Shredder to stove device

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Simpo Two

Original Poster:

85,147 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
I recently invested in a document shredder. This means that as the year progresses I can, if I wish, accumulate a big bag of shreddings - 20x5mm.

They're no use for fuel as is because they will fly about like confetti - but is there a neat way to convert them into blocks? I know there's a system where you make papire mache in a bucket, then squeeze it in a big metal thingy and then wait months for the result to dry - but is there a neater quicker method?

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Unless you plan to shred a huge amount of documents, then I can't see the point.

Our council collect shredded paper if it's placed at the bottom of our paper bin.

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

85,147 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
I can easily throw the shreddings away, but it seemed a bit silly to have a box of shreddings at one end of my living room and a box of kindling and logs at the other... mind you it's only domestic use so not m3 of shreddings.

RobinOakapple

2,802 posts

111 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Might be worth using a vacuum to such the air out of the bag, then put the whole bag on the fire.

whoami

13,151 posts

239 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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Look here

Willeh85

760 posts

142 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
I think this was the system you were referring too, but it does squeeze a lot of the moisture out of the brick and doesn't need a lot of drying.

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-ins...

FlossyThePig

4,083 posts

242 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Extreme solution is to get some chickens and use instead of straw in nest boxes. It then makes excellent compost.

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

85,147 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the ideas folks - all things considered I think I'll just bin them after all!

Dr Mike Oxgreen

4,101 posts

164 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Have you thought of the idea of getting some chickens and using the shreddings instead of straw, then composting it?

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

85,147 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
No fking chickens! At this rate I'll have an entire ecosystem/food chain in my garden... and be growing my own trees so I can make my own paper just so I can shred it...

jep

1,183 posts

208 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Depending on what you burn (wood cut yourself or bought in coal), you could always mix some with the shredded paper and just wrap in a couple of sheets of newspaper. We use the shavings from after a session with the chainsaw, wrap them up,and after a week or so indoors, they burn quite happily. If you're concerned the newspaper won't hold, tape it together with some masking tape.

Hugo a Gogo

23,378 posts

232 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Have you thought of the idea of getting some chickens and using the shreddings instead of straw, then composting it?
that sounds a bit extreme

Vincecj

469 posts

122 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
We do this.
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Have you thought of the idea of getting some chickens and using the shreddings instead of straw, then composting it?

guindilias

5,245 posts

119 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Have you thought of getting some chickens and just burning them alive?

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

85,147 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
guindilias said:
Have you thought of getting some chickens and just burning them alive?
I like this.

andy43

9,546 posts

253 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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Mmmmm... shredded BBQ chicken lick
Just make sure there's no paper bits left in the shredder first though..

KrazyIvan

4,341 posts

174 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
Have you thought about getting a bear and using the shredded paper for its bedding.......not as extreme as keeping chickens I admit.

Simpo Two

Original Poster:

85,147 posts

264 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
KrazyIvan said:
Have you thought about getting a bear and using the shredded paper for its bedding.......not as extreme as keeping chickens I admit.
The bear can shred its own damn bedding! It will also come in handy for eating any excess chickens.

dickymint

24,089 posts

257 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Soak them in parafin instead of water wink

Dr Mike Oxgreen

4,101 posts

164 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Serious answer alert!!

My wife bought me one of the metal press thingies for my birthday, and I've made a few bricks with it. I added some washing-up liquid to the water when soaking, and soaked for between 24-48 hours. Pressing them in the metal thingy is a quick and easy process. I dried the resulting bricks on the tops of radiators, occasionally weighing them to monitor their progress. By about the third or fourth day they'd stopped losing weight, so I lobbed one of them into the stove.

They light immediately, but burn in a reasonably controlled way and last for about 45 minutes. I'm not convinced that they give off a great deal of heat, and they certainly create a fair amount of ash - but hey, for free fuel I'm not complaining.

In the summer I'll dry the bricks in the greenhouse, which I think should work very quickly.