Paper log maker

[David W.E. Roberts]

[X-Post to uk.rec.gardening as they are green as well as green fingered :-) ]

I am considering a paper log maker - one of those things designed to squidge damp paper into papier mache bricks.

I was prompted to this as a result of buying a shredder to get rid of old bills etc. so as to guard against identity theft.

I looked at the shredded paper and thought 'Probably safer to burn it'.

Followed by 'Hmmm. paper logs'.

I can find them on T'Internet

talked to a local shop who used to supply them and they said that they had gone out of fashion because of the amount of work you had to put in to create a single log.

People liked the idea, but soon got fed up using them.

So has anyone got one? If so, do you use it regularly? How long does the log take to dry?

Finally, any sources cheaper that the ones posted :-)

TIA Dave R

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we bought one ages ago. lot of bu**ering about, ime. the only way we got any satisfaction out of it was when we 'collected' a load of newspapers left out for recycling and spent best part of a weekend soaking paper and pressing bricks with the resultant mash.

it took ages to dry, made the back room damp and iirc we burned the whole lot in a weekend. it went rusty and we left it behind in the shed when we moved.

buy a chainsaw instead and start your log pile in june ;-)

RT

[Andy Dingley]

Had one once, never used it twice.

It's a small hassle to make the logs and a _huge_ hassle to dry them. If you have a papermill and an open shed to dry them in it _might_ be worthwhile, but otherwise forget it.

You can do almost as well just by rolling a newspaper tightly. Paper's always going to be a bad fuel though - not enough heat, too much ash.

[David W.E. Roberts]

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[andrewpreece]

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I heard a while back that it is just as effective to roll the paper up ( I found ripping it in half first helps ) wrap a bit of garden wire around it and dunk it in a bucket of water for a while. Leave to dry for something like four weeks at least, depending on situation. My experimental log made after Xmas in this way was dry enough to burn today. It lasted a good while, burned clean away, and didn't unravel to any extent. It didn't give out such a red heat as normal well-burned logs but I'm sure it had calorific value!

In summary, rather than spend £30 quid on a gismo that'll take at least several years to recover its costs ( if it lasts that long ), the rolling, tying, dunking and drying method is much cheaper and seems to work well.

Andy.

[David W.E. Roberts]

Unfortunately this won't work for shredded bills, credit card statements etc.

Soaking and rolling (instead of shredding) leaves them vulnerable to soaking and unrolling at a later date.

Also, leaving them lying around outside unshredded for several months is not too secure.

Looking as though the investment doesn't stack up too well - will try just chucking the shreddings onto a fire to see if they burn.

Also try soaking without the 'presser and former' (which I presume is mainly to get some water out and make them easier to stack) could save some money :-)

Cheers Dave R

[Huge]

[36 lines snipped]

Ho, yuss. Like billy-oh.

BTW, I've seen reviews of those DIY paper logs here, and people are singularly unimpressed.

[Foxfield]

I was looking at getting one when we lived in The Highlands. We moved back down to civilisation so I no longer needed to pursue the idea.

I was told that it's important to soak the paper for several days to help the fibres break down and it is time consuming, but then I found hunting for logs and chopping them up time consuming too.

[doozer]

If you throw shredded paper on to a lit fire you are asking for half of it to go up the chimney and cause a chimney fire. Even if that doesn't happen you won't be able to leave the fire because it will burn though the shredded paper in seconds so you will be constantly shovelling on paper.

I think you best bet would probably be to soak the paper, probably over night, and then just pull out hand fulls and form lumps. Leave them to dry somewhere for a while. If you make the lumps fist sized I imagine they would dry fairly quickly and could be used a like coal.

Are you sure that shredding isn't enough? After all you aren't disposing of state secrets.

Alternatives, if you really want to get rid of your paper work, would be to invest in a cross shredder (I can't believe anyone could put the page back together then), a hamster or maybe composting the paper (not sure it would work that well but it's worth a try).

Graham

David W.E. Roberts wrote:

[Charlie Pridham]

We used to do this, had quite a production line going, couple of dustbins soaking the paper and magazines, once a week making the logs, the resulting logs were excellent in terms of heat output, we stopped because of the amount of space taken up in the greenhouses drying the logs! they took several weeks to dry out completely, so if you have a large covered space its a good way of using waste paper but in a normal domestic situation you need too much space to make a worthwhile amount of logs.

[Vera]

Chuck 'em in the compost bin - that's what we do.

[Mary Fisher]

We use what we have in the hen coop but we have very little. No newspapers ... just offers for yet more credit cards!

Mary

[Alan]

In message , Mary Fisher wrote

Have you noticed that these offers usually have most of your details already entered on the form. This only goes to prove that most credit card companies don't care a s**t about the security of their products or with indemnity theft.

[Jules]

I have this one and it's very good, big bin next to compost for paper with holes drilled in bottom so the weather makes the mache for us, then one day a month standing in the cold making dozens of bricks, put them in the cellar to dry out and they burn really well. First few attempts made a lot of ash as we hadn't pressed them tight enough. Would highly recommend these for anyone with an open fire.

[bigcat]

fingered

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Its a strange idea this one. Instead of putting the paper at the back of the fire, where it will slowly all burn, you invest time effort and money, and take up a load of space, just to burn it. All you need do is put your papers at the back or side of the fire rather than in the burning centre.

Worm composting is another option.

NT

[McCready]

You've sold me on the idea, I'm getting one. Nice idea with the bin. I've got an incinerator which would do nicely.

[Lobster]

Absolutely. I got one the other day - it was just another looking just the same as all the rest, offering me a free balance transfer or something; but just as I fed it into the shredder I spotted that it was actually from my own credit card company, and that they'd even printed my card number on the letter, next to my address!

David

[Mary Fisher]

I don't read them ...

Mary

[Andy Dingley]

Doesn't matter what you do to them, worms'll never light.

[S Viemeister]

Not even if they're thoroughly dehydrated?

Sheila