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I want to make a brick. How hard can it be?


Construction Channel

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Just to pick up a precautionary from your title: "How hard can it be?"  The risk is that your homebew brick might look OK, only for you to discover later that the brick doesn't weather well.  A typical firing for small scale production might be a day plus and then a natural cooling period of days.  This doesn't scale well down to a batch size of one or a few bricks.

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2 minutes ago, TerryE said:

Just to pick up a precautionary from your title: "How hard can it be?"  The risk is that your homebew brick might look OK, only for you to discover later that the brick doesn't weather well.  A typical firing for small scale production might be a day plus and then a natural cooling period of days.  This doesn't scale well down to a batch size of one or a few bricks.

 

only time will tell on that one. It would be different if i was being paid to do it, 

whats the worst that can happen? i have to do it again in x amount of time......thats just a chance to improve ;)

 

well actually the worst would be the kiln exploding horrifically and killing everyone close to me while leaving me just alive enough to hate myself for a lot of years, but what sort of life would i live if i worried about things like that ........ 

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18 minutes ago, Construction Channel said:

im not the only one who keeps things like that then.... :)

I have got a decent stack of them somewhere but i can't think where i put them. the postage would ruin the whole idea so i will have to decline but it was very kind of you to offer. :$

 

 

Post? I'd have driven and met halfway or something. I'm only the other side of the bridge tbh.

 

 

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34 minutes ago, TerryE said:

Or more realistically if looks fine until the first winter and them it slowly falls apart over the next 5-10, resulting in sporadic but heavy attacks of ear ache from Faye. xD

 

if i was going to get heavy attacks of ear ache from Faye they would be happening already ;) , she has and probably always will have bigger things to worry about (that i made or am making) than what state the top brick of our gable is in. 

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27 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Post? I'd have driven and met halfway or something. I'm only the other side of the bridge tbh.

 

 

for some reason i had you down as a northerner?? hmmm maybe ill look a little harder for the storage bricks and have a work out how many i would need, if we can get enough between us ill more than happily meet up for a drink 

 

22 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Sharp sand / cement mix & a bit of dye with plenty of exterior PVA or SBR, tamp well... waterseal when dry. 

 

stop it! ill get a chance at that when i start on the worktops. I am going to at least attempt to make a "Real soft red brick" and thats the end of it :P 

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Northerner? >:(

 

I'm a soft, Southern, shandy drinker I'll have you know! Have been know to brave Passport Control & frequent the Halfway House on the A127 for Capri meets.

 

Some interesting, related reading here about how fire bricks themselves are made. Powdered clay that can be melted, who knew!

 

http://www.traditionaloven.com/articles/101/what-is-fire-clay-and-where-to-get-it

 

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13 hours ago, Onoff said:

Sharp sand / cement mix & a bit of dye with plenty of exterior PVA or SBR, tamp well... waterseal when dry. 

 

That reminds me of my father making coloured paving slabs back in the 1960s. I think he made 30 or thereabouts for a small patio..

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26 minutes ago, Temp said:

 

That reminds me of my father making coloured paving slabs back in the 1960s. I think he made 30 or thereabouts for a small patio..

 

I think I've posted a picture of me and my then neighbour doing my DIY imprinted patio with coloured concrete (ballast, cement, exterior PVA). I had cause to visit the the old place the other week. 30 years later & the pseudo "blocks" that make up the patio still look like new.

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Just seen these letters in Hobby Craft:

 

Cheapo, hollow but surprisingly solid card(?) ones about 100mm high for 55p each:

 

20161224_150857

 

Then much tidier, solid MDF italic ones; 80mm high x nom.15mm £1 or 130mm x nom. 20mm £2 each.

 

2016-12-24 15.20.21

 

(There's a Hobby Craft in Romford btw).

Edited by Onoff
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7 hours ago, Temp said:

 

That reminds me of my father making coloured paving slabs back in the 1960s. I think he made 30 or thereabouts for a small patio..

