Bricklaying for the Do-It-Yourselfer

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Now your line is up, and you are ready to lay brick. As you complete each course, go to the ends of the project and slide the line blocks up to the next course. Try jointing each course as you complete it. If it is too wet, lay one or two more courses and then joint. You can tell when the joints are too wet by observing that water may come to the surface (masons call this "weeping"). When you come to the last course, place a brick (dry) on each end. This gives the upper part of the line block shoulder something to rest against. You have now completed your wall. Congratulations! If you wish, you may want to add additional courses to your project, just follow all of the previously outlined steps.

For those of you who might be doing this in colder climates, you have to protect your work from freezing. Here are some guidelines for you to follow.

1) Only lay brick when the temperature is at least 35'F and rising.
2) As long as the brick wall is at least four hours old and the temperature is not going to go below 28°F, the work will be safe.

If the temperature is going to plummet below this temperature, you will have to do some serious insulation. There are a few ways to do this: (a) cover the walls with blankets; (b) place a heater so that the heat circulates all around the wall; (c) cover the walls with hay; (d) build a temporary enclosure over the wall area and put a heater inside.

There are additives you can mix with the mortar to keep it from freezing but it weakens and changes the natural col or of the mortar. You are better off waiting until it is warm enough to insulate the job site.

If the opportunity arises and a masonry project is going on in your neighborhood, try to observe the masons at work. Watching someone skilled in the trade deftly laying brick or block will make a lot of these instructions seem like second nature when it is your turn to pick up a trowel.

Keeping Your Tools Clean

Because of the corrosive nature of lime and water, your tools will have a very short life if they are not properly cleaned after each job. After using your trowels and jointers, ram them back and forth through some dirt or sand and then use a wire brush on them, especially on the trowel throats. Wipe your levels with a soft rag daily and once a week oil them very lightly. Any motor oil works fine. Just put a few drops of oil on the level surface and rub it in with a clean rag. Never store your levels by leaning them against a wall. They will take a set and bend slightly. Use the hole provided on one end and let them hang from a large nail. Once a week, lubricate the joints of your 6' rule with a piece of paraffin wax. Zigzag your rule open, and with each joint open part way, rub the wax on both sides of the joint. Do not use oil on mason rule joints. It attracts dirt and constant use will make the joint wear out. Use a 1/2" wooden dowel about 8" long to wind your line on. Make a saw cut about 3/4" deep down one end to secure the end of the line in after winding the string on the dowel.

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