The Ultimate Experiment - Handmade Brick Firing

The final step in our handmade, brick-making process.
Brick Playlist • Bricks, Making, Firing...
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[@1216marknig]

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]

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

[@CuriousDiscourse]

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]

@@townsends what kind of a dog boy or girl

[@martinpanev6651]

@@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]

​@@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]

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]

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

[@steamboatmodel]

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

[@Pieces_Of_Eight]

@@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]

@@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]

@@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.

[@davidashmore3929]

Round of applause for Townsends and our brick maker ancestors.

[@Derginator]

Round of applause for people that make bricks now

[@roflstomps324]

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

[@Derginator]

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

[@TuckerSP2011]

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

[@Betterhose]

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]

Surely makes you appreciate every individual brick.

[@maxdecphoenix]

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]

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

[@riograndedosulball248]

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]

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

[@mrdanforth3744]

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]

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]

This is accurate advice.

[@user-gk8vb6dl9l]

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]

@@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]

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

[@thirzapeevey2395]

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]

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]

@@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.

[@jmupp2876]

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]

The stew is a bogracs gulyás!

[@tomiyu2297]

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

[@dudeinoakland]

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

[@Apost0345]

@Abe Adams late reply but hungarian

[@opslocked8597]

Definitely doing the same here and it helps us.

[@mustfaaboassd]

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]

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

[@MSP-km6li]

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

[@billmiller4972]

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]

They're also controlling the narrative on there too

[@jamessilberschlag1705]

@@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...

[@machintelligence]

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.

[@BrotherMikeCritic]

Brick by brick, it’s all coming together

[@kirkwhite8600]

All and all just another brick in the wall.

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

tock by tick

[@m.kostoglod7949]

STEIN UM STEIN

[@sadie21962]

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

[@LeeCausseaux]

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]

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]

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]

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

[@samsunguser3148]

@@MrBooblo086 halo effect (not the game)

[@pjstatenisland1575]

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

[@llkjjjss]

Huzzah!

[@toddposton869]

Huzzah is correct.

[@randolphchappel6098]

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]

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.

[@SkywalkerAni]

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.

[@fireisfire95]

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

[@Angloman2000]

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!

[@commissarlugh1040]

Good luck, be safe, pack a backup, and BAG A BIG ONE!

[@NeonManatee]

Happy Birthday!

[@s.leemccauley7302]

Happy Birthday Be safe and have fun.

[@robertmetesan2341]

happy birthday and have fun :)))

[@johnk6237]

Happy Birthday have fun hunting.

[@askhowiknow5527]

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

[@Warhammered]

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

[@EditingComby]

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

[@jameskerlin6081]

I hope so.

[@krockpotbroccoli65]

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]

99th like btw

[@pointblank2890]

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

[@ramsessevenone416]

Final product in 2030: Independence Hall replica

[@tricityladytn]

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!

[@sweepingtime]

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.

[@kevinb4079]

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.

[@vegabaker]

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]

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]

@@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]

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

[@vegabaker]

@@ethanhawksley9097 feel free and good luck!

[@Alvgaar]

@@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?

[@audiotechlabs4650]

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 KZbin 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

[@onebackzach]

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]

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

[@faroukabad]

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]

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.

[@kungfuchimp5788]

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

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

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!

[@ladyofthemasque]

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

[@caregivingwithlove3405]

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]

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

[@olyvoyl9382]

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

[@andyleighton6969]

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]

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

[@octavianm3166]

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!

[@ProSimex84]

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

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

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]

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

[@joshschneider9766]

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

[@joshschneider9766]

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

[@alfredoprime5495]

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

[@csonkaperdido]

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.

[@andrelo1911]

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]

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

[@andrelo1911]

@@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]

Argentina? Inflation goes brrrrrrr

[@HLBear]

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!

[@amey_pathak]

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

[@anti-popfpv4638]

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.

[@Incubansoul]

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

[@remp5529]

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.

[@Ironclad17]

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

[@MorgansRaiders23]

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

[@rabidbadger3855]

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]

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]

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

[@mrdanforth3744]

@@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]

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

[@lindsayalisonstevens3592]

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

[@Pieces_Of_Eight]

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!

[@danielbowers4008]

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

[@l.m.2404]

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]

Are there last names like Mudd or Clay or something?

[@scottgoodman8993]

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

[@robcampbell3235]

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

[@l.m.2404]

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

[@wes326]

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

[@chrisowens4550]

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

[@winghun]

Such a great country Zim was

[@americanmath]

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

[@dethkruzer]

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

[@mark-wright]

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.

[@TheFobbo]

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]

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!

[@tamaraatum4202]

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

[@PonderingDolphin]

It warms my heart seeing everyone together and enjoying themselves

[@Tippswimmer12]

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]

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 😳

[@jeffczochara142]

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...

