Coal briquettes

[Nurseandy]

And while we're on the subject of using waste materials - sawdust in an egg box then the fat out of the grill pan emptied over it makes an outstanding firestarter.

[Raven]

Awesome - thanks for all the info, jansman and Nurseandy.

I have some magazines I can do that with, will have to just keep on experimenting with the briquettes

We don’t have a log burner where I rent, I just wanted to learn a new skill and use them on the fire pit we have, so I have time to work on the ratio with the waste products I have I guess.

[grenfell]

I've tried the paper bricks . I made a strong timber frame as a press which would take a hydralic car jack to squeeze out the water. Even doing that they still required an awful lot of drying out , all takes time and space and i frankly found that the paper logs are far more inefficient than actual wood . Added to which there's a dustbin of mush and it's a messy job and it wasn't a huge job to knock it on the head . Most of the waste paper i burn is either used to get it going or occasionally just twisted into a a small package . I'll burn cardboard but one problem is that you're up and down all the time refeeding the burner and it leaves a lot of ash. I do put sawdust and chippings into any small cardboard box and that goes into the woodburner.

[Raven]

I've tried the paper bricks ... Even doing that they still required an awful lot of drying out , all takes time and space and i frankly found that the paper logs are far more inefficient than actual wood . Added to which there's a dustbin of mush and it's a messy job and it wasn't a huge job to knock it on the head .

I was wondering the same tbh, is it worth it? But I was swayed with they could burn for 30 minutes (when done right? Haha) i liked the idea that you could build up a pile for the colder months and use left over waste products, but i suppose you way with the sawdust in a box they are still being used.

Maybe this isn’t realistic skill for meto learn for my situation as i think if the power was out then the shredder wouldn’t work and I’d have more pressing things to do than cut paper for the briquettes. Besides I doubt it would take 2 weeks for the power to come back on unless SRHTF.

Still i’ve started them I want to see how this lot work out, they will burn regardless if they crumble more lol

[grenfell]

To be fair the question of whether it is worth it or not is a purely personal choice. How much is your time worth , what would you be doing with that time otherwise , do you have the space to store and dry them?
When i did mine i just ripped the paper not having a shredder but then it was largely newspapers , we had a couple of free ones a week plus i would collect yesterdays from work . Newspaper does seem to turn to mush pretty easily. I tried making bricks and also just pressing some together in my hands as one would do to make a snowball. Obviously the snowballs don't burn as long but then they dry quicker. There is also the issue of ink run off which from what i've read can have an envoiromental impact although as many add newspaper to the compost that point may be overplayed. It can cause staining however. I used to lift the manhole and press the paper above it so the water would flow away . I suppose i could have positioned a tank to collect the water but then we weren't on a water meter then. Either way it can be a messy job.
After all that i do applaude your efforts to use waste products to your advantage . Let us know how it all pans out.

[blue90]

Buy a chainsaw, go out, cut up deadwood, fill your car up.

I dont know the legalities of collecting deadwood and it doesnt last long in a stove, but, its pumps out the heat.