Small-Scale Manufacture of Burned Building Brick

At a glance..

The purpose of this manual is to outline, in as simple a manner as possible, the details of making and burning clay brick suitable for domestic building. The scope of the manual is confined to "cottage industries"; it does not cover large commercial production such as is known in the United States.

The details..

The purpose of this manual is to provide a simple guide on how to make burned building bricks from clay that can be found throughout the world. The author draws upon his personal experiences with brickmaking plants in Central Mexico and Honduras to offer advice on developing areas where such plants are needed.

To begin small-scale manufacture of burned building bricks, two principal materials are required: a source of easily available plastic clay and reliable fuel sources like wood scraps or other burnable materials that are locally available. This book explains how community development leaders can identify these resources by digging near banks or ponds which may indicate the presence of fine-grained plastic clays.

Once suitable clays have been identified, there are five main steps involved in creating burned building bricks: (1) Clay winning and preparation; (2) Brick forming; (3) Brick drying; (4) Kiln construction & firing; 5. Finished product quality selection. Each step is explained thoroughly with practical tips provided based on real-world experience.

Overall, Small-Scale Manufacture Of Burned Building Bricks offers valuable insights into an essential skill set for anyone interested in cottage industry manufacturing techniques using only local resources.