The Ultimate Experiment - Handmade Brick Firing

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  • čas přidán 15. 11. 2020
  • The final step in our handmade, brick-making process.
    Brick Playlist • Bricks, Making, Firing...
    Visit Our Website! ➧ www.townsends.us/ ➧➧
    Help support the channel with Patreon ➧ / townsend ➧➧
    Facebook ➧ jas.townsend
    Instagram ➧ townsends_official

Komentáře • 1,3K

  • @1216marknig
    @1216marknig Před 3 lety +1420

    My family and I are transforming 1.25 acres into a homestead to sustain at least 4 people. Your channel inspiring and gives great instruction and ideas to really not need to buy a bunch of materials. Thank you so much for all of your content.

    • @townsends
      @townsends  Před 3 lety +256

      That is awesome! Keep us posted on how it goes.

    • @CuriousDiscourse
      @CuriousDiscourse Před 3 lety +88

      Only 1.25 acres for four people? I thought the standard was an acre a person. Unless of course, you are doing trading and such then that is different, but to "sustain" four people on that little land will require some incredibly dense methods. I wish you the best in this endeavor!

    • @erinsquire2749
      @erinsquire2749 Před 3 lety +3

      @@townsends what kind of a dog boy or girl

    • @martinpanev6651
      @martinpanev6651 Před 3 lety +22

      @@townsends Its funny because I am JUST fixing an attic and NOT *building* a homestead and these videos are still inspiring and is still great instruction for construction!

    • @rabidbadger3855
      @rabidbadger3855 Před 3 lety +26

      ​@@CuriousDiscourse 1.25 acres is a LOT of land in this day and age, and a lot can be produced on it. How do you know it isn't bordered by amazing wilderness that is literally crawling with deer, moose and other small game? Oh that's right, you don't know, so how about you can your snarky bs please.

  • @steamboatmodel
    @steamboatmodel Před 3 lety +498

    When I was a child back in the 1950s we lived near a working brickyard. I can still remember the siren they used to sound just before they started firing a load or bricks, all the women would rush out to remove any clothes from there Clothes lines as soon every thing out side would be covered in soot. The kilns were all coal fired and you could hear the roar of the fire from quite a ways away.

    • @Pieces_Of_Eight
      @Pieces_Of_Eight Před 3 lety +48

      That's incredible! Thank you for sharing that, and what wise ladies to bring everything inside before it snowed ash. :)

    • @steamboatmodel
      @steamboatmodel Před 3 lety +28

      @@Pieces_Of_Eight Some of it was black soot! not just white ash that came latter.

    • @Pieces_Of_Eight
      @Pieces_Of_Eight Před 3 lety +29

      @@steamboatmodel Yikes, I can't imagine trying to get that out of everything! Glad the factory used a siren to alert everyone in the area.

    • @steamboatmodel
      @steamboatmodel Před 3 lety +44

      @@Pieces_Of_Eight The Brick Yard used the Steam siren not to warn everybody, but to alert the workers to come fire the kilns. Most of the workers lived within five minutes walk of the site and some were only called to work firing the kiln, which if I remember was for four days straight.

    • @Pieces_Of_Eight
      @Pieces_Of_Eight Před 3 lety +20

      @@steamboatmodel Four days straight, remarkable! The heat must have really been something else. This amazing video (and your wonderful experience) have really shed new light on bricks for me, I shall never look at them the same way again, and am thankful for it.

  • @mrdanforth3744
    @mrdanforth3744 Před 3 lety +540

    Those bricks that are well fired are called face bricks, they were used on the outside of a wall or the face. The ones not so well fired are common bricks used inside the wall. The wall of a house would be a foot thick, thicker if it was more than one story. The blackened bricks were used to build chimneys fireplaces and ovens where the blackened part didn't show.
    You have to be careful not to mix up the face bricks and common bricks, because the common bricks will not stand up to weathering.

    • @PKMartin
      @PKMartin Před 3 lety +35

      My house is from about 1905 and it has this distinction visible: the front wall facing the road is made of "fair face" bricks, uniform red in colour, but the back and side walls are "common flettons", patchier in colour and more prone to spalling. A little like this www.thevictorianemporium.com/images/made/images/uploads/articles/Brick-Imperial-Victorian-Olde-Reclamation-Clamp-2_1000_883_80.jpg

    • @reekz1568
      @reekz1568 Před 3 lety +20

      This is accurate advice.

    • @user-gk8vb6dl9l
      @user-gk8vb6dl9l Před 3 lety +59

      I'm a Bricklayer with 18 years of experience and now you mention it I too have came across this but just hadn't processed it.
      Especially in Victorian buildings that I've worked on in the Anfield area of Liverpool , England.

    • @mrdanforth3744
      @mrdanforth3744 Před 3 lety +38

      @@user-gk8vb6dl9l You don't see it on modern bricks because they are processed differently and a much more uniform product. You see it in hand made bricks and bricks made before 1900. Not sure when the old brick making process went out but if I had to guess I would say by the 1920s. How does this fit in with your experience?

    • @user-gk8vb6dl9l
      @user-gk8vb6dl9l Před 3 lety +18

      Absolutely , also coincides with the advent of the tie-wires for cavity walls.

