reclaiming bricks

[JIP]

Hi

I have a number of old bricks that I need to clean up before using them to rebuild the wall they came from.

They are currently coated in the mortar used to build the wall - some loose and sandy, but some tough stuff as well. I've been using a hammer and bolster chisel but am looking for an electric version of this process.

On the HSS hire site they have a chipping hammer used for hacking off plaster from walls, and they have a needle scaler

Any thoughts on how either of these tools would do the job or not - or any other tools out there that can be suggested?

Thanks

[Andrew Gabriel]

I use an SDS drill with a wide masonary chisel bit in it. The mortar that doesn't come off easily often comes off with a small chip of brick too, which may limit which way around you can reuse the brick if you care about that level of detail. Keeping the chisel bit sharp, and practice concerning how best to use it, reduces this effect. (You need an SDS with rotostop, and I would suggest a good pair of workman's gloves too.)

The other thing which I've never plucked up the courage to try is to dunk all the bricks in brick acid. It's the washing down and cleaning up afterwards that puts me off. Don't know if all bricks would survive and retain their expected longevity either.

[andrew]

Try a scutch hammer first, if you want a bit more aggressiveness then you can buy an sds attachment that takes the same combs.

AJH

[The Natural Philosopher]

they will survive, but boy it takes forever.

[Owain]

The builder who rebuilt my garage gave this job to the apprentice.

Owain

[tim....]

but is that a "forever", sitting in the lounge in front of the telly

or

a "forever" working hard?

tim

[RobertL]

presumably they have cement-based mortar on them not lime mortar. When I reuse bricks from my victorian house I don't seem to need to do much more than shout at them to get the mortar to fall off.

Robert

[sm_jamieson]

Yeh, I remember taking down the back of my house (window bay, outhouse etc)= and I was lifting the bricks off by hand, the occasional thump with the fi= st ! It worried me a little ! Simon.

[dennis]

I used to walk past an old wall (probably 80 years old). Then I thought it was leaning over a bit more each time I passed. I went into the shop that appeared to own it and told them they needed to get someone to look at it. they said its fine its been there as long as they remember. It fell over about 6 weeks later. Fortunately there were no injuries.

You could crumble the mortar with your hands on a lot of it.

Next time (if there is one) I will phone the building control people and have them do something.

[Andy Dingley]

You know Dennis, you're the sort of "people" that "people's democratic republics" are made for.

[The Natural Philosopher]

really victorian building is take brick, take sand. add just enough urine faeces and a whiff of lime or cement to stop sand blowing away, build house.

Never seen such jerry built crap as the average victorian wurkas cottage. Or the average 'if we had known about MDF, we wouldn't have used pine' furniture.

[dennis]

So I take it you think its OK to let walls fall down on pedestrians? Are you also going to ram the car in front like the other nutter?