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Shoutout to the old-timer who corrected my mortar mix on a job in Pittsburgh | Bricklayers - Librear

Shoutout to the old-timer who corrected my mortar mix on a job in Pittsburgh

I was laying brick on a retaining wall last month near the Strip District, mixing my mortar like I always do, a little on the wet side. This guy maybe 70 years old walks by, watches me for a minute, then says 'son, you're making soup, not mortar.' He showed me how to get it to a stiff peanut butter consistency and let it sit for 5 minutes before using it. I tried it on the next batch and I could actually hold my line without the bricks sliding around. It cut my waste down by maybe 20 percent that day. I guess sometimes the old school methods are the best. Has anyone else had a random stranger give them a tip that actually stuck?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas_price832mo ago

Peanut butter consistency huh? That visual is so spot on it hurts, I've been on that soup train way too long without even realizing it. The fact he just walked by and called it like that mid-mix is wild, most people would just shake their heads and keep walking. I bet that 20 percent waste cut adds up fast over a whole project, especially with brick prices these days. Old dudes really do have a sixth sense for calling out bad mud, I swear they can smell it or something.

faith_price72mo ago

20 percent waste cut? That number floored me when I read it. I mean, I knew soupy mud was bad but I figured it was maybe a 5 or 10 percent loss at most. The fact that it doubles that just from being too thin is crazy, especially when you think about how much more water you're hauling around for no reason. That old guy must have seen a thousand buckets of bad mix in his day to know the exact waste percentage off the top of his head. I bet he could probably tell you the exact cost in change too if you asked him.