tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66032806092470608922024-03-13T23:08:05.209-07:00The Brick Directory BlogThe Brick Directory Blog. Articles mentioning 'bricks' - <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk/">brick making</a>, Articles and Words taken from news agencies and newspapers, magazines and books about brick and other building materials including reference ('how to') and sometimes amusing 'brick related' stories. The blog is linked with www.brickdirectory.co.uk helping you get in contact with every brick, paver, tile and stone manufacturer in the UK and Ireland.Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-77467876102152175722015-11-02T03:43:00.000-08:002015-11-02T03:44:44.881-08:00Painted psychedelic Rolls-Royce ArtCar by Artist and Brickman BB Bango. See more at <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk/html/wightrollsroyce.html">ClayClay</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-34206022155181082802015-11-02T03:39:00.000-08:002015-11-02T03:39:17.371-08:00Excellent article about Bespoke bricks - 'Feats of clay' in Home section of the Sunday Times 1st November 2015. Bricks are suddenly getting interesting! Read article at bottom of Brick Directory home page <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">www.brickdirectory.co.uk</a> Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-56253183302963118652014-10-13T02:34:00.001-07:002014-10-13T02:34:49.389-07:00Mini BricksMiniature clay brick kits are produced in the Isle of Wight by <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">ClayClay</a>. Up to the 1950s one of the popular childrens pastimes was, like Meccano and model train sets, the making of buildings using little bricks, mortar and and a bit of patience. Although there are a few Spanish made kits coming into the market thay are largely seen as expensive and using the powdered mortar is not easy. These mini clay bricks are a serious alternative to Lego except you have to make your own mortar but then they come apart like Lego too (dump the building project in water and the mortar dissolves)Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-70233132453685473942014-10-13T02:30:00.000-07:002014-10-13T02:30:00.638-07:00A lot about bricks in politics at the moment. Boris Johnson, London Mayor, in his speech at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham held up a 3 holed extruded brick to illustrate his point about manufacturing and building of houses in London. He was also seen handmaking a brick at the Ibstock factory as shown on 'Have I got News for you' 10th October 2014 This show also featured the Brick society monthly magazine as its featured magazine in the missing Words bit of the show. More about bricks at <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">www.brickdirectory.co.uk</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-1815481438752951092014-10-13T02:24:00.002-07:002014-10-13T02:24:42.673-07:00Sent to Nathan Sawaya, Brick Artist who is behind the ongoing <a href="http://www.artofthebrick.co.uk">Art of the Brick Exhibition</a> running at The old Truman Brewery, 15 Hanbury St, London E1 6QR to 4th January 2015. We make Mini clay bricks and thought you be interested in giving them a try alongside the Lego bricks? We, at ClayClay, are one of only three manufacturers in the world of Mini Clay bricks. The clay is from North Yorkshire, UK, the bricks are made in the Isle of Wight. They are joined by your own mortar mix - flour, sand and water and come apart if you put the whole artwork in cold water. Sizes are 32*16*10.5mm and 48*24*16mm. If you would like samples pleae contact us or see more at www.clayclay.co.uk or www,minibrick.co.uk . I look forward to hearing from you.
Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-58595821230656117332014-06-10T02:54:00.001-07:002014-06-10T02:54:09.874-07:00Video BricksVideos relating to bricks at <a href="http://clayclay.co.uk/html/brick_videos.html">ClayClay</a> including <a href="http://www.minibrick.co.uk">mini bricks.</a> For <a href="http://www.isleofwightfilmboard.co.uk">films</a> made on the Isle of Wight or <a href="http://www.southislandmusic.co.uk">independent music </a>made on the Isle of Wight, click on linksBrick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-40747276600982329552014-06-10T02:51:00.001-07:002014-06-10T02:51:46.418-07:00Green BricksUS brick manufacturer, <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://brickdirectory.co.uk/html/bricks_abroad.html">Boral</a></span>, has released a white paper entitled "Building With Brick: Sustainable and Energy Efficient: A White Paper on Performance Benefits of One of Man's <a href="http://brickdirectory.co.uk/html/brick_history.html">Oldest Building Materials</a>." The paper cites a 4000-year old arch in the Middle East made of brick that still stands today. "All too often, newly invented materials are not only disproportionately expensive, but also lack a time-tested track record that can provide reassurance about their expected performance,” the paper read. Brick’s durability - it's not compromised by decay- contributes to its overall long life with little maintenance. “In fact, because of its durability, the US National Institute for Standards and Technology has rated brick masonry as having a 100-year lifespan,” the report read. By all environmental impact standards, brick is one of the best choices for sustainable eco-friendly construction. Why? 'The efficiency of the manufacturing process, use of alternative energy sources, recycled content, minimized waste and efficiency of transportation because clay and shale used to make brick can be found almost everywhere in the world and they are easily removed from the ground without the damaging effects that accompany the mining of more elusive resources,' the report stated.<br />
One of the notable qualities of brick is that very little waste is produced in the manufacturing and building process because the materials are inherently recyclable “A kilo of clay material yields almost a kilo of brick," states the report. "Any materials that are left over after one run of bricks has been fired can simply be re-mixed into the next run.” Additionally, leftover brick material on the construction site can be recycled in a number of ways, be it crushed for landscaping, reused for other projects or added to concrete aggregate.Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-49530150042544257592014-06-09T08:13:00.001-07:002014-06-09T08:19:55.443-07:00How to pick up a genuine Picasso Terracotta tile for £400Owning a work by Pablo Picasso would seem beyond the dreams of all but the world’s wealthiest collectors.
But a forthcoming auction will allow fans of the artist to pick up a Picasso for as little as £400 – albeit for a <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">terracotta tile </a>measuring 5x5 inches.
The tile is among 170 lots in a sale of Picasso ceramics that also includes plates, vases, jugs and bowls designed by the great 20th century artist.
The sale will take place at Sotheby’s in London on Wednesday, and offers an “exceptional” selection of the artist’s clay work.
Eighteen of the lots can be had for £800 or less if they achieve their low estimates, although chances are they will fetch rather more. The highest estimate of £60,000-£80,000 is attached to a vase decorated with bullfighting scenes. The prices are a far cry from the £70 million commanded by Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust in 2010, making it the most expensive painting ever sold at auction.
The works are made affordable by the fact they were produced in runs of up to 500; and while the artist painted the designs, he left the actual pottery-making to others.
All of the pieces were created during the last decades of the artist’s life, in collaboration with the Madoura pottery on the French Riviera.
Animals, birds, nymphs and mythological characters are featured in the designs, including the minotaur, a recurring motif in Picasso’s work.
The Spanish artist first visited the pottery in Vallauris in 1946, where he struck up a friendship with the owners, Georges and Suzanne Ramié.
The appeal of the artisan lifestyle and the opportunity to work in a new medium prompted Picasso to ask the couple if he could work with them, and in 1947 he began creating his own pieces there.
A corner of the workshop was duly set aside for him, and he was treated like any other employee – although his fellow workers did not have Brigitte Bardot, Gary Cooper or Richard Attenborough drop by for a chat.
Customers who approached the elderly employee looking for sales advice were astonished to find themselves face to face with the celebrity artist.
In all, Picasso spent 24 years at Madoura, producing 633 designs in limited editions ranging from 25 to 500. He died in 1973.
It was also the place where he met the final love of his life. Jacqueline Roque was a cousin of Suzanne Ramié and employed there as a sales assistant.
Despite the age difference – she was 27, he was 72 – they began a romance, and she became his muse and second wife.
Sotheby’s said: “Beginning with his first trip to Vallauris in the summer of 1946, Pablo Picasso remained enchanted by the freedom and expressive nature of the ceramic medium throughout the last 25 years of his life.
