Fetching water for brick making
Slaking clay bank
Digging clay
Treading clay
Ceramic brick mold soaked in water (so clay won't stick)
Forming clay into mold
Turn bricks on side to dry
Brick carying harness (takes strain off back)
Dry stacking bricks under eves of hut to keep them out of rain
Making brick kiln
This is the fire box level. There are two parallel fireboxes. Both fireboxes are open at the front and back of the kiln
These bricks form the grate bars on which the wood burns.
Grate bars allow air under the wood, increasing combustion rate several times compared to burning wood directly on the ground.
This level is the area above the grate bars where the wood is placed
Finally this layer is the floor of the ware chamber where the bricks will be fired
The finished firebox
Using ordinary mud as a mortar, the first layer of the ware chamber is built
Vertical and horizontal brick joints are plastered with mud
Finished brick firing kiln
Collecting un fired bricks to take to the kiln
The kiln is about 30 meters from the hut in the clearing, near the creek
For the first layer, just turn the bricks sideways rather than burning them on a grate made of bricks (fits more in this way I decided)
Make the next layer of bricks at right angles to the first
Alternate layers in this fashion
4 layers of 10 bricks = 40 bricks per firing
Cover top with 6 bricks to help hold the heat in
Collecting firewood, thin 35-75 cm long sticks are good for this sized kiln
Better to have too much than not enough
Making fire with fire sticks, the simplest primitive method in my opinion
Transfer hot ember on leaf to tinder bundle
Ember ignites tinder
With wood already in the fire box, kindle a small fire underneath in the ash pit
Then transfer burning sticks to the second firebox
Load wood into the back of the kiln also so it may catch fire here too
Feed wood into the 4 entrances (2 back, 2 front), leave the space under empty so air can move under the burning wood
This kiln burns wood fast so feed wood in as fast as it consumes it
This is about 1 hour in and the bricks are already starting to glow red
Feed back and front of the kiln
Strong draft is apparent
Total firing time: 2 hours 30 minutes
This is enough so the bricks wont dissolve in water afterwards
The next day after the kiln cooled
Fired brick ready for water test
Fired brick remains intact
Un-fired brick for comparison
Un fired brick disolves
Conclusion: To make bricks resistant to rain and water fire them in a kiln
Unloading kiln
40 fired bricks
Brick firing kiln