by Ron Foster
Fill the buckets with water, and let soak 1 to 2 hours, then prepare for rolling the logs.
Standing at a sink or other water proof surface, take the first wet section of the newspaper out of the bucket.
Place the dowel rod about 1 inch down from the top of the wet paper and begin to roll the dowel rod down the newspaper.
Start the paper near one end of the dowel so that it is easier to push off once you are done rolling paper. As you roll the newspaper, squeeze out excess water.
After you have rolled up 2-3 inches of the wet paper, shape and compress the log with your hands to get more excess water out. Pull the dowel rod out of the freshly made paper fire log.
Air drying the newspaper fire logs
The completed fire logs must be completely dry before burning.
Store logs in a shed or other covered area where the temperature and breeze can air dry them.
If you do not have a shed, stack the wet logs on a platform, old pallets, or anything else that will keep the wet logs off the ground.
Cover with a tarp to keep the logs from getting wet due to weather conditions.
It will take at least a week for the logs to dry.
How to Make Fire Bricks
Materials and tools needed:
Three 5 gal. Buckets. (One bucket will have holes cut or drilled into it to make a sieve, one to be cut down to make a press, and the last bucket to be used as the outer water holding bucket.
1 drill to cut the holes in the bucket.
1 hand saw to make the water press.
1 machete to cut up the large fire brick into smaller ones.
Old mail, newspapers, dead leaves, dead brush, tree clippings, paper towels and old paper rollers, paper plates, napkins, beer boxes /soda boxes, egg cartons, wood chips/saw dust, or any other bio mass that can be burned.
Two 2”x4” X 3′ long for drainage boards (if you are planning to reuse the water).
Put the sieve 5 gal. bucket inside the other normal 5 gal. bucket. Fill these buckets 3/4 full of water. Rip or break up all of the fire brick materials into small pieces. Throw them in the water bucket to soak for about a day or until the paper is mushy.
Pull the sieve bucket out of the water bucket. Put the two 2”x4”s over the water bucket and place the sieve bucket on top of the boards to drain (if you are planning to reuse some of the water). If not, stand up the sieve bucket and just let it drain out.
To remove more water and to compress the contents of the sieve bucket put the bucket press in the sieve and stand on top of it. When as much water as possible has been pressed out of the sieve bucket, it is time to remove the fire brick from the sieve bucket.
To remove the fire brick, turn the sieve bucket upside down and tap on the bottom. The fire brick will fall out.
Dry bricks the same way as paper logs. To speed up drying, cut the bricks into pizza wedge shapes with the machete.
How to Make a Small Fire Brick Using Bread or Pound Cake Pans
Poke holes in a pound cake pan to make a sieve (they cost $1.00 in Dollar Tree). Make sure you poke holes from the inside of the pan outward so that paper does not snag on the metal later on.
Tear paper into strips and let them soaks in a bucket of water for 2 – 3 days. Take paper strips out of the water and place them into the sieve pound cake pan.
Use a brick or some other heavy object to assist you when pushing downward to push out as much water as possible out of the sieve pan. You can also gain additional leverage by placing a second pound cake tin on top of the paper and pushing with the brick on that. Keep adding paper and pressing until the pan is full.
Turn the sieve pan upside down and tap on the bottom of the sieve pan to release the paper brick. Let small bricks dry in the same way as paper logs and larger bricks.
In the time after a major crisis, good safe burnable fire wood will be in short supply. Making your own fire logs and fire bricks from old paper products, dried leaves or other burnables will be a lifesaver.
Why freeze or starve to death when making fuel from paper can be achieved by even a beginner prepper?
Apparently, there are different kinds of molds out there that you can purchase that are specifically used for making fire bricks out of paper
“Sounds like we got our work cut out for us but that is a lot easier than trying to get a farmer to deliver some firewood. It would be a full-time job for somebody if we could keep them fed.” Slim said thinking he would rather be foraging than messing with a bunch of wet paper all day.
“I wonder what saltwater would do to that process?” He thought dreamily before Tina said she had enough conversation for the night and was going to retire for the night.
“Guys, I need to go to bed and get some sleep now. I was barely moving this morning and the last couple days of excitement have about wiped me out.” Tina said also noting Travis was looking like he was going to doze off any second.
“Yea, you all look like you need some shuteye. We setting off after breakfast? You know it’s all I can do to wait until morning to get my hands on some of that cereal you found!” Steve said licking his lips.
“We said we would all have a party and eat together!” Tina said laughing wanting to get into it herself but saving and rationing food for later had been their practice and in the excitement of yesterday everyone had forgone diving into the special meal that would start their day and road trip to the coast.
“But it’s talking to me... Hear it? Listen close. Snap, Crackle, Pop, I need lots of sugar on me!” Steve said laughing about the surprise delicacy that awaited him in the morning.
“Nabisco shredded wheat is on my agenda.” his wife Stacy responded, salivating.
“You all quit talking about that cereal or I won’t be able to sleep!” Travis whined and went off to bed with Tina.
