Getting Serious About Making Bricks

So there are several things that I learned from laying up these adobe bricks. First off just because you put 4 1/2 buckets of material plus water into the mixer don't expect to get that much out. Our mixer is a 3 1/2 cubic yard mixer so it's not a very big one. I have to be careful not to overload it. I have been using 2 buckets of sand, 1 bucket of chopped hay and 1 1/2 buckets of clay subsoil. However I only get three buckets full of adobe mix when it comes out of the mixer. A word of warning about the adobe mix, it is heavy so be prepared. I started using my hand truck so I wouldn't hurt my back.

I also learned not to lay up the bricks any farther away from the mixer than I had to. Walking back and forth so many times and carrying the mix takes a lot. Also be prepared to bend over and be on your knees a lot while laying up the bricks. I have laid down a total of 109 bricks so far, so I really know how sore you can get.

OK so you saw the bricks that I laid up on the last post. I have figured out that one batch makes a consistent 20 bricks with 1 or 2 extra if I add just a little more material.

This is all bricks I was able to do by the end of the second day, a total of 109. At the top of the picture you'll notice that the bricks I had laid up the first day was already turned on their side. Due to the low humidity and warm temperatures here in Arizona these smaller bricks cure fast.

So here are the bricks cured and stacked. I finished stacking them this afternoon. I need to make about 150 more of these bricks but, I will do it over several days instead of in one day. I had to take several days of recovery after laying all of these up. So be aware that you will feel it when you're done so give yourself time.

The First Bricks

So I finished rebuilding my transmission and then had to wait out a freak storm system. Well the day came when the sun was out and the rain was gone (and the car runs) so I was able to get back to work. I am at a point on the oven that I need the adobe bricks to fix the base so I can add the outer layers and the tile counter top.

The first thing that I had to do was to build a form to use to make the bricks. Since this project is all about using what we have I decided to reclaim some lumber that my father in-law gave me to use for firewood. I found a 2x8 that had been partially broken and split. I cut the broken ends off and then ran the pieces through the table saw.

You can see here the scrap that I cut off to make the boards 2x3. In actual measurements the boards were 1.5x3. I then used this lumber to build my first brick form.



You can see the form in the pictures above. I also added a 1x2 handle to each end of the form. I used 2 screws per slat in the form to make sure that they would not twist as I removed the form. I only used 1 screw on each end of the handles. I wasn't to worried if the handles twisted at all.

I made this form to accommodate the making of 4 bricks at one time. The form's inner dimensions for each brick is 4 inches wide by 10 inches long and 3 inches thick (4x10x3). I used the smaller dimensions for several reasons. I don't need bricks large enough to build a house, I can easily lay the bricks two wide for the wider walls and supports, and the smaller size will cure and dry faster. The faster curring time means faster building times. So I can get more done faster by using the smaller bricks.

Here you can see the mixer working on the first batch of adobe. You can also see in the back right of the picture the brick form. This is where I will start laying out the bricks. My plan is to pull out a bucket of adobe mix at a time and use it to fill the form. So that's what I did. While I was filling the form I left the mixer running so the mix would stay nice and worked but, not setup.

So here is my first batch of bricks. I learned a few things laying down this first batch. You need to keep the form wet and clean. Don't let the adobe build up or the bricks don not want to release from the form. Wet the form before putting in the mix every time. Always lift the form straight up and do not bounce or shake the form. If you bounce or shake the forms it will cause problems with the bricks keeping their shape. I learned these things the hard way.

Also I tried pushing the adobe mix in with my finger tips as well as patting the mix in. OK big hint here, don't pat! Patting pulls all of the clay to the outside and it sticks to everything and causes more surface cracks. I took the first bricks that I patted and threw them back into the mix to start over with them.

Another note that I thought you would appreciate. Add handles to your forms! I looked at building the forms without handles but, it wasn't very good. The handles make the form much easier to use and control. I added 3 inches to each end of the form to give my fingers enough room. This worked great! Also if you are going to handle the form by yourself I would recommend keeping the handles no more than 36 inches apart. For my first form I set them at the ends of the frame at 29.5 inches. This was a comfortable distance. If you are making larger bricks then I would recommend a form designed for two people for doing many bricks or only doing 1 or 2 if the form is for a single person.

Well I'm going to try and get more bricks laid down tomorrow. We'll see how many I get done.