Clay should feel smooth when moulded and squeezed in the hand. It should not feel lumpy or gritty. Ant-hills are usually suitable but if they are too 'rich' (that is, the clay tends to crack) mix some sand into it but use as little as possible.

Iron brick moulds are better than wooden ones as the bricks slide out easier. Sand should be sprinkled on them to ease the turning out.

Personnel

One skilled brick maker should turn out 1,000 bricks per day. He needs about 7 - 10 assistants depending on proximity of water etc.

Modus operandi

Clay should be dug and watered about a fortnight before use. It should be well puddled with the feet in default of a pug-mill. It should be kept watered so that the surface does not become dry. Puddling should be done on a brick floor, boards or iron so that the full force is exerted on the clay.

Stand bricks on well prepared lines, running along a slope or on level ground. This saves carting up hill. Stand them on edge. When drying they may be stacked, but not too high as the weight may break some. Leave spaces between them in stacking. When dry they may be made into a kiln. Test for dryness is to break one and test the centre with a knife. The blade should not enter easily.

The Kiln

Lay out so that the outside is two bricks in width, then a firehole of of two and a half bricks in width, then a pillar of three bricks in width and so on with fireholes and pillars, ending up with an outside edge of two bricks in width.

Arches may be seven bricks high. Kiln twenty-four to twenty-six courses in height. Width about fifteen feet. Length according to taste.

In stacking in the kiln, the outside three rows should be close together and the rest a fingerspace apart so that heat can rise. two bricks in length should be covered by five on edge. Fireholes should be blocked up in the centre to prevent fire being blown through. The sides should be covered with dagga in the manner of plastering a house. The kiln should be surrounded by a wind break to prevent firs being blown about. After stoking with wood, holes should be closed with tins or bricks.

Firing

Wood will do. Dry wood is preferable. One cord for every thousand bricks. Get plenty before burning begins as it is dangerous to let fires down while burning. Keep fires up all the time. Start with small fires for about three days to drive off all moisture; when finished, one sees no steam rising from the top of the kiln in early morning. Then stoke up and burn hard for 48 - 60 hours until the grass held on top between the cracks chars. Then thrown earth on top to cover top completely and block up all fire holes with clay or bricks. Then allow to cool off; about 7 - 10 days will be needed for this.

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