Coal cinders
 

When I was a child, the large cinders from the heap of coal ash at the end of the garden would be gathered up, put in a basket, washed thoroughly, drained and put on the fire. We had a big open grate, with hobs on either side. When the cinders lit, they just glowed for hours and the heat was fantastic!

Hi!
 

Have a look on Ebay, I love ebay.

Even when they say they don't post to ireland I always ask nicelly and they have always ended up saying yes.

And if the item comes from the US but is less then €50 you don't pay tax.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Paper-Log-Maker-...3286.m63.l1177

The Paper Log Maker is readily available on Ebay.ie for sale now and auction.

http://search.ebay.ie/search/search....ypage=searc h

(when making a search for maximum results select the worldwide option at the left hand side).

The webpage listed by Buffy is very interesting,
http://www.newdawnengineering.com/we...tove/firecube/

Drying of the briquettes looks challenging in cloudy/wet conditions. The website mentions solar heating under a simple cover. How about inside an upturned ventilated black plastic water tank ?

DH

You get a free can crusher lol

Just amazing,as i just might buy one great idea!

Already have two can crushers, a left one and a right one :)

Ebay
 

Yes, I know they sell everything. But I am thinking of buying one of these on ebay as well as a can crusher so I can get even more stuff into my green bin without making trips to the recycling center with my cans. Sort of defeats the purpose wasting petrol!

i seen somthing similar to what your looking for i think it was in the betterware cataloge

paper briquettes.
 

Re rolling them up and throwing them in...I did something quite like this for years: fold newspapers in half, then half again (lengthways) to make a strip about 10" wide; roll em up to make a tube 10" long by 3or 4" thick ( about 4 newspapers in each one.) Tie up the rolls with a piece of string about 2" from each end - tie 'em tight!

Soak em in soapy water - your used bathwater (or washing up water, if it's not too dirty) is fine. They will float at first cos of trapped air. You can push 'em down or just wait for them to sink. When they are soaked,squeeze the heavy wet out of them, use an old towel, or just step on them somewhere where the water can run away. (this is what the "briquette maker" does!) Stack them somewhere to dry. If you have a glasshouse or conservatory, that's ideal. Otherwise, a shed window or your spare room windowsill (put something underneath to soak up the wet!) - anywhere dry and out of the way.

It used to take a couple of weeks at most to dry out and they were BRILLIANT fuel - burned for hours, put out loads of heat. The only reason I don't do them any more is cos I'm on the commuting treadmill - I spend all my time in the car these days and you can't make them there (can't burn them there either!)

They sound complicated, but aren't. They take hardly any time. Kids love to help making them too. By the way, a friend of mine bought the briquette-maker thingy around the same time. Only used it a couple of times, cos it was such a palaver. But he agreed my logs were better, easier, burnt better than his briquettes and cost ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Hope this is of interest.

a few years ago atlantic home care had them ,perhaps if they had a request they might be able to get you one

RE paper compressor
 

hey.. they have them in argos 30euro..current catalogue pg 87 no9..

log maker
 

argos now stock them simon

Paper bailer
 

Website Ecostore,based in Cork about E30 bought one for my Dad for Christmas already burnin the logs!brilliant service ordered it few days before Christmas and delivered after 2days for E5 delivery fee!hope this helps

paper briquettes
 

hi, my mum was one of the original paper briquette bailers! my dad bought endless newspapers so she thought the bailer was a great idea. she made them for years and i remember our shed always full of them. yes, they took forever(months) to dry out, but the reason she gave it up in the end was because of the effort involved in really pressing them down, especially if you have a lot to do! if only there had been a hydraulic one!

Why would you spend money on a briquette maker when you can do it manually? Follow the instructions above, keep the money in your pocket and reduce the amount of energy put into making these things..... just an idea.