Firelog compressor going cheap

[Toddy]

Homebase are selling off their paper firelog compressor for a quarter of the price.
Were £19.99, now £4.97.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[hairyhippy]

Are they any good?

 

[Toddy]

This is the closest link I can find.

http://homebase.crocus.co.uk/gift/_/paper-log-maker/paper-logmaker/classid.2000007467/

I intend to use a mix of woodchips and wax in among the layers of paper to make firelogs.
So far the whole thing seems remarkably robust and simple to use.

It's about the only good thing of this incredibly hot weather, I can get these dried quickly

cheers,
Toddy

 

[rik_uk3]

We used one back in the 60's and they were not great to be honest.

 

[Toddy]

Did you try mixing stuff in it Rik ?
One of the guys in Glasgow used just pure woodchips and wax......made a heck of a mess, but it burnt really well.

cheers,
M

 

[Jus_like_that]

I had one of them, wasn't very good at all, very badly made. I got one of the tube ones instead, that works great, I put old tea bags and everything in!!!

 

[Toddy]

How much did the tube one cost ? and do you use the firelogs you make regularly ?

I only use these things when I'm camping and the car's nearby. Usually they just get burnt in the big firebowl under the parachute. When I saw this one for under a fiver I thought I'd give it a shot

cheers,
Toddy

 

[gsfgaz]

That look's a really good buy , is it any good .. how long will a log burn for ...

 

[Wallenstein]

Got to be worth a go for £5

Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Toddy]

No idea gaz......Rik and JLT don't seem impressed with them though.
I bought it in the Homebase down the Palace Grounds. They had seven of them left late this morning.

Me ? I'm gonna have a play and see what I can make

cheers,
M

 

[gsfgaz]

I'll try to get one tommorow , cheers Mary

 

[Jus_like_that]

How much did the tube one cost ? and do you use the firelogs you make regularly ?

I only use these things when I'm camping and the car's nearby. Usually they just get burnt in the big firebowl under the parachute. When I saw this one for under a fiver I thought I'd give it a shot

cheers,
Toddy

the tube on i got on special for a tenner. got it off some eco friendly site. i use the logs in the log burner at home, plus the littlun likes making them.

it might be worth a try for a fiver, it was a while ago i had that type, they may have beefed it up a bit by now.

 

[Nagual]

Used one of these types before, and to be honest I'm far from impressed. you need an awful lot of paper to make just a few logs, and a fair bit of strength too to squeeze as much water out of them before drying them. Haven't tried making mixes with it, didn't even pop into my noodle.

Heard of the tube ones but never saw one, sounds interesting.... anyone got anymore info on these?

 

[dave53]

hi toddy dave here thanks for the heads up i reserved one in homebase to pick up tomorrow /isthere atutorial on these on how to make them anyone know a link regards dave

 

[mt350]

i have one of these and it is a good way of making use of shredded documents junk mail and news papers. it takes a lot to make a log and a long time to dry but if you make them this time of year for burning in the winter.

 

[spiritwalker]

ive got about 50 bricks made already for the winter its a great way to get free fuel although i havent actually burnt one yet and i dubious of the so called 2 hour burn time. I am banking on 30 mins a brick but for free mustn't grumble

 

[davyowens]

My Da' used one of these in the 80's when we had the coal fire, think it worked OK for him. He got one of these drill attatchments thats used for stirring plaster & artex & modified it to mashup all the paper in a big plastic bin creating a thick paper slurry, you then open a drain plug on the bottom of the bin & let the bulk of the water drain out - the slurry is then ready for compressing. He also burned peat...which gets me thinkin....cause I love taking an idea to the next level.....what if you were to compress peat with this? like those very pricey 'peat blocks' that garages sell...they do have a 2 hour + burn time cause I've used them.
......imagine.... get a big old wheelbarrow full of dampish peat, compress it into blocks, let it dry out & bob might be your uncle.....we went on a canoeing trip to Donegal a few seasons back & every man and their dog was digging peat & stacking it to dry.
We always carry in our own fuel on our regular kayaking trips to form the backbone of our little fires... which usually consists of overly expensive bloody petrol station logs ....I'll look into getting {or making} one of these - could save us money & space......I'll then maybee try out the peat thingey.
How are you drying the finished blocks & how long does it take?
Let us know how it goes with the burn time.
If I make one, I'll do a detailed post on it's construction - the tube one looks pretty simple.

 

[davyowens]

I'll try to get one tommorow , cheers Mary

Hold that result buddy, I'll maybee make us one of these, save you fiver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sxmolloy]

I'm going to see if I can get one of these from my local Homebase. For £5 it's worth a go. I work in an office so I have access to lots of shredded paper, and all the damn junk mail that comes through the door can now be put to a good use.

 

[spiritwalker]

I'm going to see if I can get one of these from my local Homebase. For £5 it's worth a go. I work in an office so I have access to lots of shredded paper, and all the damn junk mail that comes through the door can now be put to a good use.

i tried that it doesnt work well with office printer paper only newspaper seems to pack tight when wetted but once you tell a few people you want papers you get a house full of them lol