Anyone made their own bricks before?

therunbunch · #1 01/14/10, 11:10 AM

I am addicted to the 'Self-sufficient life and how to live it' by John Seymour. He has a bit in there about how to make your own bricks and I told DH that though it looks time-consuming and difficult, it might be kind of fun. Has anyone made their own bricks? Is it worth your time if you're wanting to build something out of it, or better to just spend the money on it?

At any rate, it's nice to try it out so you can say that you CAN do it if you ever HAD to.

Darren · #2 01/14/10, 11:23 AM

The family that had the original land patent for the farm did make their own bricks. The clay came from a few miles away. The original house built in the early 1800's burnt. Most of the first floor walls still stand. They are at least 18" thick. The bricks look to be standard size. When the brick were laid out to dry a dog chased a hog across the bricks. We've found bricks with prints fired into them. The original kiln was across the creek. Some of the bricks we've recycled into a patio.

Like many other things if you have the raw materials, you can do it. A local potter built his own kiln. It's a walk in. If you're serious about it, check out the kiln construction first.

**clovis** · #3 01/14/10, 02:38 PM

If you want to make your own bricks, it is possible to do so, but I believe that firing them is going to be important for making quality bricks.

If you are looking for bricks, but don't want to spend money, there may be tons of free bricks out there for the taking. I have seen lots of bricks salvaged over time from old homes or buildings that are being torn down.

A Craigslist search/ad may yield great results over time.

Wisconsin Ann · #4 01/14/10, 02:59 PM

IF you have good clay on your property, it's not hard to do. You don't have to have a prebuilt kiln...you can build one out of the dry clay bricks and cover it....fire underneath...keep it going for a day....

but. It's HARD work. You need to build a form of some sort (usually just some 2x4s cut to length and nailed together) to slap your clay into. The clay SHOULD be dried and then pounded into dust, then rehydrated and sand added...but you can make bricks just by takin gyour clay from the ground, mushing it in with sand, and forming them....you will have some blowouts when the little chunks of stone, or wood, or unwet clay go "boom"....

If you're talking about making a mudbrick...non fired..that's a bit different. Adobe is pretty easy. Mud (with clay in it), mashed in with straw, molded into the brick form. unmolded. left in the sun to dry for a couple of days. Build. then plaster over it to protect from rain.

Old Vet · #5 01/14/10, 03:39 PM

I havent made any bricks but I did make my own concrete blocs. I did this when I was 8 years old. Make up concrete then pour it into a mold let dry and pour it out. I made enough to build a house for my Grandfather.

Bearfootfarm · #6 01/14/10, 04:07 PM

I've never made any, but most of the bricks used in my house were made by hand here on the farm. Some of them have fairly clear fingerprints

7thswan · #7 01/14/10, 04:32 PM

This small area I live at used to have a brick factory. Once you see them,you can pick out the houses right away. There must have been a streek of nice red clay here. I did watch a program on tv once where they made bricks for an outside project,seemed like lots of work. Maybe you can find some thigs on You-tube, they have everything.

7thswan · #8 01/14/10, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Vet

I havent made any bricks but I did make my own concrete blocs. I did this when I was 8 years old. Make up concrete then pour it into a mold let dry and pour it out. I made enough to build a house for my Grandfather.

That is way Cool!

Windy in Kansas · #9 01/14/10, 06:54 PM

Wasn't there a movie about a fellow teaching someone to make bricks? Perhaps a young boy, a youth, or a grandson? Seems almost like it was James Earl Jones as the older person doing the teaching.

I remember them telling the that bricks had to be placed just right before firing so that the heat could circulate or the bricks would not be fired properly.

Perhaps they were being made to replace those damaged by ???

Whatever it was I learned a lot about bricks, what the individual colors of them can tell, what indicates softness in one, over fired, etc.

While I would encourage anyone to try making them it sounds very complicated to get them just right.

Wisconsin Ann · #10 01/15/10, 07:43 AM

It all depends on how many bricks you're making, and what you're going to do with them.

Clay will explode if heated to quickly...the outside dries faster than the inside and can split when you're drying them, too. The biggest problem with bricks is..they're THICK. so.....think about making a roast in the oven. You can go fast, and get a lovely brown outside, that is rare in the center...or you can go low and slow..and it's brown all the way thru. The clay has to be fired long and low, otherwise you have that undone center..and when you reach highertemps, it's bad.....

