Newspaper Logs (Wood Burners)

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Jay referred to an article in a previous Countryside about newspaper logs. Since part of that article was an item I sent in, I'll repeat it to put it on the forum as a reference.

My neighbor used to have a wood burning heat stove before he converted to natural gas. At that time the local recycling center wouldn't accept newspapers since the per ton price was too low.

I would accumulate several weeks worth of newspapers and then make them into logs. On the picnic table I would lay out a section and wet it slightly - just enough to where it was moist, but not wet. Then it was rolled up section after section until I had a log 4" - 6" thick. These were then put in the garage on end to let them dry. I just rolled the first couple of sections a bit loose, but they could have also been rolled around something like a broom handle to allow air passage through the middle.

Once completely dry, he would add them on top of his fire when he added several logs at once. They would burn much like a regular log.

I wouldn't worry about ink in the ashes since most newsprint today is soy-based.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 19, 2001

Answers

For smaller "logs" I roll the paper up and slip into the empty tubes from toilet paper rolls.

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), January 19, 2001.

Can these newpaper logs be used in a certifed woodstove? How cleanly do you think think they burn?

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), January 19, 2001.

Newsprint takes a lot more air to burn than wood, produces less heat ; and usually generates a lot of excessive ash to deal with. It is burnable, but not near as reliable and efficient as good hardwood.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), January 19, 2001.

Ed, that has been our experience, too. If it is an emergency, it is nice to know we can burn 'em; but wood is MUCH better.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), January 19, 2001.

While they may not burn as well as wood logs, at the time it kept the newspapers out of the landfill. They are now recycled.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 20, 2001.


I agree that only in a pinch would newspaper logs be good to use as they make quite a bit of ash, but how about just rolling the newspapers up, with or without dampening them, to use as firestarters? I've done this, and it looks much nices sitting by our woodstove in a basket ready to be used, instead of rolling or wadding up newspaper everytime I need to start a fire. Sometimes I don't need to use as much kindling either. But if you want to make a nice gift, roll up some kindling and pinecones with it, tie it with some string, or even wrap some grape vine around it (when they're green), add some matches or matchsticks and you've got a nice gift!

-- Cheri Jacobson (jakeco@mhtc.net), January 21, 2001.

Hey, I've done many hours of research looking for instructions for making newspaperlogs. The result is a great reference book that has complete "how-to instructions" to make 15 different paperlogs, fire starters, paperbricks, and where to purchase paperlog rollers. You can find it featured on my web site at: http://www.geocities.com/paperlogs/.

Hope You All Visit! Diane

...

-- Diane Carleson-Starr (paperlogs@yahoo.com), January 06, 2002.


Saw some gadget in a catalogue that looked like an ammo box with a lever to squish wadded newspaper down into a brick (it was expensive, too). You probably could do the same thing by you or your kids stepping into paper wadded up into a cinderblock space, or making a rectangle of brick/cinderblock to form the shape.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 07, 2002.

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