Posted: 1/15/2008 12:23:34 PM EDT
 I am sitting here burning off a little comp time, eating some homemade salsa, drinking some of my bottled water and eye-balling a trash can FULL of long thin paper strips from my wife's paper shredder. I have access to a lot of paper. I tried mixing it with water and making a large spit wad and compressing it to various densities last year. I let it dry out on the trampoline and burned some. Takes a heck of a long time to dry out depending on how thick, obviously. Too dense = low flame, lotsa smouldering - not good Hand squeezed to remove moisture, kneaded into a log and dried = pretty decent. Too loose = no log, poof its gone. What are some inexpensive, maybe even free, substances I can mix it with to make a repectable fire log? I can just use the paper but maybe some sawdust added will help. How expensive is parafin to get in bulk? Any ideas and past results from anyone else who has played around with this? |
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With it shredded you are in for a lot more work. We've made them from rolling newspapers before. And I highly recommend them. Rolled newspaper logs are a great way to stretch you lumber supply. 2 rolled paper log with 1 real log, burns for a lot longer and hot! I don't see why you couldn't make them entirely from your old office type "normal" paper, or by tucking them into the sheets of newspaper if you so choose. Use the pages "whole" not shredded I would think. Easier than making and drying the pulp. I understand security is a concern if its going through a shredder, but if its kept a home and burnt its still destroyed, right? Directions I got from somewhere. Also seen similiar in other places and Backwoods Home Magazine. 
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Interesting - maybe I can make some small logs using all the 8.5 x 11 paper and some with the larger sheets - its all white office paper or plan sheets. Do yoy roll it up fairly tight or sort of loose? Any suggestions for shiny magazine type paper? Maybe this is where the parafin layer could come in. Haven't thought about old cooking oil - you better save it for biodeisel Tight-Group!! Wonder if it smokes a lot? |
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Roll the newspapers TIGHT! As tight and as dense as you can get it. We used to go about as large as your forearm. (4" or so diameter) The tighter the log the longer and hotter it burnt. There was no more smoke with newspaper than there was with regular logs. Hot fires don't produce much smoke. We used those plastic coated metal twist ties like come on bread packages or you use to tie fruit bags in the grocery store with to tie the log rolls. www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=2863 Neat Link for a newspaper rolling machine. (Can't vouch for the machine, we just did it by hand, but the company selling it, Lehman's, is top Notch!) I've never used the magazine type ad paper, so have no advice to give. We didn't burn it because of the chemicals in the inks. Throw a sheet on the fire and watch it smoke, that's why we wouldn't use it. |
got motor oil and wvo out the wazoo I filter to 5 microns and dump it in the tank of the dodge Got stopped last week going thru a dick town in Ma. "whats the problem officer? Your truck is smokeing. OH I just started it and it's not warmed up.. Hmm I never saw that before.. well that's the way these older diesels are. Are you sure about that. yup sure am. Well I'm giveing you a warning you better get it looked at. OK officer thank you. I knew I shouldn't have matted it at the yeild sign. Got Smoke? It does clear up when up to temp though.... some what  stayed out of town for rest of the job. |
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I bought a paper log press at an auction a month ago. I have yet to try it. The instructions say to wet the paper overnight in a bin or bucket of water then using the press stuff the soaked paper in the press and press the water out leaving the compressed paper brick to dry. It also says not to use colored glossy paper. After I purchased the press (NIB from the 1960's) I checked online and let sell a newer version on ebay for 20-30.00. KDX |
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Way back when...When I was a kid, my dad bought this roll your newspaper into a log kit home. I remember picking up neighbors bundled up newspapers and rolling them into logs. To be totally honest, I recall some were not too good for burning and others burned good. Probably the same as you describe, too loose(POOF!) or too tight(Need gas to burn it!). If I had a fireplace, I would be trying it again. Trial & Error, see what works best. Bill |
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The Sportsman's Guide has these: Newspaper Briquet Maker That should work fine for shredded paper. |
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I would soak the paper and add some sawdust to make a big mess in a bucket and then use something like a slightly cut down lid to compress the whole mess and drain out the water. I think trial and error is what it will take. As mentioned the glossy stuff has lots of chemicals for the ink and most folks won't burn it. |
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Interesting ideas here. Once I started reading I began to picture in my minds eye a simple mold you could use on a shop press. Something like a 4" pipe, fill with paper, press, fill again, press, repeat. That sucker oughta compact pretty well. As other have said maybe a little sawdust and some type of soaking before hand. It's an interesting idea. |
If you had five of those all hooked up together, then it might be worthwhile. Doing one at a time seems like a waste of time. |