I do this for a living 5 days a week for the last 15 years. I like your system. Pro tip if you want it atleast.... the amount of wetness doesn't change the color at all. What it does is takes more days to truly dry and get to its true color.
Hi Sam. I'm so glad I stumbled over your videos. I'm building an old-school half dovetail log cabin, and plan to do my outside chinking this summer. I am so glad that you tell, and show how you mix in the water before adding cement. That's a great idea to get an even mix, and I've never seen/heard that before. And frankly i don't understand why, because, when you show it, it's an obvious and great way of making even badges. Thanks a ton for a great video and great explanations to why you're doing what you do. I've the same thoughts around the dull, grey pavement looking mortar. I've just had a bunch of pre colored samples home, borrowed from a lumber yard, that I stuck in the chinking gaps, but your color is just beautiful. I also have a RUclips channel, if you wanna check out my small, solo cabin build. By the way, I live in the Swedish woods, and since you talked about moisture content, I wonder what climate you have at your place. Here it's quite warm during summer, 20-30 degrees Celsius and down to minus 20'ish Celsius during winter. All the best from the Swedish woods. Michael
The industry standard for improving mix workability without adding water is an additive called plasticizer, at the major hardware stores they sell packets labeled flow control. The cement has a strong electromagnetic affinity for the water that wrecks workability, adding water makes it weaker and shrinks more cracks more but plasticizer gives the flow by counteracting the electrochemical clumping without introducing a mass that must escape
Good vid. I like your instructions. The common measurements I’ve seen are (3,.25,.25) sand,mortar,Portland. I was shown a way to do parging years ago that included “cement glue”. What is cement glue ?, it’s a skim milk looking liquid that I’ve used for small patch work on parging, seems to have helped in small difficult repair work, but that’s an open question, and it’s something I’ve done out of desperation but does seem to have solved some problems.
Well I found a place locally in Nashville that sold it. Lee Building supply. I was afraid I’d have to drive to the east coast to get it from the supplier but luckily that were able to order it for me
Please learn the correct nomenclature. There is no such thing as a "cement mixer". There is a "concrete mixer" that mixes Portland Cement (water activated glue), and aggregate: sand and rock; and, of course, mixes in the water. At the Portland Cement factory there are lots of machines that can be called "cement mixers" that mix up, and grind, the chemicals that create Portland Cement. The best machine to mix up a batch of 'chinking" is called a "Mortar Mixer". Mortar is a mixture of Portland Cement, hot lime, and sand. A Mortar Mixer has long vanes that really scrape the Mortar parts together to not created "cement balls".
I do this for a living 5 days a week for the last 15 years. I like your system. Pro tip if you want it atleast.... the amount of wetness doesn't change the color at all. What it does is takes more days to truly dry and get to its true color.
Another great video. Quite a few pointers I would have never thought of. Thanx
This is awesome. You’re an inspiration my friend
Hi Sam. I'm so glad I stumbled over your videos. I'm building an old-school half dovetail log cabin, and plan to do my outside chinking this summer. I am so glad that you tell, and show how you mix in the water before adding cement. That's a great idea to get an even mix, and I've never seen/heard that before. And frankly i don't understand why, because, when you show it, it's an obvious and great way of making even badges.
Thanks a ton for a great video and great explanations to why you're doing what you do.
I've the same thoughts around the dull, grey pavement looking mortar. I've just had a bunch of pre colored samples home, borrowed from a lumber yard, that I stuck in the chinking gaps, but your color is just beautiful. I also have a RUclips channel, if you wanna check out my small, solo cabin build. By the way, I live in the Swedish woods, and since you talked about moisture content, I wonder what climate you have at your place. Here it's quite warm during summer, 20-30 degrees Celsius and down to minus 20'ish Celsius during winter.
All the best from the Swedish woods.
Michael
The industry standard for improving mix workability without adding water is an additive called plasticizer, at the major hardware stores they sell packets labeled flow control. The cement has a strong electromagnetic affinity for the water that wrecks workability, adding water makes it weaker and shrinks more cracks more but plasticizer gives the flow by counteracting the electrochemical clumping without introducing a mass that must escape
Omg! Great info. So helpful!
Good vid. I like your instructions. The common measurements I’ve seen are (3,.25,.25) sand,mortar,Portland.
I was shown a way to do parging years ago that included “cement glue”. What is cement glue ?, it’s a skim milk looking liquid that I’ve used for small patch work on parging, seems to have helped in small difficult repair work, but that’s an open question, and it’s something I’ve done out of desperation but does seem to have solved some problems.
Where can you buy the mortamix? Thanks!
Well I found a place locally in Nashville that sold it. Lee Building supply. I was afraid I’d have to drive to the east coast to get it from the supplier but luckily that were able to order it for me
@@SamBradley808 Thank you, I appreciate the info.
You only did three videos did you give up on you tube ?
No, I just completed the chinking instruction videos. If I have something else of value, I’ll make more videos. :)
Please learn the correct nomenclature. There is no such thing as a "cement mixer". There is a "concrete mixer" that mixes Portland Cement (water activated glue), and aggregate: sand and rock; and, of course, mixes in the water. At the Portland Cement factory there are lots of machines that can be called "cement mixers" that mix up, and grind, the chemicals that create Portland Cement. The best machine to mix up a batch of 'chinking" is called a "Mortar Mixer". Mortar is a mixture of Portland Cement, hot lime, and sand. A Mortar Mixer has long vanes that really scrape the Mortar parts together to not created "cement balls".
Omg! Great info. So helpful!