Lessons learned on my first alt.home.repair mortar & flagstone job! (thanks to all)

[Chuck Banshee]

My fingers are painful (it hurts to even type) and today, I still had to scrub the newly laid sandstone today to change it from this:

To this: My hands now look like this: But, one thing I learned is that every piece of grit hurts my fingers!

I found it hurts slightly less if I put nitrile gloves on UNDER the work gloves! Like this:

LESSON LEARNED: I should have STARTED with the nitrile gloves under the rubber covered gloves (I'm surprised nobody mentioned that) for added protection from the caustic chemicals and abrasive grit!

[dadiOH]

Right. The lime ate the skin.

[dadiOH]

You don't need a form at all when you are setting the stone if you do things in order...

1. Form and pour a concrete base (a "foundation", with wire/rebar as needed)
2. Wait until concrete is no longer green (2-3 days)
3. Remove forms
4. Spread (and comb out?) a thin mortar bed
5. Lay stones

[dadiOH]

Use "sand mix" mortar.

[dadiOH]

Did you make a video? Can we see this whole project on YouTube? :)

[Jim Elbrecht]

Really-- Chuck. Get a cheap Canon powershot digicam. Then go to

download the freeware for your camera and set that baby up for a time lapse shot.

For all the work you did documenting lessons learned, a 60 second video would be a great reward. [for *you* and *us*]

Jim

[Chuck Banshee]

I've seen those time-lapse videos - and some are well done (others make the music the big theme ... and they move around too much).

My wife tells me I am a 'blogger' at heart ... although I've never blogged ... so maybe I should set up a web site for people who are clueless (namely me), who still try to do stuff.

It would give inspiration to the other clueless folks who need inspiration and courage.

BTW, you guys gave ME the courage I needed to move forward ... thanks!

[Chuck Banshee]

The pictures are a pain ... plus there is cement all over my Nikon SLR!

A video cam on a tripod with time-lapse set might be best after all.

BTW, it's a pain for me to view links on my usenet reader (I have to cut and paste into a browser). Are you guys using a usenet reader that you can just click on the links - or do you also have to do the cumbersome cut and paste into a browser?

[Jim Elbrecht]

You don't need a video cam. My video cam is a few years old, but was supposedly 'the thing' at the time for time lapse. A Canon powershot [a point and shoot camera] is a lot less money, so you don't worry about it getting wet & dirty.

The CHDK [Canon Hack Developers Kit] software is open source, doesn't affect the camera [it goes on the memory card] and has a lot more flexibility than my video cam. It also does a lot more things, like motion detection, even color detection. [I can set my camera up and only have it take pictures of the Cardinals when they show up at the feeder.]

I think you're geek enough to really have some fun with it.

Get the free version of Forte's Agent--- then get the newest version for $30. The links are a small thing-- imagine getting all the twits to disappear. I can't imagine doing Usenet without kill filters these days.

Jim

[dadiOH]

Click link, browser (Opera or IE 6.x) opens page, photo is displayed on page..

A link is an URL...an "internet shortcut"...Hyper Text Transfer Protocol...it *should* open in a browser. If it doesn't on your machine your file type associations are incorrect.

Or are you saying that your usenet reader doesn't recognize URLs? If so, dump it (or maybe configure it)...even OE does URLs. What reader are you using?

[Chuck Banshee]

I'm using Pan on Linux as my USENET nntp reader.

The only way I know how to use a browser is to use google groups, e.g.,

But I vastly prefer a 'real' USENET client. Anyway, I'm ok with mine (it just doesn't do links). I was worried about you guys.

BTW, here's a picture of my 'curing process' using towels.

How long should I keep it wet (I'm planning a few days)?

[Chuck Banshee]

Oh. Ok. That would be easier than ruining perfectly good towels!

For some reason, I 'thought' I had to keep it wet for a few days ... but I can easily spray it in the morning and afternoon if that's all it needs.

I was wondering how the water was supposed to get to the good parts UNDER the stones anyway.