Talked to an old timer in Detroit last week who made me rethink my whole mortar mix method

I was on a job site in Detroit rebuilding this old storefront, and this bricklayer who's been at it since the 70s watched me mix my batch. He said I was adding too much water and it was making my joints weak, and he showed me how to do it dryer with a little more lime. Now my bonds hold way better, and I'm wondering how many other little things I'm doing wrong. Anyone else get schooled by someone older and find out you been doing it wrong for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_martinez14d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though? A little extra water never killed my joints, and I bet you were still getting the work done fine. Sometimes old timers just like to nitpick stuff that doesn't actually matter in the real world.

taylor_patel14d ago

I get where you're coming from, but I gotta respectfully disagree. Extra water might not hurt a specific joint in the moment, but over time that overspray builds up around seals and bearings and washes out grease that's not meant to be washed out. I've seen people burn through pumps way faster just because they didn't bother to keep things dry around the fittings and connections. Your mileage may vary, but in my experience those little habits add up to a much shorter lifespan on your gear.

quinn60614d ago

Hang on, is that really how the grease works though? In my experience, a lot of sealed bearings come pre-packed and the seals are meant to keep water OUT, not just keep grease IN. If you're blasting water directly at a seal that's already worn or cracked, yeah, that's a problem. But a little overspray from a hose isn't usually enough to push past a good seal and wash out the grease. I've actually seen more pumps die from people not checking and replacing worn seals or just letting mud cake dry on the fittings, which causes corrosion. The real killer is letting things sit wet for days, not a splash during a wash.