My brick presses continued

I wanted to show all of you better pictures of my brick presses and the quality of brick that I am currently able to make with them.



With the cold weather of winter here in Indiana, I have moved the press work into my old trailer workshop. There I can keep the heat up in the 50 deg range on all but the coldest of days.

My first press makes bricks with the dimensions of L 9" x W 5" x H 2.5" - 4.5". I can alter the height dimension by how much earth mix ( clay, sand, cement, water ) that is poured into the box before compression.

The bricks come out pretty hard but the edges are weak and fragile at first. They must be allowed to set out and cure for a couple of days to gain strength. During that time they are wetted to aid the process. After that they are layed closer together to finish the 7 day cure of the cement in them. The last day or so I apply redwood deck stain to the surface that I intend to have exposed on the outside of my construction. Then they are stacked to finish curing and drying out until I need them for construction.

This is my latest and strongest press. It has closely recreated the brick dimension of my first hydraulic press. Dimensions are L 9" x W 3.5" H 3.5"

Here are some of the first bricks from my third press. I can make bricks with or without a "frog" in them. The block used to make the frog is bolted to the inside of the lid and is removable if needed.