 

Is that what dads of the 60s did, then? Mine made bricks and paving slabs - he embedded ammonites in them for fun. Must go back and have a look to see if they are still there... @Onoff (above). I distinctly remember being taught how to mix concrete and mortar when I was about 7. Mind you, it was all green fields round us then.....

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26 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Just seen these letters in Hobby Craft:

 

Cheapo, hollow but surprisingly solid card(?) ones about 100mm high for 55p each:

 

20161224_150857

 

Then much tidier, solid MDF italic ones; 80mm high x nom.15mm £1 or 130mm x nom. 20mm £2 each.

 

2016-12-24 15.20.21

 

(There's a Hobby Craft in Romford btw).

 

I could have probably squeezed in the Italic ones IF i didn't order some 50mm ones from eBay the night before last. ;) 

thanks for looking though, I very rarely think to try looking in craft shops.o

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Just a clay brick recipe I found. Interesting about how to test the clay:

 

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/45788.aspx

 

Just wondering ref the letters, would you maybe stick them to the bottom of the mould, push your clay in then turn the brick out of the mould?

 

Looking forward to the video! 

Edited by Onoff
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11 hours ago, Onoff said:

Just a clay brick recipe I found. Interesting about how to test the clay:

 

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-living/articles/45788.aspx

 

Just wondering ref the letters, would you maybe stick them to the bottom of the mould, push your clay in then turn the brick out of the mould?

 

Looking forward to the video! 

Thats brilliant thanks,

Hadn't found anywhere that has told me how to test the sand content yet (I didn't even know that was a thing) 

originally i was going to put the letters in the bottom but i can just see the "&" is going to give me trouble with all its little holes so i recon pressing it in the top is what I will try first, 

 

luckily for you the plan for today is to dig up and process the clay, the videos arnt exactly going to be coming thick and fast because of all the drying times but ill try to keep you updated as we go along... :) 

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16 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Great start!

 

Just re-read that link I posted about the brick making. Presumably you'll add sand to achieve 30% min / 50% max sand content? What sand would that be do you reckon?

 

And 7 days at 1800 degC!

 

Careful as that's the recipe for adobe bricks, not ordinary soft clay..!! 20-30% sand at most in a red brick 

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Nope, Im not going to mess with it. mainly because i wouldn't know what sand to add but also because "I'm sure it will be fine" ;) 

 

I have been working from many links but the original one i was getting temps from was this

http://brickcollecting.com/history.htm

which i read as keep the kiln "cool" for 2 days, slowly increase the heat for 7 days up to 1800f, seal it and then let cool for 7 days,  (I haven't worked out how ill keep it going for 7 days yet without taking time off work, but if i have to i will)

 

now because i have down scaled this process so much i can't see it taking that much time to heat or cool, this is probably not a good thing but we will just have to see, i recon 3 days up and 3 days down should be fine, If not i will just have to try again :) 

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On 27/12/2016 at 10:08, Construction Channel said:

 

Just wondering ref the letters, would you maybe stick them to the bottom of the mould, push your clay in then turn the brick out of the mould?

 

Looking forward to the video! 

If I recall a visit I made to a local tile maker the press the lettering in after the tile was formed, I guess it ensures you get the full dense block rather than any gaps around letters where the clay has not gone. Also don't forget - grandma & eggs, to get the letters the right way round on the board / mould bottom. so the text comes out correctly.

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2 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said:

If I recall a visit I made to a local tile maker the press the lettering in after the tile was formed, I guess it ensures you get the full dense block rather than any gaps around letters where the clay has not gone. Also don't forget - grandma & eggs, to get the letters the right way round on the board / mould bottom. so the text comes out correctly.

 

don't worry, I won't be forgetting that mistake for a while

 

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11 minutes ago, Onoff said:

Just to complicate your life, I think RAISED letters would look good.....:ph34r:

 

SHHHH, so do i but i think they would be more likely to fall of, I could join it like i put the handle on my teapot but i just don't think it is a risk worth taking

 

also they could potentially burn in the kiln being so thin. 

 

Im pressing them in afterwards on this attempt at least , If it doesnt work ill have a re-think but for now that is the plan :) 

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