coffee put into concrete

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[thelerner]

So.. that's why I found myself sucking on the sidewalk..  

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[thelerner]

Yeah well, Starbucks is my dealer.

 

I heard the secret of Roman cement's longevity was salt water.  Simple cheap and lets us save our coffee grounds for gardening.  

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[silent thunder]

I make my oatmeal with coffee instead of hot water...

It's f'king brilliant!

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[thelerner]

I make my oatmeal w/ oat milk, peanut butter, banana (lately banana chips), flax seed and a pinch cement for body. 

[Nungali]

11 hours ago, thelerner said:

Yeah well, Starbucks is my dealer.

 

I heard the secret of Roman cement's longevity was salt water. 

 

 

???  Where did you 'hear'   that one ?   Roman cement could be poured into and set under salt water .  Its 'secret' is usually attributed to  a totally different chemical process that sets it , compared to modern cements .

 

Without going too deep ; its an exothermic reaction between  special 'quicklime' and a type of volcanic ash  ( modern cement  does not work like this )  that is incomplete leaving little lumps of calcium .  That is not a fault in the process, this is what gives it longevity ; the calcium lumps are like 'calcium banks ' , as the concrete erodes, cracks or chips off, calcium is released, fills the damaged areas and re crystallizes .  Its 'self healing concrete '  .

 

 

  Simple cheap and lets us save our coffee grounds for gardening.  

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Nungali

[Nungali]

My mate was mixing concrete and sawdust for a slab for his goat house - he says it makes it insulated  against the cold ground . I am not sure how hard it is though  ?     Maybe the goats ended up eating it   !    

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[thelerner]

Nungali-???  Where did you 'hear'   that one ?   Roman cement could be poured into and set under salt water .  Its 'secret' is usually attributed to  a totally different chemical process that sets it , compared to modern cements .

 

 

I believe it was from University of Utah quite a while ago.   Let me look, ahh Google..  "..Modern cement mixtures tend to erode, particularly in the presence of seawater, but the Roman recipe of volcanic ash, lime, seawater and a mineral called aluminium tobermorite actually reinforces the concrete and prevents cracks from expanding, researchers found.."

 

Maybe in 2000 years they'll talk about how the amazing secret ingredient in our cement was coffee, now long extinct due to the Caffeine wars of 2410.   

 

 

 

 

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[Nungali]

6 hours ago, thelerner said:

Nungali-???  Where did you 'hear'   that one ?   Roman cement could be poured into and set under salt water .  Its 'secret' is usually attributed to  a totally different chemical process that sets it , compared to modern cements .

 

 

I believe it was from University of Utah quite a while ago.   Let me look, ahh Google..  "..Modern cement mixtures tend to erode, particularly in the presence of seawater, but the Roman recipe of volcanic ash, lime, seawater and a mineral called aluminium tobermorite actually reinforces the concrete and prevents cracks from expanding, researchers found.."

 

So, it not due to just the seawater

 

Its mostly that the process is entirely different from modern concrete. It isnt just the adding of the sea water , its the whole process .  Volcanic ash contains substances that interact with the sea water and 'quicklime' to produce another substance (phillipsite )   which contains  the required calcium inclusions I previously mentioned

 

 

 

 

Maybe in 2000 years they'll talk about how the amazing secret ingredient in our cement was coffee, now long extinct due to the Caffeine wars of 2410.   

 

I think, before then, we might have to go 'geopolymer' to use up the mountains of mining refuse and garbage the planet is sinking in .

 

Although the new secret ingredient in  'seawater concrete' might  end up  being 'microplastics'       .

 

 

 

 

 

[Nungali]

6 hours ago, old3bob said:

some history on a terrifying fire that couldn't be put out with water!  (water could make it spread)

 

Greek fire, any of several flammable compositions that were used in warfare in ancient and medieval times. More specifically, the term refers to a mixture introduced by the Byzantine Greeks in the 7th century CE.

