Mortarfied

I used Hansen "Sand Cement Mortar" (to quote the bag) which I think came from Wickes. According to the label, "A portion of the cement... has been replaced with Regen ground granulated blast furnace slag". No mention of plasticiser, natural or otherwise.

don't know would never do that what is so difficult about one to three mix sand cement ?...and a dash of squeezy

big factor in the workability stakes ...

after a hundred years you can pick out the bricks in a lime mortar wall.....

Brickwork is not hard to assemble, the skill is mainly in getting the alignment accurate & not getting it smeared on the brick face. The usual mortar mix is 1:1:6 or 1:6 plus plasticiser.

NT

I thought bricks should always be kept dry ?. The brick sucks moisture out of the mortar and causes the stiction effect.

If the brick is wet, water contaminated with mortar runs down the face and stains it.

Wickes plasticiser is dirt cheap, or was the last time I bought some.

The instructions on the Hansen bag are to wet the bricks.

Absorbent bricks (any except the hardest engineering bricks) should be damp, but there should be no visible water left on fthe surface. How long before use you wet them depends on the weather.

That was exactly the situation and I still managed to make an only-just-about-acceptable hash of the job: bricklaying and me simply don't go together. For anything other than a single topping-off course I would never have attempted it (and in fact even for such a simple project contemplated having it done by a professional). I'm happy to acknowledge my limits.

My best attempt was when I managed to get the mortar just right. Not just adding water but chopping and folding and so on. When it has the right amount of air incorporated, it seems to work much more easily.

Also, frog up or frog down? I believe they should usually be frog down with the frog fully filled.

No. The point of the frog is to have somewhere for mortar to go when tamping the brick down. So it should have a large air gap.

Brick manufacturers tell you frog up. (Stronger job) Brickies lay them frog down to make them easier to lay.

You hardly ever see frogs these days anyway, they come on pressed bricks. Most bricks are extruded and wire cut nowadays.

I had one of those for building my extension. I gave up after a short while and (slowly) used the tradition method. The trouble is it lays a flat layer of mortar which does not really allow the bricks to bed in - nothing goes into the frogs or holes. If everying is perfectly flat it sort of works but you could certainly end up with a weak wall.

Simon.

Cheapskate brickies lay them frog down because it saves a lot on mortar. They frog stays more or less empty.

causes all manner of swearing if you try and attach something like a new door frame with frame anchors and you drill into a stonking great void.

I get quite a few jobs where someone has backed into a wall on a driveway. A good quality grab adhesive works a treat & saves hours.

Thank you, Dave!