Newspaper brick maker

[Eddie Jones]

I'm trying to buy a Newspaper Brick Maker - You know, the sort that produces burnable bricks from compressed waste paper. Anyone know of an outlet for them in Aust.?

[ozwinner]

You can get them from markets/op shops.
I wouldnt bother, as the bricks dont burn but just smoulder.

Al

[fxst]

apparentlyyou can mix wood shavings or sawdudt into the paper mash to help it smoulder oops burn better though I wouldn't try treated sawdust.
Nope other than being told it works I dont use the paper bricks redgum and myall burns longer and hotter
Pete

[Bob38S]

Check out the secondhand shops - they originally appreared in the mail order magazines eg Magnamail - expensive and has already been stated - they only smoulder not burn. The smouldering bricks also appear to "clag" up your chimney.
Bob

[Eddie Jones]

About the smouldering. I did a bit of webbing on this and they say the biggest problem is not soaking the paper long enough. Minimum of 2 days, 4 better, no longer than 7 days (bacteria problems.) Also adding a little bleach helps the process.

And of course you need to let the brick dry really well. Minimum weeks - months in humid/wet weather.

Bugger it, I'll probably just make my own.

[scooter]

Good luck Eddie, we had one of these when I was a kid but we had no luck with it. Maybe you're right with the soaking thing.

You could buy a Triton Superjaws & make up a jig to mount on it. The superjaws will generate heaps more compression than the hand powered ones.


Cheers..................Sean

[doug the slug]

I made one about 9 years ago and for the effort involved in making the bricks its not worth it. you need a hell of a lot of them to generate any real heat. they do burn in a big enough fire but they burn far too quickly. just not efficient enough

[PegHead]

My school is actually doing a project for this, we have several brick makers. We use shredded paper mixed with water with a paint mixer to create pulp and then make either re-cycled paper or bricks. Our bricks have turned out very well, they burn well and dont smoulder although the drying time is a let down. We are beggining to sell them at local markets
We actually got our brick makers of a company off ebay in sydney )