  • @Betterhose
    @Betterhose Před 3 lety +324

    The steel plant my grandpa was working at, once demolished one of their chimneys.
    He thought "they won't miss the rubble". So he took it home and removed the old mortar from the bricks with a hammer and built his house out of them.
    The house is still in a perfect shape today.
    Didn't make them himself, but that is as close as it gets...

    • @Betterhose
      @Betterhose Před 3 lety +32

      Surely makes you appreciate every individual brick.

    • @maxdecphoenix
      @maxdecphoenix Před 3 lety +33

      my neighbor did that with stone for his foundation. Said he got a couple loads of mortared stone rubble dumped at his property, and he and his wife spent their weekends chipping off the motar.

    • @Betterhose
      @Betterhose Před 3 lety +47

      @@maxdecphoenix
      Both stories are evidence, that a well made brick's live expectancy is longer than the building it is a part in.

    • @riograndedosulball248
      @riograndedosulball248 Před 3 lety +34

      The house my grandmother lives in was made in 1954 by a südbrasilien german, Albert Scherer, with foundations of stone that he himself carved out of a rock face in the property. He laid the bricks with nothing but clay between them, AND, 60 YEARS LATER, we were told by my stonemason uncle that the house is the strongest and most stable he's seen in 40 years of work. The old kitchen that grandpa made in late 80's with concrete and new bricks had to be torn apart in 2012 because it was falling apart already

    • @riograndedosulball248
      @riograndedosulball248 Před 3 lety +15

      Also, as of my bread oven, the bricks used on it are being used continuously in oven building for about a century now, since the times of my great grandmother, and i tell you, those broke two mallets when we were tearing the old oven apart to build the present obe

  • @thirzapeevey2395
    @thirzapeevey2395 Před 3 lety +145

    My great grandfather ran a brickyard during the Depression. When my great grandmother died in childbirth, and the baby died with her, she left him with six children to raise, ages 2 to 18, my grandmother being the oldest. He didn't have anyone to watch the two year old at the beginning, so he would take her to work with him. He would sit her next to the brick kiln where it was warm, and draw a circle in the dirt, and she had to stay inside that circle and play with her doll all day. They had mechanized means of cutting the bricks by then, but they still built a kiln and fired them like this, from what I understand.

    • @westonadams7135
      @westonadams7135 Před 10 měsíci +11

      Thank you for your story.. If I were to to have 6 children today, It would put me financially into that great depression... And for him to make it and for your family to survive and thrive today is amazing..

    • @thirzapeevey2395
      @thirzapeevey2395 Před 10 měsíci +8

      @@westonadams7135 It wasn't easy, and it often wasn't pretty. In the end, they pretty much raised themselves, the older kids raising the littles. You do what you have to do, because you have to do it.

  • @davidashmore3929
    @davidashmore3929 Před 3 lety +261

    Round of applause for Townsends and our brick maker ancestors.

    • @Derginator
      @Derginator Před 3 lety +3

      Round of applause for people that make bricks now

    • @roflstomps324
      @roflstomps324 Před 3 lety +3

      @Alina McPherson Hi. The third world exists. You're welcome.

    • @Derginator
      @Derginator Před 3 lety

      @Alina McPherson I doubt there isn’t at least 1 person working there

    • @TuckerSP2011
      @TuckerSP2011 Před 3 lety +5

      A very fascinating experiment that shows just how much hard work went into life in those days.

  • @jmupp2876
    @jmupp2876 Před 3 lety +217

    Watching them bake the bricks, bake the bread, cook the stew, it really makes you realize how much time was needed to just procure firewood in that period.

    • @TheRojo387
      @TheRojo387 Před rokem +2

      The stew is a bogracs gulyás!

    • @tomiyu2297
      @tomiyu2297 Před rokem +7

      It's kind of amazing how there really was a job for almost anything, and just how important each one really was!!

    • @dudeinoakland
      @dudeinoakland Před rokem +2

      You could make some good money as a lumberjack or a woodsman.

    • @Apost0345
      @Apost0345 Před rokem

      @Abe Adams late reply but hungarian

    • @opslocked8597
      @opslocked8597 Před rokem

      Definitely doing the same here and it helps us.

  • @machintelligence
    @machintelligence Před 3 lety +39

    In Sioux Falls SD the only houses which survived one of the major floods belonged to the owners of the brick factory. They filled the houses with bricks so that they wouldn't wash away.

  • @mustfaaboassd
    @mustfaaboassd Před 3 lety +613

    Just imagine what this man and his family can do with a good budget from a documentary channel
    Instead they are funding alien documentaries

    • @Raskolnikov70
      @Raskolnikov70 Před 3 lety +59

      Hey, "Secret German UFO Moon Bases of WWII" was pretty historical-ish.... kinda....

    • @MSP-km6li
      @MSP-km6li Před 3 lety +49

      I mean I wish that was true but history would make it dramatic to the point of making it unwatchable

    • @billmiller4972
      @billmiller4972 Před 3 lety +28

      Well, maybe with too much money at your hand you become lazy and overconfident. If you have to be careful you can't let anything go to waste. Thus you must make the best out of your means.

    • @asparrow5505
      @asparrow5505 Před 3 lety +26

      They're also controlling the narrative on there too

    • @jamessilberschlag1705
      @jamessilberschlag1705 Před 3 lety +24

      @@asparrow5505 It's all about the number of people watching, which controls the advertising dollars, which is where the salaries and profits come from. And, sadly, dumbing it down brings far more eyes...

