OMG that wall is Jinxed! Things really do come in threes?! the accident, the half brick, and the camera lens 😳 You’re a great couple keeping calm, sticking it out and fixing everything together ⭐️ ❤️ 💯 Great channel guys
One of the things I really like about Keith's videos, is how he is so honest about the things that didn't go to plan... Such a humble guy considering what talent he has. Love the channel
What a great relationship you seem to have. I can imagine there was no anger when she did it, you just looked at each other calmly to decide to fix it together in a video.
I like how in the footage you can see your right hand go up and then straight back down. I like to imagine you're saying "MIND THE....... [*SMASH*]......... wall". Nice job on the wall. Thanks for sharing. It's always nice to see non-professionals doing work so you can see what level is good enough to get the job done.
Couple of years ago, when we had unexpected snow in February, my brother skidded and he crashed into the corner of the bricked wall, similar to your corner and breaking it. Now I knew it will cost a couple of hundred to repair it so I decided to do it myself to save my mum money. I am a female Diyer so never did anything like that. I went on RUclips, watched a few videos especially how to make the cement mixture. Just like you, we used our original bricks, I used a hammer to get rid of the old cement, cleaned the area. It took me a few days to do it as I didn't really know what I was doing at first. But eventually I repaired my mums bricked wall. I remember when I was doing it, my neighbours were giving me compliments in doing it. Now it's not the best, not as a professional but it's still standing there... Nothing has come loose or moves. You certainly did a really nice job. But the job didn't cost more than £20 but happy to save the hundreds of pounds it would have cost to fix it. I even took pictures as it's a fond memory of my first brick job. For small jobs such as that, differently better to do it yourself but anything bigger, maybe get a professional if it's a big job as inexperience will differently show.
Laid my first ever bricks as part of a set of outdoor steps a few weeks ago, and so good to see someone who's not a professional bricky do it as well! I'd have been super happy with that outcome.
Gotta feel bad for Ria there. I did something similar once and felt dumb for years every time I looked at the scratch on my car. But you got a video out of it! More importantly, you built a wall together. Which is incredibly cool.
Enjoyed watching that - I did an 18m, double skin garden wall (Fairly short, fortunately, I think about 10 courses or so) and did the footings for an extension. It's hard going, and in the nicest of ways, it was nice to see another DIYer and not a pro have a go. They make it look very very easy. It took me a LONG LONG LONG time, and it was shocking how much mortar I wasted because I'd think I'd be able to do a big section, but then get stuck on some detail. I think you'd have benefited from a nicer trowel and learning to cut off the mortar. I suspect the sponge was counter productive too, but that's not say everything I've done was right!
DIY or get a professional in?? Let me know.....!! 🔨 MY TOOLS 🔨 For links to the tools I use, plus some of my favourite consumables, finishes and more see links below. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases UK affiliate store: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/ragnbonebrown US affiliate store: www.amazon.com/shop/ragnbonebrown 🤝 HELP SUPPORT THE CHANNEL 🤝 Support with RUclips channel membership: ruclips.net/channel/UCVyE_6jEtVZGmYGXtUOL5FQjoin Support with Patreon: www.patreon.com/ragnbonebrown Support with PayPal paypal.me/ragnbonebrown Shop With Amazon using my affiliate link: geni.us/iWD3K 💰 SHOP 💰 Etsy: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KeithBrownMaker teespring.com/stores/rag-n-bone-brown-merch 🎧 WORKSHOP BANTER PODCAST 🎧 ruclips.net/user/workshopbanter Also available on Spotify, Apple, Google and most other podcast platforms 🔗 LINKS: 🔗 Website: www.ragnbonebrown.com Facebook: facebook.com/ragnbonebrown Instagram: @ragnbonebrown Twitter: twitter.com/ragnbonebrown Email: ragnbonebrown@gmail.com Second RUclips Channel (non woodwork videos): ruclips.net/user/keefykeef
Hi Keith another great video, a good job well done, the satisfaction of doing a job your self is worth more than money, every time you look at it you will be proud, You can use brick acid to clean up old brick, be careful as it's acid, keep up the good work, G.
I can think of few things more enjoyable then spending a nice afternoon/morning outside fixing things with the person you love. And Kudos to her for giving you more content for the channel lol. Came out great Keith.
