Brick Making Machine Help

Hello everyone,
   I have been researching to purchase a CEB press or brick making machine, the manual man powered type. I have only been able to find the type we want on alibaba (fl1-40 or fl2-40) and it comes out of China. I have never ordered anything this expensive or large (it weights over 200lbs) from overseas, and am very hesitant to engage the process as I am located in Colorado and do not know how to go about the logistics of having it delivered to me even if the transaction turned out to be successful. The machines I have found in the USA are all hydraulic/gas powered and I have received some quotes for a machine on a trailer from $10,000USD to $50,000 USD which lets just say is completely and utterly out of our budget.

   Has anyone ever ordered or utilized a machine like this? I know there is a post for a DIY cinva ram press but I have zero metal working skills and we really like that the fl2-40 model has interchangeable molds for making interlocking bricks and many other types.

  I also found a post from Owen Geiger's website stating he was quoted for a similar type of machine but they are based in Thailand and I think I would have the same logistic issues ordering one from there as I would from China.

 Any help, opinions or insights would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Perric;
I did a quick search and found the same things you did.  China / third world is the place to buy one. MAYBE you could locate a used one in the U.S. ... I wouldn't know where to ask ???
Alibaba itself I believe is up front (honest) each seller is the question. They have ratings like ebay and I think I would use my judgment after contact, to determine if I want to send them my thousand dollars or not...  My biggest concern would be the shipping.  I would want a locked down price up front. At the least , delivered to the nearest large town.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Perric;
I did a quick search and found the same things you did.  China / third world is the place to buy one. MAYBE you could locate a used one in the U.S. ... I wouldn't know where to ask ???
Alibaba itself I believe is up front (honest) each seller is the question. They have ratings like ebay and I think I would use my judgment after contact, to determine if I want to send them my thousand dollars or not...  My biggest concern would be the shipping.  I would want a locked down price up front. At the least , delivered to the nearest large town.

Thank you for your reply and insight, I am really torn between rolling the dice on a product in China and buying a local press I found in the USA. Unfortunately the USA one does not make interlocking bricks or accept the ability to change the brick mold like the chinese version I have found... With shipping they are pretty close in price however but because it exceeds $800 USD it is my understanding there could be a duty tax of up to 25% in addition once it arrives to the USA.

I would just go with the USA made version but the lack of interlocking bricks and being able to change molds is holding me back for the moment. It is a tough decision and a lot of money for us

https://permies.com/t/33406/built-Cinva-Ram-CEB-press

Others have made your path easier.  

R Scott wrote:https://permies.com/t/33406/built-Cinva-Ram-CEB-press

Others have made your path easier.  

Yes thank you that is a fantastic thread, I just do not have any metalworking experience and I really would prefer the interlocking "lego" stlye blocks for inserting rebar for structural support and that accept different mold types like the "U" block mold for pouring a bond beam more easily. I know their are diffrent opinions on standard vs. interlocking blocks but I believe the interlocking would suit our needs best

That link should get you enough to have a local shop build you one, and any decent shop should be able to add the interlocking feature.  The plans were out there on how to add in the Lego plates.  I will see if I can find them.  

R Scott wrote:That link should get you enough to have a local shop build you one, and any decent shop should be able to add the interlocking feature.  The plans were out there on how to add in the Lego plates.  I will see if I can find them.  

That would be so awesome, thank you!

on this post for the CEB press:

https://permies.com/t/33406/built-Cinva-Ram-CEB-press


all the pics of the plans are missing as they were saved on another site like photobucket and tinypic


does anyone have these original pics of the plans?   I've posted this same question on the above thread also

As  builder of CEB machines I can say that interlocking blocks are not such a great idea. Walls are easy enough to build without them.
You may find somebody who can make your bricks for you, if you have cash.
Otherwise make adobe bricks, which take a bit longer.
Either way, earth bricks are hard work.
I know I have built many homes with them.

John C Daley wrote:As  builder of CEB machines I can say that interlocking blocks are not such a great idea. Walls are easy enough to build without them.
You may find somebody who can make your bricks for you, if you have cash.
Otherwise make adobe bricks, which take a bit longer.
Either way, earth bricks are hard work.
I know I have built many homes with them.

Can you please elaborate more on why an interlocking brick, either hollowed or solid would not be such a great idea? If using standard blocks with no internal support such as rebar would the structure require a wood beam frame?

Purchasing bricks is not in our budget and our soil tests have proven to be a good candidate for making stabilized bricks.

Yes I agree earth bricks are hard work, as are all forms of building using the soil beneath your feet.

Post and infill gives you the ability to have a roof while you are building the walls barbed wire is a very good interlocking device ad if you use 8 inch wide bricks as a minimum or even 10 the walls are very stable.
I think interlocking bricks may work if you use very little mortar between the bricks.
But with earth bricks, an earth mortar of the same material as the blocks are made from, and about 1 inch thick when the block is laid, will be very good.

John C Daley wrote:Post and infill gives you the ability to have a roof while you are building the walls barbed wire is a very good interlocking device ad if you use 8 inch wide bricks as a minimum or even 10 the walls are very stable.
I think interlocking bricks may work if you use very little mortar between the bricks.
But with earth bricks, an earth mortar of the same material as the blocks are made from, and about 1 inch thick when the block is laid, will be very good.

That makes a lot of sense thank you for your reply!

Hi,
I am wondering what block press you ended up going with? I am in the same boat as your original post, and am considering Alibaba. If you did order from them how did it go? Thanks!

I have a manual press ( similar to THIS ONE ) I would be willing to part with for free. It is not pretty, though a coat of paint would help. I am sure it will need some repair while in use, but for the price, it is a steal. I built it from plans I found online figuring it would be a proof of concept and I would build a final one when ready to build. It does not have an attached handle ( I used black iron pipe ) or base supports so it would fit in a car or even motorcycle trailer. Shipping would be expensive so it would be better if you were close to Potsdam, NY, or were close to my travel path down the east coast to Gainesville, Florida where we are planning a trip for Christmas 2021.

The press is not of a dimension that is conventional. Meaning...the length is not twice the width. So more bricks will need to be cut in places where they normally would not need cutting, or so I am told. This would also depend on your wall design. We were building round so it would not have been an issue. Still, a metal/masonry chop saw with diamond blade will be a valuable addition to your tool shed. You can afford one now since the press is free!

For my construction projects I would never finish with a manual press so I am building a hydraulic press.

Please message me if you are able to take the manual press. I will update this post/thread when it is gone.

I just measured the bricks it makes. I just made a couple test bricks for my own soil to see where we were in our goal of building our earth brick homestead.

The bricks measure 11 1/2" x 6" x 3". Not perfect, but it is not $900 + shipping, either. Let me know if it is something you will use...then hopefully gift on to others.

Cutting bricks is easy, using a machine that has a 1 x 2 dimensional aspect serves no purpose.
Hand operated presses are built so they work, if they are made a bit longer for instance to give a particular ratio, they may not press the soil correctly.
The bricks work, because the press just pushes the moist soil together just enough for the soil particles to stick to their mates.
Over pressure is no good as is under pressure.
Over pressure tricks you into thinking the brick has the correct moisture content.

Hello Anthony Friot - I would love to get that Cinva Ram/Brick press from you - I live in northern VA near washington DC; any idea if we could make that happen

Thanks!

Leo Paska

Leo Paska wrote:Hello Anthony Friot - I would love to get that Cinva Ram/Brick press from you - I live in northern VA near washington DC; any idea if we could make that happen

Thanks!

Leo Paska

I am so sorry. I wasn't notified of your post. A couple of months ago, I must have removed the notify flag. The press is not longer available.