  • @randolphchappel6098
    @randolphchappel6098 Před 3 lety +55

    A few days ago I watched a video on the TV channel “How It’s Made” on making ceramic tiles over in Spain. After their initial firing; there was this fellow with an accurate hearing ability that could tell if the tiles were properly fired and no cracks or flaws in them by tapping them with a small hammer. The ring tone would indicate any issues with individual tiles. If they passed the test; they were sent in to be glazed and fired again. The the ones that didn’t sound good were discarded. Cool eh?

    • @donmiller2908
      @donmiller2908 Před 2 lety +3

      I've heard of that before in the manufacturing of clay bricks. After the bricks were fired they were clapped together and the ringing tone would indicate which bricks were suitable. I was shaking my head at this video as I watched these guys tapping on the bricks with their knuckles which accomplished absolutely nothing.

  • @pjstatenisland1575
    @pjstatenisland1575 Před 3 lety +149

    My grandfather was a brick layer, but even he did not have to make his own bricks! Huzzah to John & friends!!!

  • @sadie21962
    @sadie21962 Před 3 lety +109

    It is great to see the young children running around and families eating together. This is truly a family event.

  • @BrotherMikeCritic
    @BrotherMikeCritic Před 3 lety +130

    Brick by brick, it’s all coming together

  • @LeeCausseaux
    @LeeCausseaux Před 3 lety +376

    All of Townsend's videos are excellent and I have enjoyed them for years.
    This one surpasses all others because of the display of family and friends.
    That, above all other aspects, brings history to life.
    Seeing Ryan pick up his child with such love and enthusiasm is beyond what a normal history channel can give us.

    • @forGodandCountry7
      @forGodandCountry7 Před 3 lety +14

      That moment and the reason we're exactly what made me love this video. The community here filled with history and how-to just made me smile. Need more moments like this between family and neighbors.

    • @michealbreathnach2928
      @michealbreathnach2928 Před 2 lety +9

      I agree. Old school Americans were tough, smart, religious decent people and many of those type of people still live in rural America today, despite media portrayals to the contrary.

    • @averykempf9164
      @averykempf9164 Před 2 lety +1

      I loved the moment when he scooped that child up, too. Very nice cinematography and editing!

    • @samsunguser3148
      @samsunguser3148 Před rokem

      @@MrBooblo086 halo effect (not the game)

  • @EditingComby
    @EditingComby Před 3 lety +338

    Is this just a really long-form tutorial on how to build a period-accurate colonial house?

    • @jameskerlin6081
      @jameskerlin6081 Před 3 lety +24

      I hope so.

    • @krockpotbroccoli65
      @krockpotbroccoli65 Před 3 lety +37

      We can hope. The original settlers built homesteads like this only as stopgap housing while materials are procured and construction is completed on the real house. You build your primitive encampment in the spring and summer, cut your frame timber trees in the fall and by spring you can start hewing timbers and making bricks. By the following spring, assuming you've hewed and set to season all necessary timbers and made yourself enough bricks, construction of the permanent house can commence.

    • @bobcostas6272
      @bobcostas6272 Před 3 lety +2

      99th like btw

    • @pointblank2890
      @pointblank2890 Před 3 lety +4

      God, yes, please. I'd love that.

    • @ramsessevenone416
      @ramsessevenone416 Před 3 lety +9

      Final product in 2030: Independence Hall replica

  • @SkywalkerAni
    @SkywalkerAni Před 3 lety +68

    Can I just say that I love how great your content is? In a world filled with stress and strangeness, it's refreshing to have a channel like yours.

  • @Angloman2000
    @Angloman2000 Před 3 lety +131

    I’ll be 20 tomorrow, and going hunting with a flintlock this weekend, and a Townsends video today?! It’s gonna be a good week!

  • @fireisfire95
    @fireisfire95 Před 3 lety +29

    This channel is like a fine wine. It keeps getting better with time.

  • @askhowiknow5527
    @askhowiknow5527 Před 3 lety +67

    How to make a brick-firing kiln:
    Step 1: Make a kiln out of bricks

  • @kevinb4079
    @kevinb4079 Před 3 lety +49

    Can't believe I'm just coming across this brick making series now. My ggg-grandfather was working as a brickmaker in the mid 19th century. He eventually worked in one of the limestone quarry/cement mills until his death in the early 20th century. There are a few homes in the area that date back to early 18th and 19th century that are made of clay bricks. There are many more buildings in town that date back to the early 20th century that are made of concrete blocks. I've often wanted to learn more about this brick making history of our area but I just can't can't find much about it. Watching this video I can see why clay bricks fell out of favor for what has to be cheaper and faster to produce concrete block. Which could also explain why he went from being a brickmaker to a foreman in a cement mill.

  • @Warhammered
    @Warhammered Před 3 lety +38

    The new 18th century inspired cook and work book: Field of bricks. "If you bake it, they will come."

  • @vegabaker
    @vegabaker Před 3 lety +144

    Such a great video! - I’ve been a kiln fireman in the brick industry for over 30 years now so you can imagine how happy I was to see this series. So glad you were willing to put all that effort into the project so I could better understand where my vocation began in our early years. Thank you so much!
    - as an aside, I just finished firing sixty thousand in the last eight hours but your run was the more gratifying accomplishment by far!

    • @ethanhawksley9097
      @ethanhawksley9097 Před 2 lety +2

      Hello, I'm working on a project for school. Are these bricks really as sturdy as the ones you can buy from the hardware store these days? Thank you very much.