“Working with the Ramié family during these years, Picasso found great satisfaction working with clay – the alchemy of working with slips and glazes, the effects of texture and colour, and the daily life of the artisan attracted him greatly.
“In these works we truly see Picasso’s freedom of thought and creative powers, and the sense of playfulness for which he was so renowned.”
In 2012, the son of Georges and Suzanne Ramié sold 543 items which had remained at the Madoura pottery since the artist’s death, including pottery, prints and photography. It fetched £8 million, over four times its pre-sale estimate.
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/10807777/How-to-pick-up-a-Picasso-for-400.html">Daily Telegraph 5/5/2014
</a>
Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-62968205435906572952014-06-09T07:27:00.002-07:002014-06-09T07:27:37.394-07:00When is a handmade brick not a handmade brick?Handmade made bricks are made by hand - a brick moulder chucks a clot of clay into a mould to form the brick - each brick is therefore unique and different with subtle folds and smooth and rough bits depending on how hard the moulder has chucked the clot in. However some brick manufacturers label their bricks as handmade when they are not, they are made by machine and are therefore rather uniform, regular and quite frankly unattractive even at their relatively low prices - a case in point is some Dutch simluated hand made bricks which they label as 'Handmade' and are for sale as such in many southern UK builders merchants such as Travis Perkins. Bricks are imported by All About Bricks and their Managing Director says it doesn't matter they have a 'handmade look' well I'm afraid it does. One is deceiving the brick laying public if one hopes to get away with selling a machine made brick as a handmade one at half the price.
Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-42445807240596610262014-06-09T07:25:00.000-07:002014-06-09T07:25:01.235-07:00'Machine made' bricks are being sold as 'Handmade' bricksThere are so called 'handmade' bricks in the building market which are not 'handmade'. A handmade brick is made by a handmoulder chucking a clot of clay into a mould thus forming the brick. Each brick is therefore unique and very different to the next one as they have rough and smooth bits as well as folds and bends that make a handmade brick so distinctive and quite franky expensive. See the <a href="http://www.yorkhandmade.co.uk">York Handmade Brick</a> web site for pictures. The use of genuine handmade bricks can make any boring, mundane design of a building look good and welcoming and stylish. A machine made handmade brick however does not, they are flat, boring in texture and would give a handmade brick a bad name if allowed to get away with it. One brick importer <a href="http://www.allaboutbricks.co.uk/brick-search/details?objectid=984">All About Bricks </a>is doing just this, their cheap Dutch machine made bricks are being labelled on their web site and in their merchants, such as <a href="http://www.travisperkins.co.uk/p/all-about-brick-red-multi-handmade/489724/3893386">Travis Perkins</a>, as handmade. Despite their Managing Director Alan Young admitting to Tim Bristow of <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">Brick Directory </a>they are not 'handmade' but actually 'machine made' they seem to have made no effort to re label the bricks as 'simulated handmade' or similar. The <a href="http://www.brick.org.uk">Brick Development Association </a>CEO Simon Hay takes a very dim view and would like to broadcast the message to all importers, factors and merchants that if their brick is not handmade ie actually made by hand, it should not be labelled as such.Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-3299284822816009962013-11-25T02:22:00.000-08:002013-11-25T02:24:37.409-08:00Bango Art Music Video on YouTube<blockquote>BB Bango Art Music Video <a href="http://youtu.be/W5WfkMjAqT8 "></a></blockquote>on YouTube. All BB Bango art has powdered <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">clay</a> mixed with the paint used for the painting. Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-29446275986749700222013-11-25T02:21:00.001-08:002013-11-25T02:22:20.157-08:00Brick Shortage in the UK and Eire25th November 2013 Massive <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">Brick</a> shortage throughout the UK and Eire. Brilliant! - For the few Brickmakers left and now none at all actually making bricks anywhere in Eire - Do we put up our prices or just not discount? The smaller brick companies have bricks ex stock, the big boys have cheaper bricks but still made of <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">clay</a> with up to 18 weeks wait for them. Channel 4, a week ago on their nightly news, highlighted the brick shortage as did BBC South and other local programmes. The only bricks that are readily available are <a href="http://www.minibrick.co.uk">mini clay bricks </a>for modelling! So should bricks be made on the <a href="http://wightbrick.com">Isle of Wight </a>again ? Yes, Maybe.....Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-51371983417744005922013-04-06T05:24:00.001-07:002013-04-06T05:24:07.657-07:00Art by BB Bango using powdered clay in paintBB Bango artist based in Isle of Wight and linked to ClayClay uses powdered clay with his paint when painting. Check out his paintings which inlcudes his interpretation of Picasso, Lichtenstein and Hockney paintings at the <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk/html/bbbangoart.html">ClayClay Art</a> page Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-1679171880924420572013-03-29T09:55:00.001-07:002013-11-25T02:28:13.127-08:00How to make a Brick Pizza Oven by James MayHow to make your own <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk/">Brick</a> Pizza Oven by James May on his BBC1 ManLab programme broadcast 28th March 2013 See at <a href="http://youtu.be/voxS30LFr4g">http://youtu.be/voxS30LFr4g</a><br /> More on bricks including <a href="http://www.minibrick.co.uk">mini bricks </a>for building kits at <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">ClayClay</a> in the <a href="http://www.isleofwightfilmboard.co.uk">Isle of Wight</a>. <br />
<br />
Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-24962655299579609612013-03-25T08:25:00.002-07:002013-03-25T08:25:54.851-07:00Brikini Music video (Brickini bikini)Brikini Girls. 3 glamour models dancing to original music from <a href="http://www.itunesmusicvideos.co.uk">South Island music </a>very much like the old Benny Hill theme tune. All models are wearing brikinis made from mini clay bricks
see Videos at <a href="http://clayclay.co.uk/html/music_and_music_videos.html">www.clayclay.co.uk</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-87923747513073799302013-03-25T08:14:00.002-07:002013-03-25T08:31:46.425-07:00Painting on terracotta animationArtist BB Bango <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">www.clayclay.co.uk </a>(Art page) painting his latest masterpiece 'ClaySails' onto 20*30cm Terracotta tile using powdered clay and acrylic paint. Timelapse animation. See video at <a href="http://youtu.be/pCVpVGsSAbs">http://youtu.be/pCVpVGsSAbs</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-1317312663387261402013-03-25T08:11:00.000-07:002013-03-25T08:11:00.867-07:00Brick is Beautiful videoBrick is Beautiful. Fun music video showing what 'fun' Bricks are. Find out more about the 1,800 different types of brick on the UK brick market by visiting <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">www.brickdirectory.co.uk</a>
See Brick is Beautiful video at <a href="http://youtu.be/FC-o4aYXw-g">http://youtu.be/FC-o4aYXw-g</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-46110143805227752682013-03-25T08:03:00.002-07:002013-03-25T08:03:46.180-07:00mini brick Time lapse AnimationMini Brick timelapse animation from <a href="http://www.minibrick.co.uk">www.minibrick.co.uk</a>
See video clip at <a href="http://http://youtu.be/DBiBzIR6Ey8">http://youtu.be/DBiBzIR6Ey8</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-32953964010774344572013-03-25T08:00:00.001-07:002013-03-25T08:00:38.659-07:00Making bricks for Newcomen beam engineYork Handmade bricks specially hand moulded and fired in traditional clamp kiln for use in the restoration of the Black Country Museum Newcomen beam steam engine. Video clip taken from Channel 4 production How Britain Works series 1 episode 4 first shown November 2012
<a href="http://youtu.be/Sack4eiYN4o">http://youtu.be/Sack4eiYN4o</a>
More on bricks at <a href="http://www.yorkhandmade.co.uk">www.yorkhandmade.co.uk </a>and <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">www.brickdirectory.co.uk</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-65379013359926177412013-03-25T07:54:00.001-07:002013-03-25T07:57:08.106-07:00London Brick VideoLondon Brick Co as visited by Michael Portillo on his Great British Railway Journeys programme. Video clip taken from January 2013 BBC2 broadcast.
