tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out, kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for years.
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

Anne Welsh Jackson writes:

"john royce" wrote:

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you
make newspapers wet and then stuff them in and compress
them, then when they dry out, kind of solid; they burn like logs
of wood).

has anyone tried all this?

Friends of mine liked the "green" aspect of turning their old papers
into "logs" but it didn't last long - the "logs" took forever to dry out,
since the paper had to be soaked to make it stick together.

I shred most of the junkmail and free papers that turn up here, some
of it gets mixed with the grass clipings when there's too many of them
or not enough other stuff to mix for the compost heap, the rest run
through the water and compress stuff. I don't think they'd work as
fuel on their own, I tend to put them round the edge of the grate so
less coal or wood is needed in there and they last a while, they also
tend to make a lot of very fine ash which I suspect is largely the
china clay used in the paper manufacture.

They do take a while to dry out, but you want to be making them in
warm weather and burning them in cold so a loose stack in the garage
dries out soon enough. One day I'm going to have another go at growing
mushrooms in them, the last attempt at oyster mushrooms failed for
some reason.

Anthony

"Anne Welsh Jackson" wrote in message
...
"john royce" wrote:

tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that
you could have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you
make newspapers wet and then stuff them in and compress
them, then when they dry out, kind of solid; they burn like logs
of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't
like a bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality?
i'm thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it
for years. i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

Friends of mine liked the "green" aspect of turning their old papers
into "logs" but it didn't last long - the "logs" took forever to dry out,
since the paper had to be soaked to make it stick together.

I have two chimineas on the terraces at the top and bottom of my
garden. Being made of clay they heat up, and the heat disperses
slowly, like a storage heater. They also serve as barbecues...
AnneJ

Anne thanks. would you educate me? do you recomend these chimineas?

what do you put in them as fuel?

Is there a make or a retailer you would recommend? many thanks.

"john royce" wrote in message
...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out, kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for years.
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

Just fit radiators outside in the garden. Much easier to do.
Why would you sit outside in the cold, just go inside.

"john royce" wrote in message
...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out, kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for years.
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.
More years ago then I care to remember, while I was at Uni, some friends and
I rented a place with open fires. It came equipped with a paper compressor.
We found it worked really well once we got the hang of it. Adding a small
amount of washing up liquid to the water seemed to improve the "logs".

HTH

--
Kathy

It's pointless to try and discuss ethics with a spider.

"john royce" wrote in message
...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out, kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for years.
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

I have a paper compressor that I got 20 odd years ago when I had my
woodburner.
I use it occasionally but it depends if you like ripping up newspapers and
soaking them in buckets of water for two days then standing on the thing to
make sure you get as much water as possible out of it.
Plus finding somewhere warm enough to dry it out for weeks. UK probably
doesn't have the climate for them.
Apart from that, the newspaper logs are quite good. They burn quite well,
and fairly slowly. I always wish I had more of them.
If you could fix up some racks in a big greenhouse, I'd say go for it.

Tina

On Mon, 25 May 2009 00:54:29 +0100, Christina Websell wrote:

I use it occasionally but it depends if you like ripping up newspapers
and soaking them in buckets of water for two days

The eco club at one of the kids schools is making them to sell. Production
is slow. No.1 Daughter comes home with four soggy lumps and we put them on
a rack above the boiler, they take a good 2 weeks to dry out... They use
the schools waste paper that has been through the shredder, no need for
tearing or newspaper.

I like the greehouse idea for initial drying and in the summer they will
probably get pretty dry but once the winter comes I'm not so sure. I'll
pass the tip on about a little bit of washing up liquid in the mash.

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Martin" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 25 May 2009 00:54:29 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"john royce" wrote in message
...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you
could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make
newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out,
kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for
years.
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

I have a paper compressor that I got 20 odd years ago when I had my
woodburner.
I use it occasionally but it depends if you like ripping up newspapers and
soaking them in buckets of water for two days then standing on the thing
to
make sure you get as much water as possible out of it.
Plus finding somewhere warm enough to dry it out for weeks. UK probably
doesn't have the climate for them.
Apart from that, the newspaper logs are quite good. They burn quite well,
and fairly slowly. I always wish I had more of them.
If you could fix up some racks in a big greenhouse, I'd say go for it.

You could make the logs in the summer, when I am sure the air is dry
enough ...
occasionally.

do you think I haven't tried?

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 25 May 2009 20:20:05 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 25 May 2009 00:54:29 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"john royce" wrote in message
...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you
could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make
newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out,
kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for
years.
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

I have a paper compressor that I got 20 odd years ago when I had my
woodburner.
I use it occasionally but it depends if you like ripping up newspapers
and
soaking them in buckets of water for two days then standing on the thing
to
make sure you get as much water as possible out of it.
Plus finding somewhere warm enough to dry it out for weeks. UK probably
doesn't have the climate for them.
Apart from that, the newspaper logs are quite good. They burn quite
well,
and fairly slowly. I always wish I had more of them.
If you could fix up some racks in a big greenhouse, I'd say go for it.

You could make the logs in the summer, when I am sure the air is dry
enough ...
occasionally.

do you think I haven't tried?

I wondered if you had. Maybe you need better ventilation in the place
where you
try to dry them.

Maybe we need better weather, then we can.

Tina

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 24 May 2009 23:04:54 +0100, "Kathy" wrote:



"john royce" wrote in message
...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you
could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make
newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out,
kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for
years.
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.
More years ago then I care to remember, while I was at Uni, some friends
and
I rented a place with open fires. It came equipped with a paper
compressor.
We found it worked really well once we got the hang of it. Adding a small
amount of washing up liquid to the water seemed to improve the "logs".