    • @vegabaker
      @vegabaker Před 2 lety +9

      @@ethanhawksley9097 absolutely! Same process and materials. They would have to be graded more closely but the real innovation in brick making over the last three hundred years has been speed of manufacturing and consistency of product.

    • @ethanhawksley9097
      @ethanhawksley9097 Před 2 lety +5

      @@vegabaker this is very very good news. Thank you very much! Do you mind if I include your statements in our project?

    • @vegabaker
      @vegabaker Před 2 lety +4

      @@ethanhawksley9097 feel free and good luck!

    • @Alvgaar
      @Alvgaar Před rokem

      @@vegabaker thinking of making a brick garage. Mainly to save money. Scavenge the local area of clay, silt it, decant it, shape into mould, sundry then fire them. A few thousand should do. Do you think it's doable?

  • @sweepingtime
    @sweepingtime Před 3 lety +29

    I expected a video explaining how they fired bricks back during the old days, but I thought the scene of friends and family having a meal while working the fire was truly wonderful. It wasn't just about the engineering, but the social aspect too.

  • @onebackzach
    @onebackzach Před 3 lety +22

    It's amazing how much appreciation you can gain for everyday objects by studying how they were made historically. It's hard to believe that there would have been someone who had dedicated their life to learning how to make some mundane item we take for granted. I consider myself to be a competent hand tool woodworker, but my skills would pall in comparison to craftsmen in the 18th century, and furthermore, almost everyone would have been skilled at something.

    • @vektor_z7208
      @vektor_z7208 Před 3 lety +3

      I feel the same, I love to build and repairs things but watching this in some way it makes me feel small.

    • @faroukabad
      @faroukabad Před 3 lety +1

      so different from these days where the parents work outside the home and don't always get enough time to be with the kids.

    • @quirty864
      @quirty864 Před 3 lety +2

      In my area, the frontier, everybody had to have many skills to survive. Still do, just not as many. Specialization is a new thing and it might be what destroys us.

  • @tricityladytn
    @tricityladytn Před 3 lety +41

    Aw, man. Right there at the end, I thought he was going to say, "I'll never take another brick for granite!" Perfect dad joke missed opportunity!

  • @andyleighton6969
    @andyleighton6969 Před 3 lety +22

    It's the way every job in the pre industrial age was contingent on half a dozen others.
    ME: I want to build a fire pit.
    I will need a pallet of bricks, a bag of ready mix mortar and a spare weekend.
    JOHN: I want to build a fireplace.
    I will need half a ton of river clay, a couple of hundredweight of horsehair and chopped straw, a ton of firewood and several weeks.
    Then for the lime putty mortar.....

    • @slome815
      @slome815 Před 3 lety +2

      Lime putty? pfff, A real man would burn shells or limestone and slake his lime just before using it.

  • @eldorados_lost_searcher
    @eldorados_lost_searcher Před 3 lety +16

    My mom's family used to own a brick factory, and this series gives me a new appreciation for everything that was involved in the process. Thank you!

  • @audiotechlabs4650
    @audiotechlabs4650 Před 3 lety +9

    For those who did not know, me included, now we know why bricks are red! The components in the clay were fused together by the high temperature. Fantastic! I could have watched any number of CZcams videos on brick making, but this and the video making the bricks explains the process clearly and uncomplicated. I feel like this is becoming more of a real time documentary on how our country was built and all that it took for the build! I hope you can continue with the process of building a settlement! Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz

  • @andrelo1911
    @andrelo1911 Před 3 lety +51

    Amazing. Here in Argentina, near my home town, one can see how the bricks are made in a similar -but not identical- way. I can even taste the smell of the smoke! I loved the video. Thanks a lot!

    • @tipitossj
      @tipitossj Před 3 lety

      hey hola de que provincia sos? yo vivo en buenos aires, nunca vi como se hacen los ladrillos

    • @andrelo1911
      @andrelo1911 Před 3 lety +2

      @@tipitossj Entre San Nicolás y Rosario aún quedan ladrilleros "tradicionales" que queman como en el vídeo. A otra escala, claro. En la A9 existieron accidentes por el humo de los ladrilleros

    • @canaldofred2366
      @canaldofred2366 Před 3 lety

      Argentina? Inflation goes brrrrrrr

  • @ladyofthemasque
    @ladyofthemasque Před 3 lety +7

    Thank you, everyone, for doing all these experimental archaeology style projects, recording everything, and sharing it with the rest of us!

  • @kungfuchimp5788
    @kungfuchimp5788 Před 3 lety +19

    Love all the different episodes, but the construction episodes are my favorite. Keep on keepin' on.

  • @amey_pathak
    @amey_pathak Před 3 lety +19

    Being an architecture student, this was a really interesting series to watch

  • @rabidbadger3855
    @rabidbadger3855 Před 3 lety +60

    When your neighbor's kid accidentally kicks a rubber ball onto your property, does it pass through the time/ space continuum and magically change into a ball of twine when it hits the ground of your property? Somehow, that doesn't seem like an unlikely scenario when I watch these excellent, olde tyme DIY videos.

    • @Vikingwerk
      @Vikingwerk Před 3 lety +11

      No, it turns into an inflated pigs bladder. Twine was to valuable to play with back then! I remember distinctly in the Laura Ingles Wilder book "Little house in the big woods" during butchering, the father inflated the pigs bladder to make a ball for the kids to play with.

