Basic Information About Bio Fuel Bricks
Bio fuel bricks are not a new idea, and they are a great way to make good use of paper or wood waste in order to get a fire going. You can buy pre-fabricated bricks from many online vendors, purchase molds that can be used to make your own, or you can devise your own system as well. Let’s take a closer look at why you should consider one of these options in order to establish a supply of bricks that can free you from the need use wood to build a fire.
Why are they Useful?
Bio fuel bricks can burn for hours, are very lightweight, and don’t take a lot of resources to make. As long as you have some newspaper, or other paper products, sawdust, leaves, twigs or other similar types of material, you can combine them all to make bio fuel bricks. They can also be formed into different shapes, stacked and stored for long periods of time, and they are easy to transport. You can also cut them into smaller pieces in order to use them in smaller, improvised survival ovens if necessary.
Surprisingly, a lot of people still don’t know how or appreciate the value of bio fuel bricks. While they can not compare to what you get from a traditional fire, there is a place in your survival stockpile for these items. They fill in a gap, and provide access to a quick fire without a lot of work. The trick is to be equipped to make the bricks as compact and effective as possible.
Basic Process
The first step is to gather the material and make cut it into small pieces, as close to shavings as possible. This is easy to do when working with old newspaper or paper bags, but you may need to work a little bit on shaving yard debris in order to get the maximum effect. The next step is to soak the material in a pot of boiling water until it turns into a gooey, pulpy mixture. Then you pour the mixture into a form and press out the water. Allow it to dry, and you’re good to go.
Obviously, there is a lot of room for improvisation and tweaking. The quality of the fire you can expect to have will depend on the material that you use and the proportions of different ingredients. It’s always good to make at least a third of your material from newspaper because the cellulose in the fibers acts as an adhesive. On the other hand, the wood shavings or sawdust will promote slower burning. The best advice is to play around with various combinations until you find the best option for you, and remember that the beauty of this method is that you can use whatever material that you have on hand.
What to Avoid
There are some things to consider when making the bricks. First, you don’t want to use shiny, glossy paper. These are laden which chemicals that can release toxic fumes, and they also don’t burn as well. You also want to avoid working with dust from wood products that have been treated, including paints, pesticides or varnishes, unless the affected areas have been cut away. In other words, it’s important to choose your material wisely in order to minimize risk while maximizing the benefits of these types of bricks.
What to Use for Molds
The other important thing to consider is what molds to use for forming the bricks. As mentioned before, you have many options to choose from. The important thing is that the molds that you buy or make yourself have enough holes in them to drain the water from the material as it is being pressed. You may also want to consider using molds that impress holes into the material as well. This will help to promote better burning while also speeding up the drying process.
Take a closer look at bio fuel bricks and see how they can compliment your preparedness efforts. You can make them at your leisure and build up a nice stockpile, and they are useful now as well as during a survival situation.
