Hand Made Bricks: Process

Early bricks were irregular in size and shape, not only as a result of poorly regulated firing but also due to lack of any national regulation concerning size.

There are five main steps needed for brickmaking:

Information from Bricks: Brickmaking C. 1850 AD

1. WINNING

This is extracting or mining the clay from the ground

2. PREPARATION OF THE CLAY

Grinding the clay into a powder and then placed in a soaking pit where it is mixed with water to obtain the correct consistency required for moulding

3. MOULDING

The assistant brick moulder was originally called the "clot" moulder and he would prepare a lump of clay and give it to the brick moulder. The brick moulder was the key to the operation and he was the head of the team. He would stand at the moulding table for 12-14 hours a day and with the help of his assistants could make 3,500-5,000 bricks a day. He would take the clot of clay, roll it in sand and "dash" it into the sanded mould. The clay was pressed into the mould with the hands and the excess clay removed from the top of the mould with a strike, which was a flat stick that had been soaking in water. This excess clay was returned to the clot moulder to be reformed. Sand was used to prevent the clay from sticking to the mould.

4. DRYING

The moulded bricks were stacked in a herring bone pattern to dry in the air and the sun. The moulded bricks were first left to dry for two days and turned over to facilitate uniform drying and prevent warping. During this time tools called dressers or clappers were used by "edgers" to straighten the bricks and obtain a smooth surface. After two weeks of being dried the bricks are ready to be burned.

5. BURNING OR FIRING

If fired bricks were on hand they were used to construct the outer walls of the kiln and the surface was daubed with mud to contain the heat. If no fired bricks were available the kiln was constructed entirely of green or raw bricks which were stacked in such a way as to act as their own kiln. These kilns were called clamps or score kilns. Wood or coal were used for fuel. Even after drying in air the green bricks contained about 9-15% water. For this reason the fires were kept low for 24-48 hours to finish the drying process and during this time steam could be seen coming from the top of the kiln. This was called "water smoke". Once the gases cleared this was the sign to increase the intensity of the fires. If it was done too soon the steam created in the bricks would cause them to explode. Intense fires were maintained in the fire holes around the clock for a week until temperatures of 1,800 degrees F were reached. The knowledge and experience of the brick maker dictated when the fire holes would be bricked over and the heat was allowed to slowly dissipate over another week.

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