    • @fizban7
      @fizban7 Před 3 lety +1

      @@Vikingwerk Lol. I would love to see what a period ball would look like, or how it was made.

    • @mrdanforth3744
      @mrdanforth3744 Před 3 lety +9

      @@fizban7 They made golf balls by first sewing a leather cover then stuffing it with feathers. If you wet chicken feathers you can stuff a hat full into a golf ball, and when they dry out they expand and make a hard ball.
      They made wooden balls by turning them in a pole lathe, as demonstrated in a previous video.
      Here is the best trick of all, how to make round marbles out of stone. First you have to drill a hole in a big rock. Then set the rock under running water, dam up a creek if you have to so water pours into the hole. Now pick out the roundest stone you can find, or chip one out, and drop it in the hole. The running water will swirl it around and around, and after a few weeks it will wear down to a perfectly round marble.

    • @levity90
      @levity90 Před 3 lety

      @@Vikingwerk that's so gross. Yet so interesting. They really didn't allow anything to go to waste back then.

  • @caregivingwithlove3405
    @caregivingwithlove3405 Před 2 lety +8

    Oh.my.goodness. How I love love love that so many people came together in period costumes to take us back in time....this is my favorite video yet! The little break where the women are chatting and the children are playing....having meals prepared for the working men....this video is EVERYTHING!!!!

    • @chuckbailey6835
      @chuckbailey6835 Před rokem +1

      Those aren't costumes there period correct clothing. He has videos on the clothing there very interesting and informative as are all the videos on this channel

  • @csonkaperdido
    @csonkaperdido Před 3 lety +1

    These kids are gonna grow up and be the neighbors who bring you food and cookies for your birthday, every single holiday, and even just randomly because they are just good, friendly people.
    The real life version of minecraft.
    Well done to each mom and dad who take part in these videos, and extra good job for bringing the kiddos along.

  • @HLBear
    @HLBear Před 3 lety +4

    One branch of my ancestors came to what is now Albany, NY as Palatine refugee in the early 1700s. I know they cleared the roads out to their land grant, cleared the land, and built their homes from what was on hand. This gives me a small taste what it was like in that wilderness. Thank you so much!

  • @olyvoyl9382
    @olyvoyl9382 Před 3 lety +14

    Your videos are so homey.i love seeing the bread baking and kids playing while the kiln bakes the bricks.

  • @octavianm3166
    @octavianm3166 Před 3 lety +15

    The cabin series is just so incredible to watch! It is the ultimate display of living history and I can't get enough of this!

  • @MorgansRaiders23
    @MorgansRaiders23 Před 3 lety +8

    It certainly gives you a greater appreciation for the hard work our ancestors went through just to survive on a daily basis.

  • @Ironclad17
    @Ironclad17 Před 3 lety +5

    It's really humbling to see the care and effort it took to make something as quaint as fire brick.

  • @lindsayalisonstevens3592
    @lindsayalisonstevens3592 Před 2 lety +3

    Jon smiling at the massive brick kiln flames at the end is just plain adorable 😂 I love this channel - I’m learning so much ❤️

  • @ProSimex84
    @ProSimex84 Před 3 lety +38

    Townsends -we dont know if this will work
    Primitive technology-hold my stick

    • @skeetsmcgrew3282
      @skeetsmcgrew3282 Před 3 lety +2

      I was thinking the same thing. To be fair it took him WEEKS to fire all his bricks, he did them like 50 at a time. He also made charcoal which burns much hotter and takes less work during the firing process

    • @ProSimex84
      @ProSimex84 Před 3 lety +1

      @@skeetsmcgrew3282 indeed,much different process, he made draft furnaces and burned charcoal, so a way faster, more consistent result.

    • @joshschneider9766
      @joshschneider9766 Před 3 lety

      Not to mention way more accurate historically. This is not at all the way tilers and brick makers made kilns.

    • @joshschneider9766
      @joshschneider9766 Před 3 lety

      Up draft dome kilns were the norm for tiles for centuries and that was the same for bricks

    • @alfredoprime5495
      @alfredoprime5495 Před 3 lety

      Who are you guys talking about? I'm pretty sure Primitive Technology never used charcoal to fire his bricks

  • @Incubansoul
    @Incubansoul Před 2 lety +2

    And now I finally know why bricks vary in color from orange to near-black. Nice!

  • @anti-popfpv4638
    @anti-popfpv4638 Před 2 lety +1

    You are probably the sexiest fellow in 1800's research. I'm obsessed with your projects. I get sick when I think of all the knowledge technology has cost us.

  • @remp5529
    @remp5529 Před 3 lety +5

    Hello Townsends. I wanted to let you know how much I really appreciate these videos. I am currently a History Major with teaching certification and I can't tell you how much these videos help me relate to the lives of people in my lessons over the 18th century.

  • @l.m.2404
    @l.m.2404 Před 3 lety +16

    In England, brick makers are the one common occupation that never had a proper name like cooper or smith. It was a common skill that everyone needed to know from prehistoric times forward until the first Industrial Age. Enjoyed the video. * thumbs up *

    • @nunyabiznes33
      @nunyabiznes33 Před 3 lety +1

      Are there last names like Mudd or Clay or something?