A cleaner burn?

They seemed to last longer. We were in north Wales, and dried them out in
the cellar at first, then took to drying them around the burner in the
kitchen.

--
Kathy

It's pointless to try and discuss ethics with a spider.

In article ,
lid says...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you could
have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make newspapers
wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then when they dry out, kind
of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like a
bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for years..
i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.



Know nothing about the fire pits but we used to make the paper logs, but
to get any sort of meaningful quantity we had to use the entire green
house to dry them, they burn hot and clean but produce a lot of ash, we
also had to import a lot of newspaper. I wouldn't bother probably better
off stacking your hard prunings and using that
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 25 May 2009 23:22:28 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 25 May 2009 20:20:05 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
news On Mon, 25 May 2009 00:54:29 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

to dry it out for weeks. UK probably

Maybe we need better weather, then we can.

Unless the relative humidity where you live is permanently 100% the paper
will
dry if the place you put the paper is well ventilated.
--
Yes, I know that.. thanks..
My experience has been that the paper logs takes months to dry out but are
worth it when they do.
Tweed










Martin

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 27 May 2009 23:37:34 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 25 May 2009 23:22:28 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
m...
On Mon, 25 May 2009 20:20:05 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
newsdlk155736dep90kqv940bj40gkgp82fej@4ax. com...
On Mon, 25 May 2009 00:54:29 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

to dry it out for weeks. UK probably

Maybe we need better weather, then we can.

Unless the relative humidity where you live is permanently 100% the
paper
will
dry if the place you put the paper is well ventilated.
--
Yes, I know that.. thanks..
My experience has been that the paper logs takes months to dry out but are
worth it when they do.

Our boat got very wet inside during the winter. Come spring it was bone
dry in 3
weeks.

I don't doubt it. Very compressed wet blocks of newspaper take longer.
Obviously they need to be completely dry to burn as fuel.
You might have to trust me on this ;-) I've made a lot of them over many
years.
If we had baking hot summers, yes. But we don't - at least not where I
live, it rains a lot which ups the humidity.
The ideal situation for drying out these paper logs would be a greenhouse in
full sun with two sides taken out so the wind could blow through. On
chicken wire racks it would probably do them in a month.
They are very good fuel *if* you can dry them out in a reasonable time,
otherwise all your log-drying-out space is taken up for too long.

I could easily burn 20 a day in my woodburner and if it takes me all year to
dry 100..then I have 5 days worth of fuel.
It's a good idea to make fuel from waste newspaper, but if Tesco is selling
the log-maker with the fire-pit so people think they will have instant free
fuel to use with it then a lot of people are going to be disappointed.

"Anne Welsh Jackson" wrote in message
...
Charlie Pridham wrote:
lid says...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you
could have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make
newspapers wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then
when they dry out, kind of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like
a bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for
years.. i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

Know nothing about the fire pits but we used to make the paper logs, but
to get any sort of meaningful quantity we had to use the entire green
house to dry them, they burn hot and clean but produce a lot of ash, we
also had to import a lot of newspaper. I wouldn't bother probably better
off stacking your hard prunings and using that

Which is what I do, but isn't it disingenuous of Tesco to imply that
you can fuel your fire pit by also purchasing their paper compressor.

If they had a notice saying "make paper logs this summer, to fuel
your fire pit _next_ summer", I wouldn't have a problem with that!


Exactly.
You have to remember that most Tesco buyers have no experience with
fire-pits or paper log makers. It will have been someone's brilliant idea
for a good seller for the summer.
It makes me a bit cross really. Lots of people with a new fire-pit trying
to make it go with lumps of soggy newspaper.

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...

"Anne Welsh Jackson" wrote in message
...
Charlie Pridham wrote:
lid says...
tesco are selling those 'fire pits' round bowl fireplaces that you
could have a small log fire on your patio.

then they sell for £19 a paper compressor (apparently you make
newspapers wet and then stuff them in and compress them, then
when they dry out, kind of solid; they burn like logs of wood).

has anyone tried all this? the idea sounds great (who doesn't like
a bonfire, even a tiny one) but how does it work out in reality? i'm
thinking if it was really good, people would have been doing it for
years.. i know these compressors came on to the market years ago.

Know nothing about the fire pits but we used to make the paper logs, but
to get any sort of meaningful quantity we had to use the entire green
house to dry them, they burn hot and clean but produce a lot of ash, we
also had to import a lot of newspaper. I wouldn't bother probably better
off stacking your hard prunings and using that

Which is what I do, but isn't it disingenuous of Tesco to imply that
you can fuel your fire pit by also purchasing their paper compressor.

If they had a notice saying "make paper logs this summer, to fuel
your fire pit _next_ summer", I wouldn't have a problem with that!


Exactly.
You have to remember that most Tesco buyers have no experience with
fire-pits or paper log makers. It will have been someone's brilliant idea
for a good seller for the summer.
It makes me a bit cross really. Lots of people with a new fire-pit trying
to make it go with lumps of soggy newspaper.


Tescos recently put a bottle of vodka out on the shelves with all the other
normal bottles of vodka with only *half* the usual percentage by volume of
alcohol. It's called 'Vodkat' at only a pound less than the cheaper bottle
of full strength vodka.

So our party bowl of punch turned out very watery. I would call that
'deception', but i suppose others would be quick to say you must read the
'small' print on every Tesco's bottle and packet to avoid be caught out.