<a href="http://youtu.be/4dtngftkX0I">http://youtu.be/4dtngftkX0I</a>
<a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">www.brickdirectory.co.uk</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-16399811948362852332013-03-25T06:37:00.002-07:002013-03-25T08:09:01.815-07:00Crocks (broken clay and terracotta) at bottom of pots Daily Telegraph 23rd March 2013
'Fill the bottom of the <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">pot</a> with extra drainage material, such as polystyrene pieces or crocks,” says the RHS book How to Garden. Most people seem to agree: the BBC Gardeners’ World website has instructions on planting up scores of different kinds of pots, but all begin with some variation on: “Place a layer of crocks in the bottom of the pot to improve drainage.”
So there you are, summer is just around the corner and you’re happily chucking broken crocks into the bottom of a plant container before adding some compost. While you’re doing this, “textural discontinuities”, “capillary barriers” and “funnelled flow” are probably not uppermost in your mind. But maybe they should be. Soil scientists, hydrologists and environmental engineers have long known that peculiar things happen at the junction between two layers of soil with different textures, and especially when a fine layer sits on top of a coarse layer. For example, scientists trying to track the movement of fertilisers, pesticides or other contaminants down soil profiles sometimes find that if the stuff they’re following encounters such a discontinuity (especially if it’s not perfectly level), it can stop heading downwards and zip off sideways, ending up a long way from where they expected to find it.
Fair enough, you may think, but what has that got to do with me, and can I go back to planting up my pots? Yes, in a minute, but first here’s another funny thing. Because it resists compaction and provides good drainage, sand is the basis of most modern golf course putting greens. But the downside of sand is that it holds little water, dries out rapidly and needs a lot of watering. The most popular solution to this problem is around 300mm of sand over a 100mm layer of gravel. Capillary forces within the sand mean that water is unwilling to cross from the (relatively fine) sand to the (much coarser) gravel, creating what hydrologists and geologists call a “perched” water table, essentially one that is higher up than it should be, and above the “real” water table.
Maybe you’re now starting to see the parallel between the sand and gravel beneath a putting green and the compost and crocks in your plant pot. Both are a fine layer over a coarse layer. But the former is designed to reduce water loss from the fine layer and keep it wetter than it would otherwise be, while the latter, if we believe the gardening books, is to improve drainage and keep the fine layer drier. They can’t both be right, although in a sense they are. During heavy rain, the putting-green sand layer eventually becomes saturated, gravity overcomes capillary forces and the water has nowhere else to go but into the gravel, where it drains away rapidly. So the sand/gravel sandwich is well-drained. But once the surplus water has drained away, the sand remains wetter than it would be if it were just sitting on more sand.
Exactly the same happens in your plant pot. When you pour enough water in the top of the pot to saturate the compost, gravity overcomes the capillary barrier at the compost/crocks boundary and it drains away through the crocks and out of the drainage hole. But it would do exactly the same if the crocks weren’t there, and when you stop watering, you’re left with a perched water table in either case, crocks or no crocks. The only difference is that if there’s a layer of crocks, the water table is perched at the compost/crocks boundary, and if there isn’t, it’s at the bottom of the pot. So there’s no harm in continuing to bung crocks in the bottom of containers if you feel you ought to, or because your mother did, but be aware that their only practical effect is to reduce the volume of compost available for plant roots.