The employment of incendiary materials in war is of ancient origin; many writers of antiquity refer to flaming arrows, firepots, and such substances as pitch, naphtha, sulfur, and charcoal. In later centuries saltpetre and turpentine made their appearance, and the resulting flammable mixtures were known to the Crusaders as Greek fire or wild fire. True Greek fire was evidently a petroleum-based mixture, however. It was invented during the reign of Constantine IV Pogonatus (668–685) by Callinicus of Heliopolis, a Greek-speaking Jewish refugee who had fled the Arab conquest of Syria. The substance could be thrown in pots or discharged from tubes; it apparently caught fire spontaneously and could not be extinguished with water.

 

Greek fire launched from tubes mounted on the prows of Greek ships wrought havoc on the Arab fleet attacking Constantinople in 673. Greek fire was later employed effectively by Leo III the Isaurian against an Arab attack in 717 and by Romanus I Lecapenus against a Russian fleet in the 10th century. Its deadliness in combat, especially at sea, has been cited as a prime reason for the long survival of the Byzantine Empire in the face of many enemies. The art of compounding the mixture was a secret so closely guarded that its precise composition remains unknown to this day.  (& which has nothing to do with coffee )

 

 

Just mix kerosene and polystyrene into a gel ...'bargain basement napalm ...    ya want something 'sticky'  .

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[Nungali]

Simple old3bob ... tomorrow :

 

just add t teaspoons  baking soda to your coffee .... and report back to us on how it tastes .

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[Unota]

I heard about this! Not only is coffee great for composting, but it seems to have even more sustainable and practical uses. If only it weren't so bad for your teeth... I'll volunteer as tribute for the baking soda. I've put weirder things into my coffee. Raw egg can be used as a substitute for creamer, I've tried that before. It tasted normal, but it's hard to get past the fact knowing that it's egg, not milk.

[Nungali]

4 hours ago, Unota said:

I heard about this! Not only is coffee great for composting,

 

Its a good size for the worms mouths  , so is human hair .

 

 

4 hours ago, Unota said:

but it seems to have even more sustainable and practical uses. If only it weren't so bad for your teeth... I'll volunteer as tribute for the baking soda. I've put weirder things into my coffee.

 

Like roasted cardamom and Lebanese hash ? 

 

MMMMM  - M !

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Unota said:

 

 

 

 

Raw egg can be used as a substitute for creamer, I've tried that before. It tasted normal, but it's hard to get past the fact knowing that it's egg, not milk.

 

 

Thats a Vietnamese style coffee ... with egg .

[Unota]

8 hours ago, Nungali said:

 

Its a good size for the worms mouths  , so is human hair .

 

 

 

Like roasted cardamom and Lebanese hash ? 

 

MMMMM  - M !

 

 

 

 

 

Thats a Vietnamese style coffee ... with egg .

Ahhh!! Nungali knows his coffee haha!

If Nungali tells you to put baking soda in your coffee, you do it!

 

as for reporting back: I made a cup and put a whole teaspoon of baking soda in it. It definitely altered the taste, but not in a way I found unpalatable. Though as someone who enjoys frog legs, octopus, and habanero peppers, my tastebuds might be more forgiving. If you're worried about altered taste, even half a teaspoon or a pinch would probably effect the pH with minimal effect on the overall flavor. Nungali gave good advice.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Unota

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob

[Unota]

4 hours ago, old3bob said:

In some cultures eating raw eggs is common.

Ah, I know... It's just difficult not to be squeamish about raw eggs when it's so ingrained in a culture that you should avoid them. Even as someone who raises chickens and eats them unpasteurized; I know that there is no risk of salmonella as long as the egg developed correctly, if it's stored in a clean and cool place, if your chickens are in good health and happy, and especially if you have a strong immune system. but the back of my brain still tells me "You're not supposed to be eating this! What if you get food poisoning?"

In the end, the only time I have ever gotten food poisoning was not from eggs, but from some under-cooked store-bought sausages at a thanksgiving cookout. I had a fever of 104 F. Sheeeeesh!

[Nungali]

21 hours ago, old3bob said:

 

Well I know that stuff is good for cleaning up battery acid (when applied carefully)  but 1 teaspoon for coffee, probably not rascal Nungali. 

 

Oh yea of little faith  .... my disciple Unota believes  ... but you , old3bob .... step forward and place your hand into ...

 

my coffee cup ... now taste your hand  .... do you believe now , O thou 'Doubting Thomas'   ! 

[old3bob]

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Edited October 19, 2023 by old3bob