8
Rum Runners And Relaxing
The next mornings’ picnic table was heaped with about a bazillion coffee cream substitutes and assorted boxes of cereal. They could each have two boxes of cereal if they wanted to but it came out of their share of the goods. They had scored about 36 breakfasts a piece now and that was an astounding fact indeed for them because that meal hadn’t been eaten by them in any kind of regularity for a long time. Usually lunch was the best they could do at best and that was it for a meal unless hunting and fishing proved somehow bountiful. Some days there was nothing at all to eat and the few days of panicky stretches of no game or fish left it with only wild weeds to be had for supper and those were getting few and far between near camp.
To say that everyone had their own food phobias going on by now was an understatement. Days of not eating at all, days of not eating any good tasting food, wild weeds are often sour and bitter, the diarrhea and stomach problems of getting used to such a hunter-gatherer diet etc., it all affected how they ate such as choosing to eat ravenously or meticulously or ‘I don’t care but I got to eat’ attitude. Tina and Travis ate a box of their favorite cereal each and put a box good dry eating cereal like fruit loops in the cargo pockets of their pants to munch for lunch later. Dry cereal was a snack to be cherished also in these hard times. Real coffee! Oodles of it and loads of sugar packets! Most everybody in camp normally drank theirs black but the need for calories and sugar made believers out of them of using some packets of honey they had also to enjoy their morning libation in this new tasty way.
“You should go to town more often!” Wilma said hugging Carl who had his own mug of coffee he was sipping at next to the campfire.
“We all get to go shopping today!” Tina responded, not in a big hurry to leave but looking forward to the scavenging trip happening soon.
“I want to go to the Marina first and ask Harvey and Billie Ray what the barter market is valued at for paper goods. I am guessing it is pretty much saturated but who knows, could be it always has value because it is always needed. Speaking of which, I got to thinking about our mail drop thing. Why don’t we just say that we will be back Thursd
ay and do they have any eggs they wish to trade? Maybe Carl can get lucky on the way back and get one here or there. If we get damn lucky, maybe we can even come up with some chickens, but I will be damned if I know what to feed them if we do.” Tina said laying out the days’ plan.
“It is ok by me. I was kind of thinking the same thing. I wonder if those two can come up with dinner for seven? If we luck out, maybe we can swap dinner for some paper goods; if not we got more materials left for the firewood project and lots of folks would probably want to trade for that convenient form of fuel come winter.” Travis said.
“I was thinking more on the lines of sharing some of the wealth over there at the marina and creating some neighborly good will. Maybe we should also get Sam and Joyce to speak to Webster for us also about offering him some toilet paper.” Tina said thinking barter was good but goodwill was hard to buy.
“Excellent idea but let’s first go see how the trade in those commodities is currently handled and valued first. Just because we got ourselves a ton of it don’t make it any less worthless or more valuable to those that are running out of that product. I can’t say that you will be making too many friends with that cheap kind of sand paper like commercial toilet paper but it beats using book pages for the job. That good kind of brand name soft toilet paper might could be traded at two for one maybe that is if you can find anyone willing to do it for their benefit in receiving more quantity of just paper. That is an odd commodity for us to consider valuing, it’s all around us, but then again it’s not, if you know what I mean. Going raiding just for toilet paper would be a fool’s game but I am guessing that there are a bunch of fools willing to do it. Convenience is what we are selling, useful resupply of toilet paper delivered to the marina, it doesn’t get any better than that! Concierge delivery service for the dock dwellers, bet they won’t be expecting that. Most likely that trailer, or one just like it, was used to service and restock the restaurants around here and most likely delivered products to that very marina every week. We are just sort of playing freight forwarder and warehouse rental with it and whatever price it is that we ask for toting it back over and offering to sell it is our profit. But I like Tina’s idea and we will give everyone a free sample; if they want any more of anything, then they will need to trade a little something for it.” Travis said summing up the envisioned deal, it was that or they would turn all those paper goods into firebricks later on and sell them to them at a higher price this winter when they were all trying to stay warm.
“I love it when a plan comes together!” Tina said with a smile that her original idea was going to work out so well.
“We are going to have to work quickly. The first passerby that sees us unloading that trailer is going to take an interest either while we are there or waiting on us to leave.” Slim said.
“We haven’t even checked on the goods at the beach house yet. I doubt anything has happened to them but you never know.” Travis declared.
“Let’s just take a few cases of what it is we already have here and do the Marina first, if there is demand we can unload it from the beach house and replenish the supply later maybe. It is only a small detour to check on the trailer on the way by and we can make our plans from there.” Tina offered as a solution.
“You’re looking kind of loaded for bear, aren’t you Steve?” Travis said.
“I thought you said open carry was ok?” Steve said now sporting a 50 round bandolier of 12 gauge, a big bowie knife, ammo pouches, .45 pistol etc. and a leopard spot camo vest.
“Well it is, but we ain’t just coming in from the brush or going to the frontlines. The bandolier is a bit much, if you need 50 rounds to survive the marina whatever it is that’s after you is probably going to get you first.” Travis said with a grin.