[@ThisGuyAd.]

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 👏

[@SapphireCrook]

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

[@fortusvictus8297]

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

[@1incutheta]

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.

[@jayg0351]

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.

[@m.r.furianii3920]

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.

[@cheryllamb8831]

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

[@OptimusWombat]

I've really been looking forward to this video.

[@Unit38]

Mr. Townsends, after wading thru the detritus of society each working day, I love to watch your videos. It reminds me that there are far more decent folk, than not, in our country. Sir, never go away.

[@Sam-ct5qz]

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

[@timkibben8004]

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!

[@Wolfboy_109]

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

[@asparrow5505]

A real gingerbread house

[@robdewey317]

Oh no 😂

[@robdewey317]

@@asparrow5505 And you had to chime in 😂😂😂

[@asparrow5505]

@@robdewey317 Of course! 😋

[@MorbidEel]

That went into the clay

[@SilverXeno]

I saw a special on a program in Africa that helped women that couldn't read or write to have their own businesses and brick-making was one of the prokects. They made the bricks just as you did with the little wooden mold. Quite interesting to see that it's still a method used today in some places.

[@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.

[@MylesStandish-oh6bq]

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]

That will be the shingle making episode, coming soon.

[@thejollyskunk]

What an amazing channel,

[@rosemcguinn5301]

My favorite go-to Happy Place online!

[@dwaynewladyka577]

@@rosemcguinn5301 Agreed! Cheers, Rose!

[@rosemcguinn5301]

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

[@joanhoffman3702]

Videos like this give us an appreciation of what our ancestors did and how hard they worked to get things done.

[@mattski1979]

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.

[@FairFrozen55]

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

[@FingeringThings]

Father history is back

[@TheodoreMinick]

I think you mean, "History daddy". LOL

[@FacesintheStone]

The music makers of your videos deserve awards for this! Great work audio team.

[@railfan439]

I can't argue with success, but, ... I saw brick and charcoal kilns in Taiwan back in the 1960's that were a circular bee-hive shape. Would stacking the inner and outer bricks in a different manner have been more efficient, with even the outer bricks being fired. You already have the concept in your bread oven. Thanks for the video. Jon

[@witchyvicar]

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]

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]

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

[@SilvaDreams]

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

[@witchyvicar]

@@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]

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]

this is so inspiring and wholesome can i like 10 times

[@gman323232]

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

[@juancabrera-ru9jx]

@@gman323232 that was unexpected but good

[@spiritmatter1553]

@@gman323232 Good one!

[@spiritmatter1553]

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

[@danmac1871]

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.

[@inessantos2217]

I think that the most amazing part of this is the whole community that gathers arround the brick making process. Men, women and children, just like it woul have been in the 18 th century. Thanks Towsends for this window trough time!

[@jansenart0]

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

[@paveloleynikov4715]

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

[@AltimaNEO]

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.

[@LolaRabbit]

The feeling of community in these videos is amazing and heart warming

[@lynnie57]

I should be grading papers right now...

[@ethancardenas]

just give em As and be done with it!

[@GerackSerack]

I should be writing a paper right now...

[@nessamillikan6247]

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

[@ek-nz]

Me too...

[@samuelclaessens7699]

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

[@briankesterson4365]

John, you said it, "Truly amazing!" Thank you for what you and the Townsend team do to preserve our past & our cultural history.

[@jorenbosmans8065]

This video is already worth watching just for the part where everybody is helping with the fire, the cook guy (love him but I keep forgetting his name) is making food, everyone is having Fun. I could watch that for hours. Also when your dog comes to join you, do pet him a bit, even when you are explaining the bricks. It looks like a good doggy.

[@pinterappl3491]

the brick master makes more brick!

[@thejasonbourne]

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

[@kevinjhonson5925]

your channel has to be one of the best on youtube, no politics, no swearing, no negativity just good information in a very family friendly format. thank you for all the hard work.

[@cavemanooga]

So happy the bricks fired up nicely for you all.

[@LisaMarli]

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]

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]

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

[@headlesshorseman900]

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

[@MonkBitz]

To which the answer is YES!

[@chriskoch1241]

Such a cool and informative video...and an amazing amount of work and dedication. Saying "thanks" seems deficient. As an archivist/historian for an historic brick church, this video also was timely and useful. In the process of a major restoration, we discovered a former well, a blacksmith forge, and a pit kiln in which the church's bricks were made. The under-baked bricks were tossed in the abandoned klin at the end. Over-burnt ones were found as well. We also found old porcelain "china" marbles from their kids playing games.

[@lelandunruh7896]

This really makes me appreciate the fact that I can call Acme Brick and a nice man in a large truck will arrive a week later with enough bricks to do anything I want.