Great job mate, one tip with brick work use horse hair brush to clean up when it's going off. Makes difference I tell you. Use splash of sbr, love this stuff in mix, makes it nice and cheamy
Looks professional enough to me Keith! I love your content mate and would love to see you review more, whether it's saws, impact drivers or spirit levels. I trust your judgement that much that I think you could review anything within reason 😊
Nice job Keith. As a fellow DIY’er a bricky told me about the mortar, mix up to what you would think is just a bit wet and it will be perfect. Served me well. So much easier to bed in each brick
Accidents happen and what a great video. It makes us all feel better about when we screw up and have to fix our problems. I know it makes me feel a lot better. As a matter of fact I replaced my garage door opener today. I had several problems doing it too... And I found out after I finished that there were 3 d guided instructions available... But I didn't see that sheet when I unpacked the box😅😂😂😂
Nice job indeed! About 3 years ago a car ran into my front garden wall, knocking down about 3 metres of it. Repair work cost about £900, covered by insurance. The job looked good but already the pointing is falling out in places! 🤨
Mate, that looks good enough and you probably saved a fortune. I’ve been following you on here for the 4 years I’ve been back in the Uk and want to say thanks for enabling me to learn so much from you 🙏🙏🙏
Very nice job Keith, your bricklaying seems to have gotten better as well! One tip I’d like to give you though should you ever have to rebuild a wall with 9inch pillars is to poke some reinforcing bar down the centre of the pillars to prevent them from further cracking. I like how you added the wall ties though for a belt n brace approach! Well done!
Good job Keith, considering your not a builder or bricky and you done it your selves. be proud what you have done at end of the day you saved ££££'s well done take care😀😀👍👍👍
You should mix it dry so its all one color then add the water and plasticizer and just slowly go adding water. You can use washing up liquid but you shouldn't do it as it weakens the cement
The small bricklaying jobs I've done around the house (mostly repairs like this) have made me realise how puny my hands are! They're never sore like that the next day from woodworking!
Looks great! I am by no means a professional, but this made me remember my father laying bricks with a friend who was a professional. I clearly remember they soaked the bricks before laying them. At the time I didn't know why, but now I think it was to prevent the mortar from drying out too quick. Maybe a tip for a future project...
the issue with using washing up liquid instead of a proper plasticiser is that it can create learge air bubbles.... for the sake of a few quid isnt it better to buy the right stuff?
Fair play for having a go Mate but some things you just need to leave to the professionals. They would do it so quickly and cleanly, we can’t be expert at everything.
You made this really hard work. No need to fling motor in. You can use a jointing tool which is a few pounds and makes all the different. The trowel your using is making it harder than it needs to be.
Good work mate. I had my first experience of bricklaying last year and it was quite simply a nightmare. Three 6foot 1.5brick piers. So much respect for brickies now. And to top it off, once I’d finished them all and filled the centre with concrete I only then realised they should’ve had rebar up the centre too. A few openings and closings of the electric sliding gates I’d built and the lower courses snapped and piers fell over 🤬🤬 At least I was much much quicker second time round! Re your project, I recommend grabbing some muriatic acid from B&Q and just brush down the bricks you used. They’ll blend much better then with the existing wall. I had to do the same as my first attempt had mortar smears everywhere.
I went through pretty much all the same troubles rebuilding house step last year. Reused the bricks, hot day, made a mistake first time and had to ditch the mortar, dried really quickly! I didn’t break a lens, that must have sucked!
Thank goodness no one was walking by. I think the original span is too wide for a half brick section, is a great illustration of how weak a half brick wall is without piers. At least the airbricks help but it is pretty high for half brick.
That's a very decent job you have done. You are lucky to be able to buy bricks by the unit, I once did try to buy some bricks here in Thailand, they only come by 100s. (but they are tiny)
Wow, that wall came RIGHT apart on what seemed like a minor hit. Is this just generally expected for an older brick wall like that, or were there shortcuts taken by the original brick layer? I don't know anything about brick laying in general.
