Okay, so I’ve been seeing these “bonfire bricks” all over the internet and I was like, “I gotta try this!” It looked easy enough, and honestly, who doesn’t love a good fire starter?
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my junk mail. You know, the usual suspects – flyers, old newspapers, those annoying credit card offers. I even threw in some used paper towels. Basically, anything paper-based that I was going to toss anyway.
Then, I grabbed a big bucket and filled it with water. I just dumped all the paper stuff in there and let it soak. I think I left it for, like, a couple of hours? Maybe longer? I kinda lost track of time while binge-watching something.
The Messy Part
Next up, the fun (and messy) part! I took handfuls of the soggy paper pulp and started squeezing out as much water as I could. It was pretty gross, not gonna lie. My hands were all pruney afterwards.
I found some old muffin tins – perfect for shaping the bricks! I packed the pulp into the tins, really pressing it down to make them dense.
Waiting…and Waiting…
After that, it was all about patience. I put the tins outside in the sun to dry. This took forever. Seriously, like, days. I checked on them every now and then, poking them to see if they were hardening up.
- Gather all the needed meterial.
- Soak the Paper.
- Squeezing the pulp.
- Sun dry them, which may takes days.
The Final Result
Finally, they were solid! I popped them out of the tins, and they actually looked like little bricks! I was pretty stoked.
I haven’t tried burning them yet – saving that for the next camping trip. But I’m feeling pretty good about them. It was a super simple project, and a great way to recycle all that paper waste. Plus, it kept me busy for a while!
I will give it a shot and update on how it was later!