“Well, I uh, guess I see your point. I just wanted to have enough ammo. I will leave it in the car.” Steve said removing it.
“You got plenty in the gun and your pouch. This is a kind of laid back appearances meeting; you got a gun with you as a tool just like a fisherman has his fish rod. It’s there; its present and folks already know it’s loaded. That many rounds will just tend to make people nervous because they think of being shot up by someone carelessly or think you are a Rambo type. Watch the gamer kids or someone spooky toting a lot of ammo around in a trade area on their person. They haven’t learned yet that this isn't a game. This isn't live-action ‘Grand Theft Auto’ or ‘Zombie Hunt.’ You don't respawn after you're dead. Keeping folks with guns calm around you is a necessity and you need to be conscious of your actions when you are armed and a possible threat in others eyes also.
“Got you, makes sense. I hope we can get some crab or oysters in trade at that marina. For that I will pay cash gladly!” Steve said sort of reminding everyone that the group fund was largely comprised of his money because he was the only one that had about a grand in small bills when the poo hit the fan.
“That falls under the title of necessary community expenses!” his buddy Carl chimed in agreeing and beaming a smile only a starving man or a cartoon could pull off with a ravenous grin thinking about eating some shellfish.
“You all about ready to douse the fire and load up the vehicles and hit the highway?” Slim asked.
“Yea, let me throw a bucket of water on the fire and lock the door and we will get on our way. Grab what boxes you want from that front pile to bring with you and we will follow you. Be careful messing with the mailboxes while leaving messages, they might mistake you for the Charmin tissue man and want to squeeze you!” Steve said chuckling and they prepared to break camp.
Chapter
Twenty eight rolls of toilet paper shoved into rural mailboxes later, they quit playing the game of looking for likely places to leave their calling cards at. After the first 10 boxes or so, Slim started grumbling about “Damn, this better work!” he was beginning to feel pretty uneasy about all that ducking and dodging that he was doing while also trying to see what was going on at the silent and foreboding farmhouses from the street.
Tina reassured him that the risk and effort was definitely worth their time because if they got even one response to their advertisement it was worth it. A response next Thursday would mean eggs and that would mean chickens were present and that meant eventual more self-reliant subsistence for them all that is if a trade for live birds could be made someday. They heard dogs barking at one place, that they took as a good sign because evidently after all this time they were being fed by someone somehow.
They got down to the big bridge over the Back Bay heading for the beach and spied a very unusual boat sailing in the channel.
“What in the world is that?” Travis asked slowing and trying to get a look at it while driving.
“I don’t know, it’s an awfully pretty boat whatever it is.” Tina said eying the beautiful wooden sailing boat.
“That is what is called a Dhoni I think. It is the kind of fancy dive sail and tourist motor boat that you see in the Maldives islands and sometimes down in the Florida Keys. I wonder what it’s doing sailing back in the west bay here. I would have thought it would be down in Key West or anchored off the coast. That sure is a nice boat to have access to in the apocalypse though.” Slim said admiring it as they passed above it.
Travis drove down the highway and eyed the Pine Log State Forest Park sign as they passed by it.
“I wonder what goes on in there? You reckon anyone is using it as a bug out location maybe?” Travis asked.
“I would imagine it will have a few folks back in there camping. It is not worth us traipsing off in the woods hunting for gas, if that is what you are thinking.” Slim said guessing Travis might have wanted to go look in some motor sheds or lawn tractors for some.
“I have a brochure that I picked up down here that said Pine Log State Forest has three named streams (Pine Log Creek, Little Crooked Creek and Ditch Branch), as well as several small lakes and ponds and swamps. I am wondering how many RVs might be parked back in there. You wo
uld never even imagine what is in back of all this scrubby planted pine unless you knew the park stretched back 6,000 acres. It has plenty of fresh water and various game habitats; there might be a community living there but I ain’t going exploring. Remind me though, to ask about it at the Marina, maybe someone has heard something about it.” Travis said.
“You are like me, Travis, where did all the people go when the water got shut off? It’s downright spooky but its logical most of the tourists got out and tried for home. Still, I got to wonder about where all the fulltime beach residents went, that’s tens of thousands of people!” Slim said and then changed the subject so he wouldn’t start talking about how most of them were likely already dead.
“We haven’t been over to the West end of the beach yet. There used to be several bicycle rental shops over there. Do you reckon there is anything left in them transportation wise at all?” Slim asked.
“It’s doubtful that there is anything left to scavenge but we will give it a shot.” Travis said turning down the street where their honey hole of a trailer was parked at.
The semi-trailer was just as they had left it and Travis didn’t draw any further attention to it by stopping and kept on going towards the marina. They saw one other car on the road on the way there but it was travelling in the other lane and they just passed on by not acknowledging anyone. No one was looking for any trouble but in these days and times anything was possible and you had to remain constantly vigilant.
They drove slowly into their gravel beach house driveway, honked the horn a few times and waited for their friends to exit the Cadillac that had been following them. Travis pointed over to Wilson’s house and advised the cars’ occupants that they had not met him as of yet and keep a wary eye on the place.