Its a single skin wall (its only one brick wide) so its not got much strength at all but fine for the purpose of a garden wall / its more of a decorative thing
Nice repair Keith! And... now that you have a bit of experience with mortar, you might try re-pointing those other wall bricks that you showed at the end of your video. 😊
The wall looks good. Now you know how big a mix you can do before it starts to go off. Smaller amount next time. You can also rack out the joints and point the next day but it is better to do in one go. Washing up liquid works as a plasticizer but it will not make it waterproof. You could also use a little bit of PVA does not have to be waterproof PVA. When you lay your bricks start at the end and adjust the joints so that the gaps work out. When you finished it helps to cover it up to keep the wind and sun from drying out the mortar before it can set and help with the curing. The other crack looks like it maybe due to contraction. I would not put mortar in it as then you will have a problem if it expands. You could take off the copings cut the brick above the decorative concrete blocks and relay so that the gap is vertical. Then seal the face of the gap, if you wish, with some mastic backed by a foam strip .
What a bummer about the lens bro.... Also how awesome is it that you got to work with your wife. That must have been so fun. Although them cars are going by a kind of fast
You and Ria are quite entitled to remove that wall and rebuild it to your specs, however; the next reckless driver who hits it. . . And I think you both did a great job btw.
I did a similar thing about 10 years ago when some drunks from the pub 4 doors down kicked over my wall. When I did it I wasn't happy with the result, but now a few years on I cannot tell the difference from the original still standing wall. I guess I was being over critical and a bit of weather covers up a few sins.
3:03 they use washing up liquid to make it waterproof? how is that supposed to work? that stuff is water soluble, so it will dissolve when it rains, leaving the mortar everything but waterproof.
Washing up liquid does work as a plastersiser, but it will turn the motar black over a period of time. I've been told this a number of times but only seen it once on any bricks I've laid with it ??
Looks a decent match to the brickwork next to it, and far better than any of my attempts at bricklaying! Was it just wind from a passing car that had your tripod over? If you're filming out there again (like when you rebuild the other end of the wall) hang a weight from the bottom of the tripod and it'll be harder to knock over
I think your wife was very thoughtful in providing you with new video content. :D
OMG that wall is Jinxed! Things really do come in threes?! the accident, the half brick, and the camera lens 😳 You’re a great couple keeping calm, sticking it out and fixing everything together ⭐️ ❤️ 💯 Great channel guys
Wow, thank you so much! Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this
One of the things I really like about Keith's videos, is how he is so honest about the things that didn't go to plan... Such a humble guy considering what talent he has. Love the channel
Speaking as an ex-brickie, that's not a bad job at all for two people who have no experience. Hell, it's bloody good. Well done.
Thank you
What a great relationship you seem to have. I can imagine there was no anger when she did it, you just looked at each other calmly to decide to fix it together in a video.
Next video idea: DIY speed bumps for those nasty racing cars 😁😁 I think the new bricks will blend in with time
I like how in the footage you can see your right hand go up and then straight back down. I like to imagine you're saying "MIND THE....... [*SMASH*]......... wall". Nice job on the wall. Thanks for sharing. It's always nice to see non-professionals doing work so you can see what level is good enough to get the job done.
Very nice job, Keith! Well done!
Great to see both of you working together on the project -- with thoroughly excellent results! :)
Many thanks!
Couple of years ago, when we had unexpected snow in February, my brother skidded and he crashed into the corner of the bricked wall, similar to your corner and breaking it. Now I knew it will cost a couple of hundred to repair it so I decided to do it myself to save my mum money. I am a female Diyer so never did anything like that. I went on RUclips, watched a few videos especially how to make the cement mixture. Just like you, we used our original bricks, I used a hammer to get rid of the old cement, cleaned the area. It took me a few days to do it as I didn't really know what I was doing at first. But eventually I repaired my mums bricked wall. I remember when I was doing it, my neighbours were giving me compliments in doing it. Now it's not the best, not as a professional but it's still standing there... Nothing has come loose or moves. You certainly did a really nice job. But the job didn't cost more than £20 but happy to save the hundreds of pounds it would have cost to fix it. I even took pictures as it's a fond memory of my first brick job. For small jobs such as that, differently better to do it yourself but anything bigger, maybe get a professional if it's a big job as inexperience will differently show.
Looks great! And my, what a busy road you live on, I hope it doesn't bother you too much indoors!
Laid my first ever bricks as part of a set of outdoor steps a few weeks ago, and so good to see someone who's not a professional bricky do it as well! I'd have been super happy with that outcome.
Wow, thanks!
That wall was missing a strong wind and was down. That litlle push was so light. Glad that all are ok 👍
Gotta feel bad for Ria there. I did something similar once and felt dumb for years every time I looked at the scratch on my car. But you got a video out of it! More importantly, you built a wall together. Which is incredibly cool.
