How to make adobe bricks

This page provides detailed instructions for making adobe bricks. It covers the equipment and materials required, as well as step-by-step instructions and frequently asked questions (FAQs). If you're interested in making your own adobe bricks, this page is a great place to start.

• Shovel and hoe: to mix and carry the clay.
• Wooden-Form: to make the bricks
• Spatula: To make corrections to bricks
• Very solid (!) Buckets, to transport materials
• Optional: wheelbarrow, for easier transport

• Adobe-Mix, The mixture must be tested beforehand
• Water, to continuously soak and dilute the clay
• Straw, to improve the stability
• Possibly sand*, if the mixture is too "fat"

Note: Idealy, the mixture to make the Bricks and the Mortar to lay them, is the same or nearly the same.

*Important: Do not use sand from the beach or dessert, because its round shaped. only sand from e.g. the river can be used (read more here)

1. mix adobe - mixing in straw or other fibers is highly recommended
2. shape adobe balls with hands and throw them into the molds
3. hit the adobe with your hands (important: don't be too timid, the adobe has to go into every corner)
4. sweep the sides inwards - the sides will loosen and the form will be easier to remove.
5. remove from the form (needs some practice)
6. allow to dry, check and stack up

Optional: to speed up drying, the bricks can be rotated from time to time.

• Gallery
• 
  sievering the earth, e.g. to get rid of big rocks or to get a finer adobe mix
• 
  sievering the earth, e.g. to get rid of big rocks or to get a finer adobe mix
• 
  mixing of adobe
• 
  adobe in the forms before taking them out

-> Video how to take it out from the forms (Wiki Commons)

• How long does the drying take? This depends on the humidity and temperature. A drying process can take several days up to 1-2 weeks.
• We have a brick-press-machine - are those better? No - even Brick-Presses provide a exact shape, they tend to expand in contact with water (e.g. when its raining). This is less the case with handmade bricks, even the shape is not perfect and varies.
• Do these bricks withstand earthquakes? Limited. Do not build more than one stage-buildings. if experienced, maximum two. It is recommended to lay them in a certain way, overlapping minimum 1/4 of the one underneath - no stack bond, do a internet research: "common bond brick laying". the best method to improve it against earhquakes is using 'geomesh' fabrics - cut it and place it flat in the mortar lines while laying the bricks.