Post by krull68 on Oct 6, 2014 21:48:45 GMT 10
Hi guys, Ausprep has asked if I could do a post on making fire bricks from waste paper, so here goes.
Thoughts behind making fire bricks.
Almost all of us get junk mail, local paper, brochures etc in the mailbox almost every day, we also go through paper in our printers used notebooks etc. You can either through this in the bin (bad for landfill), use it in your garden beds (how often to you make a new bed), or you can chuck it in the fireplace, bit of a waste really. Or you can make firebricks.
Now fire bricks will not replace timber in your stove completely, but it will reduce the amount of timber you need, thus you recycle and reduce your fuel needs.
Some stats that we have noticed when using fire bricks:
One brick will burn from between 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your vent levels.
You can cut your timber usage down by aprox 50%
For a 4 month winter where the temp gets to about 0 to -5 deg celcius we have worked out we will use about 300 bricks and just under 1 tonne of wood. Will update after winter of 2015.
What you need to get going:
Paper:
Type of paper to use, newspapers, printer paper, non waxed sales brochures, cardboard.
Type of paper to not use, high gloss papers (really shiny ones, and slippery). The reason for this is, the ink and chemicals used in their production have chemicals that are deadly, especially if you are using them for an indoor setting, such as fireplace, slow combustion stove.
Do not put plastics, packing style tape.
Briquette maker:
Where to buy a briquette mould:
Check out ebay, although the postage is through the roof.
If you live in sunny down under, the cheapest one I have found comes from homecare.com.au and search for "briquette maker" should come right up, they are $52.00 AUD from there.
Barrel:
I was lucky enough to have a farmer friend, who gave me a 200 litre plastic barrel that had held molasses, so I did not have to worry about nasty chemicals. Make sure you know what the barrel has held.
I cut mine in half in the middle, not end to end, this gives me two half barrels which makes 50 bricks each load.
Paint stirrer and electric drill.
Ok now onto the method I use:
About once a week, we take all our waste paper, tear it into chunky pieces, and keep them in garbage bags, about 5 kitchen bin bags fills half a drum, or there about.
Once we have enough for half a bin, we fill the bin with paper, (fill it right to the top, as the paper drops down a bit when water is added). pour water in until the paper is covered.
After 2 days, I use a paint stirrer in my electric drill, put it on high, stick it in and pull the trigger. This is absolutely brilliant for breaking the paper down to a pulp. It is now ready to put into moulds. We have worked out that 2 days is optimal, any longer and the pulp gets pushed out of the mould.
Fill the mould up with the paper pulp, put the top on and gently stand on it, don't bother using the handles, 1. they make your hands sore after about 10 minutes, two, standing on it is better exercise.
Take the mould out of the former, tip it out onto a tarp, definitely in the sun, let it dry for a few days, until it has hardened a bit, enough to pick up without it falling apart. put them in your shed, or somewhere out of the road, that is out of the weather, especially away from where it can get wet.
Drying time, depends on, humidity, temperature, time of year.
Obviously the best time to start making briquettes is during summer, winter increases the time hugely, about 6 weeks, summer is about 3.
Feel free to ask questions, or add any points that I have missed.
