Re-use(less)

The purpose - where I start - is the idea of use. It is not recycling, it's reuse. 

Issey Miyake

We've been recycling and repurposing up here in the hills.  When we arrived we had a mountain of packing boxes and paper.  Throw out?  Sell?  Or, looking at the fireplace, maybe knock up some firebricks with the internet as inspiration.

So:
1. Mush up cardboard boxes, packing paper, junk mail, etc. in a 20L bucket
2. Add some local (free) sawdust.
3. Add water and the secret ingredient (vegetable oil).
4. Let it sit for 24-48 hours.
5. Use an evil looking homemade agitator on the end of a drill to chop it all up
6. Transfer to another 20L bucket that has holes drilled for collection of water/oil mix
7. Sit weights on the top and leave for 24 hours.
8. Turn out brick and then let sit for a few weeks/months
9. Burn, baby, burn!

The leaning tower of recycling

It's not a biscuit - but it burns in a rather yummy way

Also, recently we had need for an extractor fan due to all the soldering going on <rolls eyes>.  Solder is lovely stuff, and pretty nasty in gaseous form.  You can buy an extractor fan for a stupid amount of money...or...

1. Pull apart an old computer and dig out the (still working) 12V cooling fan.

2. Pull out the housing nozzle and stuff with an activated carbon filter

3. Attach to power source and solder safely

OK so it could have been dusted a bit before the photo shoot.

Complete with dodgy electrical tape heated to seat filter

Anyhoo that's kept us out of trouble for a few hours...