Glogs page

[julianf]

Sorry - missed that part of the question.

Mixing is somthing i would like to improve.  Currently i do it by hand.  Pour molten glycerol onto a bed of sawdust (in a plaster's trough,  mix to a a slurry with half a snooker cue (convenient, and i dont like snooker ; ) then add a load more sawdust to the slurry, and mix by hand (literally).

I have a cement mixer, but too much dust comes out.  I also have a plaster mixer, but dont think that would work well.  What i think would be best would be a large screw type mixer in a 205ltr drum.  Or some way to rotate whole drums with their clip tops on.

My casual plan is to leave plastic 205ltr drums at the sawdust place, pick them up, add the right amount of glycerol, give it a bit of a mix, and then leave it for weeks to homogenise as best as possible.

Basically, i dont have mixing sorted yet.  Id be interested if anyone comes up with anything.



Mixing enough for a log burner would be no real bother, but the rayburn is our sole source of cooking / heating / dhw, so, whilst its near to zero financial cost, im very much on the lookout for ways to lower the labour component.

[Julian]

I mix my glogs far wetter than Julian, much to his disapproval!  I struggle with the thought of mixing the stuff ad infinitum to get an approved consistency.  However I will try lightly dampened versions on the next batch ... never let it be said I don't have an open mind.

My glogs don't give any of the sooty symptoms Julian describes, but I do burn them with a nominal amount of wood.  I also think various flue and air supply arrangements will have a massive affect on the way these things burn.  It's really not viable to make a "one statement fits all" in this respect.

I've been playing with a storage method that allows wet glogs to drain and they are far dryer than previously.  My current process is to massively over wet the sawdust and mix roughly, also by hand.  I then stuff carpet tubes which have a length of packing tape over the bottom.  The mix is placed in and compacted (not with any great effort) and then transferred to my "champagne fountain" storage rack.

This consists of cubies with the top cut off.  The cut corners are heated with a hot air gun and stretched so the top flares out.  Holes are then punched in the bottom at all four corners with a wad punch.  Five tubes can be fitted in each cubie and as they are all cut square and to identical lengths, about an inch and a half shorter than the cubies, on a band saw, one cubie will sit quite securely in another.

Excess glycerin drains from each glog and down the stack, and the sawdust has a good length of time to absorb all it wants.  Currently all the glycerin collects in the bottom cubie from which the holes are omitted, but I'm toying with a better drain arrangement.

So far it works quite well, and contains 100% of the glycerin.  With additional support each stack could be made quite high, so far I've not exceeded 6 high unsupported.

[julianf]

I mix my glogs far wetter than Julian, much to his disapproval!

Me?  Whilst i may suggest something, ultimately, i care very little what you (or, indeed, anyone else) gets up to!

; )

[julianf]

I reckon this is what i need for mixing -



(or, somthing like that, that costs under £15! : )

[Dickjotec]

I reckon this is what i need for mixing -



(or, somthing like that, that costs under £15! : )

Got one of those, excellent for fencing may try it on Glog mixing later in the year.