    • @scottgoodman8993
      @scottgoodman8993 Před 3 lety

      @@nunyabiznes33 My thought exactly. The Mudds and Clays I can think of are large, tall people with big hands.

    • @robcampbell3235
      @robcampbell3235 Před 3 lety +2

      Tyler (english) Ziegler ( german) if i recall correctly.

    • @l.m.2404
      @l.m.2404 Před 3 lety +2

      @@robcampbell3235 those are true trades but neither is a brick maker.

    • @wes326
      @wes326 Před 3 lety

      I love occupational last names. Mine is Smith. What's yours?

  • @danielbowers4008
    @danielbowers4008 Před 10 měsíci

    This gentleman's enthusiasm for BRICKS,BRICKS,BRICKS is infectious!! I love it!!! Does this mean I'm getting old?🤔

  • @chrisowens4550
    @chrisowens4550 Před 3 lety +14

    I remember seeing stacked bricks for firing like this when I was in Zimbabwe in the early 1990s.

    • @winghun
      @winghun Před 3 lety

      Such a great country Zim was

  • @Pieces_Of_Eight
    @Pieces_Of_Eight Před 3 lety +4

    An extraordinary and triumphant journey! Warmest congratulations to all for your remarkable accomplishment. Thank you for allowing us to tag along with the inspiring Townsend crew, and may you take a well-deserved break following that endeavor. Cheers!

  • @americanmath
    @americanmath Před rokem +3

    Fun Fact: Most bricks used to build early America were 2 by 4 by 8 inches.

  • @Sam-ct5qz
    @Sam-ct5qz Před 3 lety +2

    5:53 I bought my very own Townsend Blowtube year before last and can vouch, its the nutmeg of fires, always makes em better!

  • @PonderingDolphin
    @PonderingDolphin Před 3 lety +1

    It warms my heart seeing everyone together and enjoying themselves

  • @SapphireCrook
    @SapphireCrook Před 3 lety +19

    There's something ominous yet beautiful about a stack of bricks that glow on the inside like that.

    • @fortusvictus8297
      @fortusvictus8297 Před 3 lety +6

      This is one of those things that CAN be deceptively dangerous...anyone who has experienced a campfire stone explode could attest to that.

  • @cheryllamb8831
    @cheryllamb8831 Před 3 lety +3

    This is amazing. I also enjoyed watching your "small colony" working, eating & conversing together!

  • @mark-wright
    @mark-wright Před 3 lety +1

    I love this. My great-great grandfather (H. H. Wright) was a brick maker in northwest Missouri in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Fascinating to see how it was done.

  • @ThisGuyAd.
    @ThisGuyAd. Před 2 lety

    I love this because historically it was super significant. Bricks enabled people to build propper chimneys for the first time. It was game changing as it meant homes were suddenly alot safer, if not less smokey places to inhabit. Great video 👏

  • @Tippswimmer12
    @Tippswimmer12 Před 3 lety +7

    Really thankful to you & the entire crew for this channel! It reignited a spark for my love of "Colonial" era history that I had when I was younger, as well as just providing a fantastic haven of such positive vibes! Need to plan a road-trip to the store when Covid eases off!

  • @emeliea9504
    @emeliea9504 Před 3 lety +4

    I love these videos so much, it's so interesting to learn about all of these old techniques. Only one thing though - Get poor Ryan a higher work surface for cooking, I experienced back pain from just watching him cut carrots like that 😳

  • @dethkruzer
    @dethkruzer Před 3 lety +2

    There's something extremely wholesome about the way you show your friends and family all participating in the process.

  • @tamaraatum4202
    @tamaraatum4202 Před 3 lety +1

    I love it when your dog casually shows up in you videos 🥰

  • @TheFobbo
    @TheFobbo Před 3 lety +3

    Hey there John. I watch your videos for quite some time and I just have to make you a big compliment. I am a professional archaeologist myself and seeing how you transformed your work from a humble start with mostly cooking videos (which are great by themselfs) to experimenting about boats, houses, building materials and so on is great. I remember experiments about casting bronce or making iron from my student-time and I you really get another feeling for the value of things, if you see all the work, which went into it. So keep on the great work!

  • @WizardOfAtlantis
    @WizardOfAtlantis Před 3 lety +5

    I am so glad your channel is still going, you're still going, and your subscriber numbers are still rising. Thanks for everything, you deserve all the good that comes to you!

  • @jeffczochara142
    @jeffczochara142 Před 3 lety +2

    I love seeing the women and children having fun contributing their part! Everyone is laughing and having a great time getting very important work done! I so wish life was the same today. Family really did matter...

  • @mattski1979
    @mattski1979 Před 6 měsíci +1

    Brick buidlings were cool when I was little and didn't know they were just a facade. Clapboard's cooler. So are shingles. Piers are pretty neat and necessary. Those are made out of bricks. Great video. I love your stuff.

  • @timkibben8004
    @timkibben8004 Před 3 lety +3

    This was awesome!! An enormous effort you guys! It's so cool to watch something that I love so much, and receive an excellent education at the same time. I also like that you all stayed in period context even when you had dinner! Thanks for another great video!
    P.S. With the forged spoon you just sent me, I've also completed my hearth set from your catalog and enjoy cooking over my outside hearth!

  • @OptimusWombat
    @OptimusWombat Před 3 lety +6

    I've really been looking forward to this video.

