Old bricklayer in Des Moines showed me his trowel technique

I was working a basement repoint job near Des Moines last fall and this guy named Pete, must have been 70, walked over and watched me for a minute. He said I was holding my trowel too tight and showed me how to flick the mortar off the hawk in one smooth motion instead of jabbing at it. He said he learned it from his dad in 1965 and it saved his wrist from giving out. Anyone else pick up a weird trick from an older guy on site that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_alice2d ago

Did you notice how he held the hawk, too? Pete probably tilted it just right so the mortar slid off easy. That loose grip thing is real - tensing up your whole hand all day wears you out way faster. I've seen old timers who can butter a whole wall without breaking a sweat because they let the tools do the work. It's funny how something that simple can save your body after 40 years on the job.

the_oliver2d ago

The 30 degree tilt on the hawk is key, I found that out the hard way after my first year. You want the mortar sitting right in the center, not sliding off the sides. Hold it like you're cradling an egg, thumb on top and fingers underneath, real loose. If you grip it tight your forearm locks up by lunch. I keep my hawk arm almost straight down by my hip and let the weight of the mortar do the balancing. Saves your elbow too, especially when you're doing 10 hour days on a scaffold.

david_reed222d ago

Hold it like you're cradling an egg" - man that's exactly the opposite of what works for me. I grip that hawk like I'm trying to strangle it and I never have issues with mortar sliding off or my arm locking up. Tried the loose grip thing once and damn near dropped a whole load on my boot. Some of us need the tension to keep things steady.