Recycle by Making Newspaper Fire Logs

Save a tree, even a dozen trees. Printing a newspaper takes the lives of trees. Why not save a pine, oak or slow growing elm tree by using old newspaper in your fireplace or campfire instead of yet another chopped down tree? It is easy to make Newspaper fire logs. For your next campire, don't use fire starters, they are not necessary, neither is charcoal lighter. All you need is water and patience. Recycle that paper and save a tree!

Things you will need:

Stack of old newspapers, a large wash tub or sink drain pan, water, a rubber mallet, heavy brick or rock, 1 inch diameter dowel, about 30 inches long, a concreted/cemented work area, and sunshine or a heat lamp.

Fold the newspapers in half once and put 3 or 4 into the tub. Cover with water. Put a brick or rock on top of the papers to keep them submerged. Let soak for 24 hours. Remove about 1 inch thick or so of the wet newspaper from of the soaker, letting some of water drain off back into the pan. (Do not use this water to water your flowers or vegatables as the ink may damage the plants.) Place the wet paper on the cement.

Now you have to break down the paper fibers. Start by using a rolling pin to help smooth the papers and squeeze out some of the water. Then, start at the top of the newspaper and hit it with the mallet to flatten and break down the fibers. Work your way down and across the whole paper until you have smashed it all. Do not hit too hard or the newspaper will fall apart. Carefully lift the mashed newspaper from one side and flip it over. Now hit the other side, top to bottom, with the rubber mallet to break the fibers even more.

Place your dowel it at the edge of the newspaper nearest to you. Curl the paper around the wooden dowel and start to roll it on. As you roll the newspaper, squeeze out any excess water. Rolling and squeezing helps compresses everything into a log. While rolling the newspaper around the dowel, make sure to press the ends of the newspaper into the log so that it doesn't unravel.

Once the news paper is rolled, spend a few seconds squeezing and shaping it with your hands to get it as solid as possible. When you have finished rolling and squeezing the log turn it up on its end. Slide the log down to the end of the dowel so that it is resting on the ground. Use your thumbs to press in on each end of the newspaper log to make it neat.

Put the logs on a rack to allow air to circulate under and around the logs. Place them in the sun, or under a heat lamp to dry. It depends on the weather how long it will take to dry the logs outside. On a hot day, it will take about an hour to dry completely. If the weather is cool and humid, like in the spring or fall, it can take 2 weeks for the logs to dry. A heat lamp will help speed things along.

Store the dry logs in a dry place and use just as you would fire wood. The more compressed the paper is, the slower the log will burn.

Tips:

• Use rain water for the logs. Collected rainwater would be a great way to recycle water.
• If you want to speed up the softening process put a squirt of cheap detergent in the water.
• If you do hit the first side too hard, you will find it hard to flip the newspaper over. Just turn what you can and piece it back together.