Comments on: Saturday spotting (long hard climb) http://www.dustbury.com/archives/3553 I couldn't possibly fail to disagree with you less. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:23:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Tatyana http://www.dustbury.com/archives/3553/comment-page-1#comment-8791 Tatyana Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:25:15 +0000 http://www.dustbury.com/archives/3553#comment-8791 I used to own a 103yo (at the time) brick townhouse. The mortar, on all probability, was mixed w/o Portland cement, per formula you describe. But when I needed to enlarge the window openings and called in a mason, he asked for double pay for working with the old mortar; that was very reasonable as I saw afterwards. He had to cut thru with super-crazy bits, to get the bricks loose. I didn't envy him. I used to own a 103yo (at the time) brick townhouse. The mortar, on all probability, was mixed w/o Portland cement, per formula you describe. But when I needed to enlarge the window openings and called in a mason, he asked for double pay for working with the old mortar; that was very reasonable as I saw afterwards. He had to cut thru with super-crazy bits, to get the bricks loose. I didn’t envy him.

]]> By: CGHill http://www.dustbury.com/archives/3553/comment-page-1#comment-8790 CGHill Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:49:55 +0000 http://www.dustbury.com/archives/3553#comment-8790 I'm guessing they pulled down the whole wall, one brick at a time. This building, at 84 years, might be old enough to have the sand/hydrated lime sort of mortar, which will give way easily enough. (The Portland-cement variety is harder to break through.) "Small," of course, is in the eye of the beholder. I’m guessing they pulled down the whole wall, one brick at a time. This building, at 84 years, might be old enough to have the sand/hydrated lime sort of mortar, which will give way easily enough. (The Portland-cement variety is harder to break through.)

“Small,” of course, is in the eye of the beholder.

]]> By: Tatyana http://www.dustbury.com/archives/3553/comment-page-1#comment-8789 Tatyana Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:02:06 +0000 http://www.dustbury.com/archives/3553#comment-8789 * Can you tell me how simple is it to "simply turn the bricks around"? I can't imagine. In each course you'd have to break up the mortar (hard as a rock, probably, after almost a century, and then somehow support the weight of all the courses above the one you're doing the turning on. Seriously, how? * 600sf is small for a studio? hehe. *The metal/glass installation (@the conf.rm) is gorgeous. I loved the sliding door, with the track elevated from the floor. Genius. And the intricate metal guides on the wall. Have no idea what they are for, but look amazing. * Can you tell me how simple is it to “simply turn the bricks around”? I can’t imagine. In each course you’d have to break up the mortar (hard as a rock, probably, after almost a century, and then somehow support the weight of all the courses above the one you’re doing the turning on. Seriously, how?

* 600sf is small for a studio? hehe.

*The metal/glass installation (@the conf.rm) is gorgeous. I loved the sliding door, with the track elevated from the floor. Genius. And the intricate metal guides on the wall. Have no idea what they are for, but look amazing.

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