Yeah a mistake like that is easily done! Thank you
Great Job, nice to see a homeowner having a go!
I like how you got the traffic to crawl past you once your lens was damaged
Enjoyed watching that - I did an 18m, double skin garden wall (Fairly short, fortunately, I think about 10 courses or so) and did the footings for an extension. It's hard going, and in the nicest of ways, it was nice to see another DIYer and not a pro have a go. They make it look very very easy. It took me a LONG LONG LONG time, and it was shocking how much mortar I wasted because I'd think I'd be able to do a big section, but then get stuck on some detail. I think you'd have benefited from a nicer trowel and learning to cut off the mortar. I suspect the sponge was counter productive too, but that's not say everything I've done was right!
How thoughtful of the traffic to slow down to admire the workmanship/workwomanship...😅
DIY or get a professional in?? Let me know.....!!
🔨 MY TOOLS 🔨
For links to the tools I use, plus some of my favourite consumables, finishes and more see links below. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases
UK affiliate store: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/ragnbonebrown
US affiliate store: www.amazon.com/shop/ragnbonebrown
🤝 HELP SUPPORT THE CHANNEL 🤝
Support with RUclips channel membership: ruclips.net/channel/UCVyE_6jEtVZGmYGXtUOL5FQjoin
Support with Patreon: www.patreon.com/ragnbonebrown
Support with PayPal paypal.me/ragnbonebrown
Shop With Amazon using my affiliate link: geni.us/iWD3K
💰 SHOP 💰
Etsy: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KeithBrownMaker
teespring.com/stores/rag-n-bone-brown-merch
🎧 WORKSHOP BANTER PODCAST 🎧
ruclips.net/user/workshopbanter
Also available on Spotify, Apple, Google and most other podcast platforms
🔗 LINKS: 🔗
Website: www.ragnbonebrown.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ragnbonebrown
Instagram: @ragnbonebrown
Twitter: twitter.com/ragnbonebrown
Email: ragnbonebrown@gmail.com
Second RUclips Channel (non woodwork videos): ruclips.net/user/keefykeef
Looks good enough to me. Definitely save the cash.
DIY
The ocd in me couldn't live with the uneven spacing at each end of that wall section.. The leaf blocks must be centred!
Hi Keith another great video, a good job well done, the satisfaction of doing a job your self is worth more than money, every time you look at it you will be proud,
You can use brick acid to clean up old brick, be careful as it's acid, keep up the good work,
G.
Nice job!!! I love working with bricks and mortar-so satisfying and you can see your results immediately! Kudos to your wife for pitching in!
Awesome! Thank you!
Looks like that was coming down of its own accord in short time anyway 😂😂
I just want to say that you reacted with much calm and understanding about the accident! Lucky wife!
Thanks, I have a very similar job to do in my garden. This has given me some inspiration. 👍
Your wife did a great job on the mortar cleanup.
Thank you, that is a great "have a go " video. Nice to see you having a go, admitting your errors and empowering us all.
Nice job! You've given me an education on how to do a better job on my next mortar job.
Wow, you stayed cool on impact!
That 45 cut on the old pillar was epic. Love.
I can think of few things more enjoyable then spending a nice afternoon/morning outside fixing things with the person you love. And Kudos to her for giving you more content for the channel lol. Came out great Keith.
So true!
Great job mate, one tip with brick work use horse hair brush to clean up when it's going off. Makes difference I tell you. Use splash of sbr, love this stuff in mix, makes it nice and cheamy
Great job.Cowboy builders😀😀😀
Looks professional enough to me Keith!
I love your content mate and would love to see you review more, whether it's saws, impact drivers or spirit levels. I trust your judgement that much that I think you could review anything within reason 😊
Review coming next 😉
Nice job Keith. As a fellow DIY’er a bricky told me about the mortar, mix up to what you would think is just a bit wet and it will be perfect. Served me well. So much easier to bed in each brick
Fair play to you for having a go , it’s not as easy as it looks
Good video and effort. Makes it a 100 times easier when your properly tooled up for the job like you was
What a frustrating day. Work looks great, though, as always.
Nice job Keith. ‘Flinging mortar’ works a treat!
