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DRT Lakeside Posts: 62
11/5/2012
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Decided to try and make some recycled paper logs after seeing a contraption for making something similar in the SkyMall magazine. hahahaha
I took a 2 foot section of 3" PVC pipe and drilled a bunch of holes in it, filled it with soaked and "pulped" newspaper and squished out all the water with a 2" pipe and a 50-ton press.
It was kind of messy and there are flecks of dried newspaper all over my garage, but it seemed to work ok. Pics are of first batch, I squished some harder the next weekend. They are definitely solid/dense once they have dried. Not quite "duraflame" solid though. I think they are supposed to burn for a while, but I have a suspicion that it might go pretty quick. Oh well...we will try them out and see what happens. Will definitely be bringing some real wood though just in case : )
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
11/5/2012
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I want to know how they work out, please be sure to post and let us know!
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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anutami Posts: 491
11/6/2012
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looks cool, and love your pic of john wayne!
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DRT Lakeside Posts: 62
11/6/2012
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I work at a Middle School and the John Wayne pic was donated as a prop for a play. The teacher didn't want it afterward, so in the garage it goes : )
As with most garages, the decor is what you might call "eclectic"
You can't see it in the pic, but on the other side of the peg board are very large wooden framed versions of the Constitution and Gettysburg Address-also discards from a school library that was being "reorganized". I just couldn't bear to see those things go in the trash
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DRT Lakeside Posts: 62
1/3/2013
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Completely forgot to explain how the paper logs worked. Bottom line, they worked pretty well; I got about 45 minutes to an hour of burn from each "log", but they definitely don't burn like a duraflame--sort of a blend between a real flame and a smolder, they kind of looked like the lit end of a giant cigarette. Maybe I packed them too tight?We used them over Thanksgiving and also last weekend and they may be better suited as fire starters, as they helped to get the wet wood going on both occasions. No sparks, or embers floating away at least. Next time I might try to make larger diameter logs and try that out, It might also help to have holes in them. Definitely worth pursuing, but a back burner kind of project.
Dave
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
1/4/2013
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Interesting...did they ignite easily? Maybe they were so dense all they could was smolder...?? A++ for ingenuity...
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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DRT Lakeside Posts: 62
1/6/2013
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They did not seem to light especially easy. I would say easier than wood but much more difficult than regular paper, and without much of a flame it is hard to tell when they were "lit". I think you are right on the density issue, although they were not nearly as dense as something like a duraflame log (I think they add paraffin or something to help those get started, and I was trying to not add anything + I'm cheap  They were actually pretty light in weight but very hard if that makes sense. Which is weird since I compressed the heck out of them.
My guess would be that they need a lot more oxygen available to get going. I have seen some online that were rolled around a rod or something so they are hollow tubes. I could drill mine full of holes or something like that, and that would likely work well. Somehow I need more surface area:volume, so maybe smaller pieces or briquette/puck size would be good too. I will keep messing around with them, but like I mentioned before it is a back burner kind of project with so many other things/projects that require my time.
One thought I had would be to turn it into a Project Based Learning kind of deal for science students at the middle school as I am scheduled to return to the classroom next fall.
It is always fun to mess around and try to figure stuff out
dsefcik wrote:
Interesting...did they ignite easily? Maybe they were so dense all they could was smolder...?? A++ for ingenuity...
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