Advice needed on using paper recycling briquette

usignuolo

As we read a lot of newspapers and have an open fire, I bought a briquette to recycle newspapers into paper bricks for the fire. In theory you soak the newspapers in water, scrumple into small wet balls, pack these into the briquette, use the press provided to squeeze the water out. This compresses the newspaper into a brick shape which can be used on the fire when dry.

My problem is the soaking and scrumpling stages. If I soak the newspapers intact, all the sheets stick together. If I separate the pages and tear them into smaller sections, they still all stick together when I soak them. If I tear the newpaper into strips and soak and then crumple these individually into small balls, it takes forever.

Anyone got any advice or handy tips on the best and most effective way of doing this?

suisidevw

Sorry this isn't going to be much help but I only hear negative feedback about these, they burn super quick, are a pain and produce a lot of ash.

Use your papers to start the fire, use kindling as found in woods that's dried up and then coal/wood on top as you fancy........

bryanb

All the tearing and scrumpling should help to keep you warm.

keith969

Agree, these things are fairly useless, newspaper has a high mineral content hence lots of ash. Just put them in the recycling bin.

ormus

much easier to wrap the papers around a log and bung it on the fire.
then have a cup of tea and watch telly.
simple init?

camelot1001

Would shredding the paper first be any use?

usignuolo

Good idea I will try it and report back.

One reason for using the briquettes, apart from recycling, is that we have a big draughty house and no nearby supply of logs, apart from ruiniously expensive ones at the local garage, since the owner of the local hardware stored retired and shut up shop. My gas central heating bill this winter doesn't bear thinking about.

I have just used one of the first rather laboriously made briquettes and I have to say, after getting it going, it is working rather well.

Matilda33

I have one of these and agree it takes forever.Try lining the container with a couple of whole wet sheets first. Last time I gave up and just screwed the wet paper into balls and squeezed . It's a job for summer when you can dry them for several weeks.

beautiful_ravens

Ok, This is what I do -
Dont bother soaking for 24 hours, just get it all wet.
Add in anything else like ripped up cardboard, junk mail, magazines, teabags etc.
Line the brick maker with a whole sheet of dry newspaper
Slap the wet stuff in, squash, slap more wet stuff in and fold top of the dry 'lining' over and squish it all. Make them small, they dry quicker.
Mine will burn for around 2 hours and need wood aswell.
Theres more ash, but there you go.

I did a few a day in summer, my theory is I need to make as many each summer day as I would burn each winter day....but it gets boring theres no two ways about it.

Little_Vics

I read somewhere you can get briquette makers when you don't have to wet the paper first - has anyone tried these?