PHOTO: Square bale clay mixing pit. This was designed by German clay plaster expert, Frank Andresen while working on a straw bale vault in Briceland, i n Humboldt County, Northern California. As you can see the bales are made into a square, then a heavy tarp is laid in, and screen clay is mixed with water and left in the pit to soak. Before the clay is removed it is mixed up with a paint mixing blade on a long stem, installed in heavy duty hand drill. (So electricty was needed on-site to mix the clay.) photo copyright Charmaine Taylor Commercial clay production for big Plastering projects - by Keely Meagan I usually work my plasters in pits (5 strawbales in a circle with tarp over bales. stomp with bare feet and roll by grabbing tarp and pulling towards you- gets the stuff off the bottom). With a crew, this is faster than using one mixer alone. But if its cold, forget it. Use a mixer, or two. I know someone who planned to spray it on the walls with a pump and he planned to mix it first in a cement truck. Clay slip is easy. Get steel garbage cans, fill with water about 1/3 full, add 4or 5 five gallon buckets of dirt, mix with drill and plaster/paint mixer attachment. Fast, quick, easy. Keep try to get proportions right so you can add all dirt before you mix. Sediment sinks to the bottom and is not a problem for straw clay. You can also do it in a pit. If you plan to spray a clay slip on the bale walls before plastering (and I stongly recommend it - you get a way stronger connection with the bales and its easier to plaster) you'll need to put the slip through a window screen so you can spray it through a drywall texture gun. Easy, just scoop slip out of pit or garbage can with five gallon bucket and pour over tilted screen sitting on top of another pit. I've done ( made in a pit) enough for a 2800 sq. foot community center in under 4 hours, by myself. I tend to go with pits, mix it wet, and let it sit for awhile to dry out. Keely Meagan --Artisan Earth Roving Natural Plaster Crew Keely is now retired from crew work, and resides in NM working on her own home, Keely Wrote a small booklet : Earth Plasters for Straw Bale Homes which is now OUT of print. Please choose another book-or any CD which has lime & clay info: Adobe CD-$12. or Dirtcheapbuilder CD-$7.