How to Make Terracotta Bricks
Made from clay rich in iron, terracotta has a unique orange-red color. The clay has been shaped and dried into pots, statues, plates, roofing tiles, and bricks. As a building material, terracotta brick is cheap, easy to make and one of the oldest man made building materials. The process to make terracotta bricks is simple and has not changed in thousands of years. All that is needed to mortar the bricks together is a basic lime and water paste. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Wood canvas frame
- Window screen
- Staple gun
- Tarp
- Clay soil with a high iron content
- Bucket
- Trowel
- Scale
- Water
- Fine sand
- Brick molds
- Sheet of plywood
- 1-by-2-by-12-inch wood stick
- Sealing glaze
Instructions
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1
Assemble a canvas stretcher frame according to the instructions included with the kit and staple a window screen across the frame. Make sure the edges of the screen are stapled to the frame every two inches.
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2
Spread a tarp out on the ground. Put one edge of the screened frame on the tarp near the middle and hold the frame so it is tilted at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Rub the iron rich clay over the screen. The screen will allow the clay to sift through and onto the tarp under the frame while any impurities in the clay soil such as rocks or twigs will stay on the top of the screen. Sift all the clay to be used.
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3
Fill a bucket with the sifted clay using a trowel and carry it over to your work area. Weigh the clay. Pour the clay out in a mound onto the work area.
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4
Shape the mound of dry clay on the work table by hand so it resembles a small volcano with a crater in the middle. Pour two cups of water for every pound of clay into the center crater and knead the clay and water together by hand. Continue kneading the clay and adding water until the mix has a paste like quality similar to a stiff pancake batter.
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5
Dip the brick mold in water and then rub the inside of the mold with fine sand. Do the same for the plywood that the mold will rest on, rubbing the face of the plywood sheet with sand. Set the mold on the plywood with the plywood acting as the bottom to the mold.
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6
Fill the mold with the clay paste. Use a 1-by-2-by-12-inch wood stick that has been dipped in water to level and smooth the clay. The surface of the clay should be level with the top of the sides of the mold.
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7
Carry the board with the filled brick mold to an area where it can be left to dry for one week. When the bricks are dry, tilt the mold up on edge and push the bricks out of the mold one by one. The sand that lined the inside of the mold will have prevented the bricks from sticking to the sides.
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Tips & Warnings
Coat the brick with a sealing glaze to make it waterproof. Follow the directions provided with the glaze to create terracotta bricks that can be used in kitchens or around ponds.
Sift the dry clay soil thoroughly, any debris or rock left in the clay will form a pocket in the dried brick, creating a structurally weak point in the brick that could cause it to collapse under the weight of other bricks in a structure.
References
Resources
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