Accidents happen and what a great video. It makes us all feel better about when we screw up and have to fix our problems. I know it makes me feel a lot better. As a matter of fact I replaced my garage door opener today. I had several problems doing it too... And I found out after I finished that there were 3 d guided instructions available... But I didn't see that sheet when I unpacked the box😅😂😂😂
Nice job indeed! About 3 years ago a car ran into my front garden wall, knocking down about 3 metres of it. Repair work cost about £900, covered by insurance. The job looked good but already the pointing is falling out in places! 🤨
Mate, that looks good enough and you probably saved a fortune. I’ve been following you on here for the 4 years I’ve been back in the Uk and want to say thanks for enabling me to learn so much from you 🙏🙏🙏
Much appreciated
Brave man, sharing that with the world! 😉
Nice job. 👏🏼
Very nice job Keith, your bricklaying seems to have gotten better as well! One tip I’d like to give you though should you ever have to rebuild a wall with 9inch pillars is to poke some reinforcing bar down the centre of the pillars to prevent them from further cracking. I like how you added the wall ties though for a belt n brace approach! Well done!
Oh man bricklaying is a tough gig ! I did a 12ft x 9ft greenhouse base 4 courses and you made it look way easier than I did 😂 great work both 🤘
Nicely done! Greetings from Germany
Nice and rustic 😉 do you 2 have a day rate? I've got a few walls that need building 😅
You could definitely afford me but Ria is v. expensive
As a bricklayer myself i need to say very good job for first attempt. :)
Thanks
Good job Keith, considering your not a builder or bricky and you done it your selves. be proud what you have done at end of the day you saved ££££'s well done take care😀😀👍👍👍
You should mix it dry so its all one color then add the water and plasticizer and just slowly go adding water. You can use washing up liquid but you shouldn't do it as it weakens the cement
The small bricklaying jobs I've done around the house (mostly repairs like this) have made me realise how puny my hands are! They're never sore like that the next day from woodworking!
My ass was nipping up seen how close them cars get only takes one person to look keep them good videos coming man of many skill
Great work, I too have driven into my own driveway wall and it’s not a great feeling
A great team effort Keith & Ria 👍
That looks great!
Looks great! I am by no means a professional, but this made me remember my father laying bricks with a friend who was a professional. I clearly remember they soaked the bricks before laying them. At the time I didn't know why, but now I think it was to prevent the mortar from drying out too quick. Maybe a tip for a future project...
Believe it or not its actualy really bad practice. It encourages efflorescence
Great work Kieth. Informative video.
Really neat job. Well done.👏🏼
Thank you! 👍
At 6:03 it looks like you have a line of cars enjoying your work
Proper job, great teamwork!
That road out front looks terrifying, and I used to live right on a main road in a city centre :)
Nice! I like how you turned a little situation into an opportunity! Hopefully with proceeds from views, it turns out into a net positive thing!
I hope so!
Great result 👍
Great job. Cheers Bob
Looks a cracking job mate
I’m a very old bricklayer and I enjoyed your video
I found that washing up liquid is just fine for bricklaying (I prefer Fairy Liquid!)
the issue with using washing up liquid instead of a proper plasticiser is that it can create learge air bubbles.... for the sake of a few quid isnt it better to buy the right stuff?
Fair play for having a go Mate but some things you just need to leave to the professionals. They would do it so quickly and cleanly, we can’t be expert at everything.
You made this really hard work. No need to fling motor in. You can use a jointing tool which is a few pounds and makes all the different. The trowel your using is making it harder than it needs to be.
Well done , you two 👏 👏👏
Good work mate. I had my first experience of bricklaying last year and it was quite simply a nightmare. Three 6foot 1.5brick piers. So much respect for brickies now. And to top it off, once I’d finished them all and filled the centre with concrete I only then realised they should’ve had rebar up the centre too. A few openings and closings of the electric sliding gates I’d built and the lower courses snapped and piers fell over 🤬🤬 At least I was much much quicker second time round! Re your project, I recommend grabbing some muriatic acid from B&Q and just brush down the bricks you used. They’ll blend much better then with the existing wall. I had to do the same as my first attempt had mortar smears everywhere.
I went through pretty much all the same troubles rebuilding house step last year. Reused the bricks, hot day, made a mistake first time and had to ditch the mortar, dried really quickly! I didn’t break a lens, that must have sucked!
