Okay, so I’ve been wanting to build a little something in my backyard for ages, you know, like a real, proper, old-school oven. I finally got around to messing with it, and I figured, why not try making the bricks myself? Seemed like a fun little project. Turns out, making bricks is…well, let’s just say it’s a process.
Gathering the Stuff
First things first, I needed to get my hands dirty, literally. I dug up a bunch of clay from my backyard. It wasn’t pretty, lots of rocks and roots, but that’s part of the fun, right?
- Clay: The star of the show, pulled straight from the ground.
- Sand: I grabbed a bag from the store.
- Water: Hose did the job.
- Straw: Found some leftover bales at the home supply store.
- Wooden Forms: Made them myself.
Mixing and Mashing
Next up, I had to mix all of this stuff together. I dumped the clay, sand, and straw into a big plastic tub and started adding water. It was like making a giant mud pie, only way, way messier. I used my hands to smash it all. It’s good physical work.
Into the Forms
Once the mix was, let’s say, “consistent” I got to the fun part. I built these simple wooden frames, to shape the bricks. Getting the mud into those forms was an experience. I used my hands to press it.
After I filled up the frames, I set them out in the sun. This is the crucial part, the waiting game. It took days for them to dry properly. I had to flip them every so often to make sure they dried evenly.
The First Firing
After all that work, my bricks were finally ready. The oven itself came together piece by piece, and the whole structure felt surprisingly solid.
Honestly, the whole thing was a lot more work than I anticipated, but it was also super rewarding. There’s something awesome about building something from scratch, using your own two hands and materials from your own backyard.
