Been buttering my bricks wrong for ten years

I was working on a chimney rebuild in Akron last month and the old mason who owned the house came out to watch. He just pointed at my trowel and said, 'You're putting too much mud on the frog, kid. It's squeezing out and making your joints weak.' I'd always loaded up the whole brick face. He showed me how to just butter the ends and the top edge, leaving the center hollow. My walls are way tighter now. Anyone else get schooled by an old timer on something basic?

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4 Comments

christopherw346mo ago

My grandpa was a mason in Philly and he taught me to fill the frog completely. Always got a solid bond that way.

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spencer4006mo ago

It's funny how the old school ways often turn out to be the right way. You see that in a lot of trades.

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gibson.morgan6mo ago

Lol @christopherw34 that's wild. Guess it depends on the brick and the mud mix. Old dude in Akron knew his stuff for sure.

3

gray_morgan5mo ago

You ever see a brick wall that's still solid after like 50 years? That's the proof right there.

1