  • @jayg0351
    @jayg0351 Před 3 lety +1

    Great video, just finnished a trip from Charleston, SC and Wanynesboro, NC. We visited the Boone Hall plantation we learned of the brick making process they did there. I also just finished the book Thye Longhunter, this book was about Longhuntes who started as waggoneers in Charleston hauling supplies for the British Army. They then became hunters, map makers and explored the areas of North and South Carolina and Virginia. I am going to have to rewatch the video of yours about the Longhunter.

  • @ErikMoad
    @ErikMoad Před 3 lety

    I am thankful for you all. In these crazy times it's nice to just sit and watch you all do these projects, and especially those moments where you're sitting around as a community, eating, chatting, being together. Thank you.

  • @1incutheta
    @1incutheta Před 3 lety +4

    Wonderful! The BBC farm series from some years ago had a really great example of brick firing too. Worth checking out if you want even more brick content. I recommend the BBC farm series for any fellow homesteader or historical geek.

  • @Wolfboy_109
    @Wolfboy_109 Před 3 lety +194

    This is wrong, u need to put nutmeg in there to complete the recipe of making brick!

  • @Wakeupandsniffthecoffee

    Living in Virginia and having gone to Williamsburg and watched them do this with bricks, makes me want to do some.
    I have a small backhoe and dug out a duck pond, so I have a whole lot of nice clay. My granddaughter did make one sundried brick from just clay.
    It really is a job for a village. Without any help, just doing a few to pave the outside of the duck pond would be a lot of work.
    Glad I watched your videos, especially the firings. I now know I wouldn't attempt it unless I could recruit a bunch of helpers.

  • @aragorn0988
    @aragorn0988 Před 3 lety

    I can't even imagine how satisfying it must be to see your homestead growing and expending, and I really can't wait to see what's coming next!! This is a really good job, and I really thank you for sharing this on the Internet with us!! Congratulations, and thank you!! Bests from France!

  • @FingeringThings
    @FingeringThings Před 3 lety +27

    Father history is back

  • @thejollyskunk
    @thejollyskunk Před 3 lety +7

    What an amazing channel,

    • @rosemcguinn5301
      @rosemcguinn5301 Před 3 lety +2

      My favorite go-to Happy Place online!

    • @dwaynewladyka577
      @dwaynewladyka577 Před 3 lety +1

      @@rosemcguinn5301 Agreed! Cheers, Rose!

    • @rosemcguinn5301
      @rosemcguinn5301 Před 3 lety +1

      @@dwaynewladyka577 Hope it's been a good week for you so far, Dwayne :) Nice to see you here!

  • @AltimaNEO
    @AltimaNEO Před 3 lety +2

    My moms family were farmers by trade, but also made bricks during the off seasons. My mom would tell me of the huge stacks of bricks theyd make at a creek near the farmhouse. Theyd use the clay and water from the creek to make the bricks.

  • @jenkins3140
    @jenkins3140 Před 3 lety +2

    Congratulations, Gents. I have been following this project as well as the rest of your projects. I can not imagine how ecstatic you fellows were to find those nice brick in the center of your stack after all the time and energy you have exerted. Quite the accomplishment in our modern times. You guys take historical documentation and execute it accurately on a higher level. Keep up the great work.

  • @FairFrozen55
    @FairFrozen55 Před 3 lety +9

    Will you make more bricks in the future? You should consider making a permanent kiln first if so.

  • @MylesStandish-oh6bq
    @MylesStandish-oh6bq Před 3 lety +7

    Great info on bricks and love the cabin but when is it getting a new roof? No seriously though im building a log cabin and this channel inspirid me to do it. Ive always wanted to and after following jon and the guys in their build i had to. They made some great videos. All around great channel. Great job!

    • @mrdanforth3744
      @mrdanforth3744 Před 3 lety

      That will be the shingle making episode, coming soon.

  • @llkjjjss
    @llkjjjss Před 3 lety

    I've been a fan of the channel for a few years now and I absolutely love all the new people that I keep seeing! Keep growing my dude!

  • @DreamRaccoon
    @DreamRaccoon Před 3 lety +2

    I can't wait to watch this! I introduced my husband to your channel last night and he loved it! He was especially enthralled with the building of the brand new clay oven. Looking forward to watching this one together tonight!

  • @witchyvicar
    @witchyvicar Před 3 lety +16

    Why not cover the outside bricks with dirt from the beginning? You might have gotten a better yeild that way. (I used to do pottery.)

    • @nolansykinsley3734
      @nolansykinsley3734 Před 3 lety +14

      I was thinking that myself, but then I realized they need the airflow through the bricks to get the heat to spread, piling dirt up on the outside would prevent the air circulating the heat.

    • @fortusvictus8297
      @fortusvictus8297 Před 3 lety

      I was thinking the same thing...this process seems to be very similar to the idea of making a charcoal kiln.

    • @SilvaDreams
      @SilvaDreams Před 3 lety +1

      @@nolansykinsley3734 Not really, you just don't block the air holes

    • @witchyvicar
      @witchyvicar Před 3 lety +3

      @@nolansykinsley3734 Hmmm....they had the trenches, though, and that would have worked enough, really. I've done a few pit firings, and that's more or less how we did it. *shrug* Although, Considering that they had bricks to re-fire, I suppose it's not too bad...

