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Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

1986

  • Work on this object began.

2016

2025

  • You found it!

MoneyMaker Block Press

This is a Project. It was designed by Martin Fisher and manufactured by KickStart International. It is dated 1986. Its medium is 100% mild steel.

MoneyMaker Block Presses help East African block-making and construction businesses to build cost-effective homes, schools, and commercial buildings. The press makes strong and durable building blocks from soil mixed with a small percentage of cement, compressed at high pressure and cured for ten days. The press accommodates operators of different sizes and strength, allows for high-compaction blocks, and includes a built-in variable volume batch box to allow for different types of soils, with the resultant block always having maximum density and standard dimensions.

Its dimensions are

H x W x D (Base Unit): 100.3 × 50.8 × 50.8 cm (39 1/2 in. × 20 in. × 20 in.) H x W x D (Handle): 200.7 × 40.6 × 20.3 cm (6 ft. 7 in. × 16 in. × 8 in.)

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/420778821/ |title=MoneyMaker Block Press |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=3 November 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>