Mortar Tools
Mortar is the material that is used to lock stones or bricks together in masonry building projects. Mortar begins as a plastic mixture of sand, cement, lime and water. This plastic mixture dries to an extremely hard state when the water evaporates and the cement sets. Mortar has been used by stone and brick masons for centuries to build walls, fireplaces and similar structures. Specialized tools have been created to prepare and apply mortar. Does this Spark an idea?
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Mixing Tools
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Before gas engines. mortar was prepared by hand in a mortar box using a large mortar hoe with holes in the blade to allow the fluid mix to flow through it. Modern mortar is prepared in mixers powered by gasoline engines. When the mix is ready, it is dumped from the mixer into a hopper.
Transporting Tools
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A hod carrier at work In the past, mortar was moved from the holding hopper to the site of the masonry work in a hod. The hod is a vee shaped box open at one end and mounted on a sturdy pole. The hod carrier fills the hod with a shovel, lifts the hod onto a shoulder and carries it to the waiting mason. The mortar is dumped on a board near the mason's work location. Modern masonry moves the mortar from the mixing site to the mason's board using hydraulic power and long hoses. Large masonry projects use this method to cut costs and speed the handling of material. Smaller masonry jobs still rely on the hod carrier.
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Cutting and Shaping Tools
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The artful work of a stone mason Bricks are cut to size using a brick chisel and a mallet. More precise cuts are made with an electric powered saw with a special blade.
Application Tools
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Laying bricks or building with stone requires that each brick or stone is carefully positioned after the mason applies the right amount of mortar with a pointed mason's trowel. The mason taps each unit in place using the handle of the trowel to set it in place. A mason's level and string line are used to ensure that each course of applied brick or stone is true and level. A mortar pointing tool is used to remove excess mortar from joints as the mason works. The pointer creates a half-round groove between the brick or stones.
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References
Resources
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