I cleared an area as a workspace for making bricks, trialed a new source of clay for brick making and tested a new kiln variant that uses fewer bricks than the previous design. Near the existing brick hut, there is a area on a slight slope near a seasonal creek with a possible source of clay. The area had a large fallen tree in it that I burnt into 3 pieces and rolled out of the way with logs as levers. I may build a hut in this area and so cleared it.
Next, I dug a pit to mix clay in and collected the new source of clay. The old brick mold (made in a previous video) was used to make 50 bricks that were then allowed to dry. While this was happening I dismantled the old kiln and used its bricks to make a new one. The new configuration uses only 74 bricks instead of the previous 100, a significantly simpler design. Its firebox is formed by crisscrossing 2 layers of bricks so that air enters in the first layer channels and wood enters the 2nd layer channels at right angles to the first.
The new kiln has 3 firing holes instead of the previous 2 of the last design. The new design also has all the bricks stacked on their sides so there is less chance of breakage.I fired the bricks and the kiln went ok. There were some cold spots at the top but this may be due to the fact I used less wood than usual, with the firing only taking 2.5 hours (ran out of wood).
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3 hours would be better and more wood should be collected beforehand ( a 75x75x100cm pile as opposed to 75x75x75cm pile used this time). The bricks in the coldest area still passed a water test without dissolving though, so it was a success.Ash from the firring was made into bricks for storage as they can be used for mortar by calcining (firing in the kiln) later and mixing with sand and water.