First problem is driving out all the water before you go over 200F. The most common explosion in pottery is when you go up to over boiling point (creating steam) too quickly. The water needs to evaporate slowly or it goes BOOM...think about opening a pressure canner while it's running....the outside clay has started to harden, but the clay inside is still letting off steam...pretty soon the steam has no place to go and BOOM

so..the first hours are SLOWLY building up the temp to thoroughly dry..then with bricks you hold it at low for a few hours.

The 2nd place you run into problems is burning off the combustibles...minute pieces of twigs, leaves, etc. ...That happens at 451F. Again...you would need to be careful here...after that, it's still slow, but faster than before.

yes. I've made bricks. As an experiment. I've built a pit kiln. I've built a small anangama. I've done an above ground built out of concrete blocks (low low fire only) Couple others. Bricks are something I'd rather leave to the experts. Scrounging is GOOD.

rockhound · #11 01/15/10, 08:24 AM

Like the OP said, it's a skill that might be good to know. A little time spent making earthenware pottery would give you some of the basics. It takes a lot of fuel but if you have wood and unlimited local clay and time, why not?

Phrogger · #12 01/15/10, 10:26 AM

I've always been interested in this too. I know it would be a lot more work, especially since as clovis said you can often find used bricks for the taking.

I saw a how to chapter in a book from the early 1900s that had you dry the bricks in the sun for a couple of days, then stack the green bricks into a large, h-shaped tunnel, fill the tunnel with wood and burn for a day and a half. I'm sorry I can't remember the book, but I'll look on the shelf and see if I can find the name for you.

PhilJohnson · #13 01/15/10, 11:28 AM

I tried making a clay and straw brick fort when I was a kid. I got a wall about a foot tall built and then gave up. Too much work for me then but I might try it now. Rammed earth seemed to be a lazier method for folks who don't want to mess with a kiln.

Fla Gal · #14 01/15/10, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

Wasn't there a movie about a fellow teaching someone to make bricks? Perhaps a young boy, a youth, or a grandson?

The movie is "The Last Brickmaker in America" a 2001 movie made for TV. It starred Sidney Poitier. The young boy was the son of a couple having marriage problem. The information about the bricks in the movie was interesting. It was a good movie.

GoldenCityMuse · #15 01/15/10, 09:39 PM

Time to make your own bricks would be enormous. This is one of those areas where economies of scale make factory bricks a much better way to go.

Yvonne's hubby · #16 01/16/10, 12:14 AM

Years ago I made quite a few bricks, sadly I was trying to learn to bake bread. I finally learned but could have built a pretty good building out of those first few dozen or so loaves.

GrannyG · #17 01/16/10, 09:56 AM

Found this going through some miscellaneous recipes today....One of our friends made a beautiful home from adobe bricks years ago, and it is still in use today.

The making of adobe brick has become a little used skill with the passing of time. Yet, bricks made by this method and buildings constructed of them are still standing, even after 100 years. The straw used long ago in making adobe bricks was for ventilation to help dry the brick. It is no longer used, since cement is easier. Forms are made out of lumber ( 1 x 4),
12 inches square by 4 inches high; four bricks to the form. In a cement mixer, put :

3 parts screened abode dirt
1 part cement
3 parts sand

Add water to make thick mud. Place mold form on long strip of heavy paper. Pour mud into molds and smooth level. Mold can be lifted off at once, and refilled again. Leave bricks to cure and harden before stacking. they should be sprinkled occasionally while sun drying to keep from cracking.

Wolf mom · #18 01/16/10, 10:06 AM

As an alternative to bricks, have you thought about adobe blocks??

Easy to make & build with. Sun dry here in the southwest.

Windy in Kansas · #19 01/16/10, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fla Gal

The movie is "The Last Brickmaker in America" a 2001 movie made for TV. It starred Sidney Poitier. The young boy was the son of a couple having marriage problem. The information about the bricks in the movie was interesting. It was a good movie.

Yes, that is it. Thank you for enlightening me. I just added it to my Netflix queue in order to see it again.

I had the wrong actor but did remember him as a good one and Sidney Poitier is.

palani · #20 01/16/10, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolf mom

As an alternative to bricks, have you thought about adobe blocks??

Easy to make & build with. Sun dry here in the southwest.

A fellow I knew in Colorado told me that there were custom operators who would go around the area with an expensive machine that would crank out adobe bricks. I guess it was still hard work but cut the time and cost quite a bit not to mention the convenience factor.