Nice job on the wall and baby 😉😂👍🏾🇬🇧💙
Thank goodness no one was walking by. I think the original span is too wide for a half brick section, is a great illustration of how weak a half brick wall is without piers. At least the airbricks help but it is pretty high for half brick.
Not too shabby!
I hope she gave you the go ahead to post that footage on the internet!
Thank you. Nice your wife helped.
Decent job for a DIY’er.
As you said, the remaining wall wasn’t up to much in the first place so this passes.
Nice job to the both of you it looks good :) Thanks for sharing the video with us!💖👍😎JP
That's a very decent job you have done.
You are lucky to be able to buy bricks by the unit, I once did try to buy some bricks here in Thailand, they only come by 100s. (but they are tiny)
well done! what a horrible road. 1 minute the cars are passing at Mach 1, the next minute a traffic jam😢
Looks awesome!!
Thank you Emma
Keith " i an not an expert at this "
Also Keith , does a fantastic job.
Wow, that wall came RIGHT apart on what seemed like a minor hit. Is this just generally expected for an older brick wall like that, or were there shortcuts taken by the original brick layer? I don't know anything about brick laying in general.
Its a single skin wall (its only one brick wide) so its not got much strength at all but fine for the purpose of a garden wall / its more of a decorative thing
@@daniel2238 A brick thick wall is measured by the length of the brick. So this is a 1/2 brick wall. Strange I know.
@@SpaceCowby there ya go, the more you know! 👍🏻
Nice job. Crazy drivers.
Nice repair Keith! And... now that you have a bit of experience with mortar, you might try re-pointing those other wall bricks that you showed at the end of your video. 😊
Tell me you use the lens hoods now on your camera lens’ while filming outside?
I congratulate you on the healthiness of your marriage. If I put my wife on RUclips slamming the house fence, I'd wake up a eunuch.
The wall looks good.
Now you know how big a mix you can do before it starts to go off. Smaller amount next time.
You can also rack out the joints and point the next day but it is better to do in one go.
Washing up liquid works as a plasticizer but it will not make it waterproof.
You could also use a little bit of PVA does not have to be waterproof PVA.
When you lay your bricks start at the end and adjust the joints so that the gaps work out.
When you finished it helps to cover it up to keep the wind and sun from drying out the mortar before it can set and help with the curing.
The other crack looks like it maybe due to contraction. I would not put mortar in it as then you will have a problem if it expands. You could take off the copings cut the brick above the decorative concrete blocks and relay so that the gap is vertical. Then seal the face of the gap, if you wish, with some mastic backed by a foam strip .
What a bummer about the lens bro.... Also how awesome is it that you got to work with your wife. That must have been so fun. Although them cars are going by a kind of fast
It was!
You and Ria are quite entitled to remove that wall and rebuild it to your specs, however; the next reckless driver who hits it. . .
And I think you both did a great job btw.
Great bit of teamwork. That road is insane. Do you think the council could add a speed bump 🤔
Yes You Can! 👌🏻 great job and I was thinking last night when are you doing your next video 😊
Yay! Thank you!
I did a similar thing about 10 years ago when some drunks from the pub 4 doors down kicked over my wall. When I did it I wasn't happy with the result, but now a few years on I cannot tell the difference from the original still standing wall.
I guess I was being over critical and a bit of weather covers up a few sins.
Hi Keith. Yes you can use washing up liquid but just be careful you don’t make it to soft. Nice job by the way.
Good to know!
Very bad idea ask the brick development council
Great team work both of you and a great job done too 👍🏽 👌🏅
Thank you 🙌
3:03 they use washing up liquid to make it waterproof? how is that supposed to work? that stuff is water soluble, so it will dissolve when it rains, leaving the mortar everything but waterproof.
They tend to use it as a plasticiser rather than waterproofer , that's my understanding anyway...
Good to finally see some of your lovely wife on camera again after all this time -- what has it been - years??
Washing up liquid does work as a plastersiser, but it will turn the motar black over a period of time. I've been told this a number of times but only seen it once on any bricks I've laid with it ??
i know a few brickie's who use fairy. Ended up using it myself and you can see it work.
Looks a decent match to the brickwork next to it, and far better than any of my attempts at bricklaying!
Was it just wind from a passing car that had your tripod over? If you're filming out there again (like when you rebuild the other end of the wall) hang a weight from the bottom of the tripod and it'll be harder to knock over
Sorry to hear about your new camera lens. Tough when these sorts of things happen.