More at:
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/9946017/Using-crocks-to-help-containers-drain-A-potty-idea.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/9946017/Using-crocks-to-help-containers-drain-A-potty-idea.html</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-5062963250980048392013-03-25T06:17:00.000-07:002013-03-25T06:17:56.805-07:00Another brick in the wallArtists of former Soviet countries are having recent work, such as <a href="http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2013/central-asia-selling-exhibition-l13009/lot.33.lotnum.html">Alexei Rumyantsev's The Wall</a>, sold by Sotheby's in london at its first exhibition focusing on the region. More bricks at <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">www.clayclay.co.uk </a>and <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">www.brickdirectory.co.uk</a>Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-16633827663333914582013-03-25T06:10:00.001-07:002013-03-25T06:10:09.824-07:00mini bricks mentioned on Radio 4 23rd March 2013Mention of mini bricks as part of 3d printing at Islington Design Show. Broadcast 23rd March 2013 on radio 4<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/SNT5XZSOUXQ">http://youtu.be/SNT5XZSOUXQ</a><br />
<br />
More details on mini bricks at <a href="http://www.minibrick.co.uk/">www.minibrick.co.uk</a> and bid bricks at <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk/">www.brickdirectory.co.uk</a><br />
Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-21005813635131938382013-01-25T02:14:00.000-08:002013-01-25T02:14:05.559-08:00Reclaimed bricks and Handmade BricksBuilding with reclaimed bricks
The appeal of reclaimed bricks is undoubtedly their charm and character. Fully matured and weathered, they have a certain cachet as they are less widely available than new bricks and have a distinct appearance. They can be more expensive than <a href="http://www.yorkhandmade.co.uk">new bricks</a>, which are manufactured to an established standard. One reason for this is considerable labour involved in demolition, cleaning off old mortar, selecting, stockpiling and handling.
Reclaimed bricks may be selected for aesthetic reasons, but they must be technically appropriate for new work. Many dealers supply reclaimed bricks graded by quality of appearance, but cannot guarantee durability. Specifiers should therefore check that their indemnity insurance policies cover the specification of reclaimed brick, as these products are not in accordance with a British Standard.
Frost resistance, soluble salts, strength, water absorption and size are all items that are covered by this standard. A further consideration might be that spores of dry rot fungus could be present within the pores of bricks reclaimed from some locations.
The metric standard brick size was adopted in 1974 and is slightly smaller than the former imperial standard brick. Before 1904 there were no standards, only popularly used sizes. If imperial bricks are used with a standard metric concrete block inner skin, adjustable wall ties may be required to overcome the differences in alignment of the bed joints created between the two. Many specifiers choose reclaimed bricks in the belief that there is no alternative to the distressed state of re-used brick. Several companies continue to make <a href="http://www.yorkhandmade.co.uk">handmade bricks</a>, however using the same methods as <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">brick-makers </a>have done over the centuries, while other companies have developed simulated handmade bricks which are manufactured using modern machine methods.
In recent years some manufacturers have developed brick products that look as though they have been reclaimed, with chipped arises, paint remnants and random dark stains. They have the great advantage of being made to conform to British Standards and are competitively priced because they are mass produced.
Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603280609247060892.post-24005859134324700732013-01-24T05:36:00.000-08:002013-01-24T05:36:05.311-08:00Mini BricksAt <a href="http://www.clayclay.co.uk">ClayClay</a> - manuafacture of mini bricks from York and <a href="http://www.wightbrick.co.uk">Isle of Wight </a>clay. Unlike Lego the <a href="http://www.minibrick.co.uk">mini bricks </a>require a made up mortar - flour and sand mix (which dissolves in water so one can start again. Mini <a href="http://www.brickdirectory.co.uk">Brick</a> building kits are available as well as bags of bricks and accessories.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljd8OF0AEfg/UQE2txdx7CI/AAAAAAAAAEA/myNXD2007TY/s1600/largegeorgianmetalwindows4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljd8OF0AEfg/UQE2txdx7CI/AAAAAAAAAEA/myNXD2007TY/s320/largegeorgianmetalwindows4.jpg" /></a></div>
Brick Directory - Tim Bristowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561142794860060993noreply@blogger.com0