of Research is this ?? - what is the bigger picture? - because otherwise, Your research IS to go find that "printed source".

I am sure many here will be fascinated by whatever results you come up with, so please do come back and tell us.
(blessings)

[BAJR]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BAJRarch...up_comment
Has some help...

including this picture: