Steps To Make Bricks:

The steps followed to make bricks are very much similar to those in the older times. The main steps followed to make bricks are:

Material Acquirement

In the first step, the soil is being mined from the ground which is then laid on a leveled ground. Then all sorts of impurities such as pebbles, stones, vegetation, and others are being removed from the soil. Once all the impurities are removed, it is then exposed to the weather for a few months. This process is known as weathering. 

Tempering

In this process, the soil or clay is mixed with water to form the right consistency for moulds. Mixing is done usually manually with hands and feet but in some cases, machines are also used. There is one other way of mixing is using the animal-driven pug mills to make mixes for moulds.

Moulding

After mixing, the mix is then taken in a fixed amount and rolled to shape in the bricks. At first, the wooden moulds were used to give the shape of bricks but now moulds made of steel are used to give the moulds the shape of bricks. The mould is rolled into sand to avoid the stickiness in the mould shapers.

Drying The Moulds

After making the moulds, it is left in the drying space. The brick-shaped moulds are arranged in a herringbone pattern in the drying area to let them dry faster and easily. It is left under the sun for two to four days and then they are turned to different sides for uniform drying and to avoid warping. And after two weeks the bricks are fully dried and are ready to be burnt.

Burning The Moulds

In India, the kiln method is the most preferable way to burn moulds. After drying, the moulds turned green and ready to be burnt. These are then arranged in a kiln and for the insulation, a mud pack is used in the kiln. The fire holes which are left opened to ignite the kiln are later sealed on. This heat is maintained for a week. The amount and duration of heat depending upon the experience and requirements of brick makers.

Sorting The Bricks

After the bricks are burnt, it is divided on the basis of their color. The color indicates the level of the burning of the bricks. The over burnt bricks are used for making roads while the under burnt bricks are sent back to the kiln.