    • @dv7533
      @dv7533 Před 3 lety +1

      it's probably more to let the hot air and flames spread better between the bricks, I don't know how the heat flow would be if you blocked out the outside too early in the burn. Feeding the fire with oxygen could probably be done with the big openings alone, but the heat might not spread enough.

  • @reeni4prez701
    @reeni4prez701 Před 3 lety +20

    this is so inspiring and wholesome can i like 10 times

    • @gman323232
      @gman323232 Před 3 lety +2

      not unless your a democrat and fake voting. one one like please.

    • @juancabrera-ru9jx
      @juancabrera-ru9jx Před 3 lety

      @@gman323232 that was unexpected but good

    • @spiritmatter1553
      @spiritmatter1553 Před 3 lety

      @@gman323232 Good one!

    • @spiritmatter1553
      @spiritmatter1553 Před 3 lety

      Yeah really I keep hitting the 👍🏼 button over and over but the extra likes don’t add up.

  • @yossepy
    @yossepy Před 3 lety

    I love watching this channel so much, and I'm very grateful for all the things that I have learned from everyone at Townsends.

  • @rickballard1627
    @rickballard1627 Před 3 lety

    Y'all gots to have a lot of smiles after all the work and time it has taken to try this. Been fun watching the process used. Thanks for sharing the old ways. Blessings

  • @paveloleynikov4715
    @paveloleynikov4715 Před 3 lety +14

    And how that primitive technologies tv series is going forward... I just had urge to rewatch his older videos

  • @lynnie57
    @lynnie57 Před 3 lety +42

    I should be grading papers right now...

    • @ethancardenas
      @ethancardenas Před 3 lety +5

      just give em As and be done with it!

    • @GerackSerack
      @GerackSerack Před 3 lety +4

      I should be writing a paper right now...

    • @nessamillikan6247
      @nessamillikan6247 Před 3 lety +2

      @@ethancardenas I was thinking Bs, especially for all of the kids named Rick.

    • @ek-nz
      @ek-nz Před 3 lety +1

      Me too...

  • @Pork-and-Beans
    @Pork-and-Beans Před 3 lety +1

    CONGRATS!!!! You did it, guys! What an amazing experiment. It’s been really fascinating to watch the process from start to finish...I was recently admiring the brick structures in Old Salem, NC and this really gives me so much more appreciation for the labour that went into them.

  • @davidolynyk7175
    @davidolynyk7175 Před 3 lety

    I've greatly enjoyed watching this project play out from start to finish. Thank you

  • @samuelclaessens7699
    @samuelclaessens7699 Před 3 lety +4

    I hope one day you can make a permant house with maybe even two floors!!!!🤩🤩🤩🤩😍

  • @jansenart0
    @jansenart0 Před 3 lety +8

    "We have to make them so hot, they glow"

  • @tinyspyder
    @tinyspyder Před 3 lety

    This is a wonderfully made video. In 13 minutes I feel like I spent the whole day with you. A relaxed, unhurried day of family, fun, and education. It doesn't get better than this. The glowing tower of bricks in the dark was epic as promosed. Thank you!

  • @yulebones
    @yulebones Před 3 lety

    Your delight in working on these projects is such a balm.

  • @pinterappl3491
    @pinterappl3491 Před 3 lety +4

    the brick master makes more brick!

  • @thejasonbourne
    @thejasonbourne Před 3 lety +3

    Well, this Townsends guy is a few bricks shy of a load. 😉 😂 #justkidding

  • @alanhelton
    @alanhelton Před 3 lety +1

    I can only say thank you John and the rest of the Townsend crew. This was a wonderful journey to behold.

  • @danmac1871
    @danmac1871 Před rokem

    I personally use a big barrel, but I like this.
    I really enjoyed the love displayed between all the living history actors. I truly miss this since the pandemic.
    Lotsa work. Crazy. But: these building last for centuries. So obviously, it’s worth it.
    Truly appreciate all your work, research and blogs/blogs.
    I know you love it, but we also appreciate it.

  • @LisaMarli
    @LisaMarli Před 3 lety +4

    And this is also why, some bricks are terrible. Quality control was not good. The result, brick buildings crumbling before their time. Some of the bricks in our 1920s chimney have needed replacement. The original bricks apparently had problems.
    At least you can make sure the quality is good.

    • @HLBear
      @HLBear Před 3 lety

      Where I live, there are houses from the mid-1700s (Jon's favorite era) made from bricks that are still solid. They need upkeep and proper pointing, but a good brick can really last.

    • @jamessilberschlag1705
      @jamessilberschlag1705 Před 3 lety

      Our mid-1960's chimney is starting to crumble. Terrible bricks.

  • @headlesshorseman900
    @headlesshorseman900 Před 3 lety +17

    CZcams: "Hey, you want to watch a man make bricks in the woods?"

    • @MonkBitz
      @MonkBitz Před 3 lety +1

      To which the answer is YES!

  • @m.r.furianii3920
    @m.r.furianii3920 Před 3 lety +1

    My friend, it is heartwarming to accompany your work retaining and restoring this country's great history. "You are cool!", says the wide-eyed boy in me. You help us hold on to reality amidst the craziness gripping our country today. Thank you! God continue to bless you and your family.

  • @chadwickpainter8212
    @chadwickpainter8212 Před 2 lety

    This is why I love this channel. What an awesome project! Brick making is one of the oldest trades on earth and it is so cool how you folks went back in time to show how it was done in past times. Well done!