This takes me back. I must say, sometimes I miss being a brickie's labourer. Being able to knock up a good gauge, have one ready in the mixer, and keep the lads going with bricks and blocks in hindsight was quite a sign of discipline. Praise from my old boss was rare so when it was given you knew you'd done well. Ended up wearing my hip joints out though and had to have both replaced in my early 30's!
God bless ya mate I was a real grafter myself until covid hit then all my health problems surfaced. I hope your all good now mate having bad legs in any way is the worst kinda pain I think in the construction game
@@jonnyhyndman5298 Thank you for the kind words mate - I'm all good now thanks fella! Hope you make your way back to full health mate and you're right, aching joints in the legs when you're on your feet all day is the worst! All the best!
@@cantabrian1009 the feeling is mutual buddy I'm not too far from getting back to myself I'm just hoping it doesn't take a turn like last time. Cheers bud legend
been a hoddy for 30 years ,bricklayers just moan all the time , mucks too dry ,mucks too wet , mucks got stones in it , bricks are too wet , bricks are too dry 🤣
Here in the States I have never been on a job that allowed any type of additive to the mortar. And we use mortar mixers not cement mixers. Your mortar looks good. Not too sandy. The way you are able to perp the heads on the block doesn’t work if you mortar is crap. Nice video
The best "muck" ( we call it "mud" down under where we swing on handles) is made with a mortar mixer, with crushing wheels. Sand always has a variable moisture content, so that's always something you have to gauge by the senses.
I use two full 5 gal buckets of water 10 monster shovels of sand (20 reg shovels if your weak), 2 80lb bags of type S&M masonry mortar followed by 18 to 22 more full size monster size shovels of sand, in about 3 minutes but I like to let it mix for at least 6. Honestly I don't say it but I don't even count when I mix 😆 I just LOOK at the texture and consistency of the mortar as it's being made and that tells me everything 😁 *And depending on the masons and the time of day I adjust my consistency of water and sand a bit to help them keep height on the early morning leads with a bit less water, 2 or so more shovels of sand, thicker tighter mud that's not so wet, but before lunch and after I do use the full two buckets of water and make sure it's going to last longer and not dry up and set quick, that way the tenders aren't having to shake up the tubs as much and can focus on more production. That's how I make my mud. 💪😤🙏
My old man was a perfectionist brickie so I had to learn the hard way that good compo one day is bad compo the next. All depends on how dry/damp the sand is, what the weather is like. What blocks or bricks are being used and if they're wet or dry. All measured by the shovel and the water and feb was guesswork
love it boy I've never worked with blocks but I'd love to be there, I'm not sure mortar Is going to ever look like that in jamaica, except for rendering purposes
I always gauge every thing, takes any guess work out and makes knocking out a half mix an exact match. I don't like leaving in in long mind. I find although lovely to lay with, if you leave it in a while the darbo dries powdery.
This I great content love every single episode!! Could you go over what to use for brick that is over 60 years old?? Thanks so much for providing good videos!! Keep up the teaching I have learned so much since watching every single video on your channel!
Lovely bit of Squirrel. I always used buckets to gauge (don't lose count though). Like the idea (same as a bucket mix to put a fair bit of the water into the mixer as the first step to stop it sticking. P.S. hope the flints ok. I'm thinking they need to make different depth flint blocks to break it up more. Could you cut some up? or too hard?
I had to use a gauge box and a full bag of cement, so you had to fill the box then shovel it into the mixer it was a job and a half then into the bin and up a ladder all day and I use to get 50 a day for that.
You’ve got it Charlie! It’s a team effort with everyone knowing there job and doing it well. Then you do what you need to keep them. That makes you confident to take on any project! That’s my soap box from the retired tradesman! You have it down! 👍👍👍👍🍺😃
That muck was to wet but I did learn from your old videos on how to make the perfect mix and You helped out massively! I even gained some more knowledge then. You should show all the sand colors and why you use them on different color bricks (Red, Yellow, Brown, White I've seen you use) anything less than 5-1 looks grey no matter what sand I think..
Depends how wet your sand is. And just cut bags in half. 10 shovels and half a bag and put a bucket of water and feb in first. Then ad whatever water you need. Leave it for ten mins then pour out or turn the mixer off.
Decent muck also depends on the sand used . The sand round our way ( Southampton) tends to have tiny balls of clay which is an absolute nightmare when dissolved into the mix making the muck incredibly sticky.
I’m from Southampton, does our building sand come from local sources then? And is different around the country? I assumed it came off massive boats from wherever had supplies at the time
this is all in accuracy, lay a nice even flat 12-13mm bed so as you lay it the block can squeeze down a few mm straight to the line. Your blockwork shouldn't be need to be forced down to the line, this is because there is too much muck there and that's why 90% of walls have a belly in them because someone's been heavy handed on the wall.
@@brickpug6088 I'm a fledgling DIYer and was always having to tap and press the block down to the line. Sometimes as much as 15mm! As the block was being moved and pressed to get it in position it was slightly moving the block laid before it. Had a conversation with a time served brickie and he said I was putting too much mortar down. Did as he said and bingo! The blocks went in much easier, and quicker, and didn't disturb the previous block. The advice of too much muck was invaluable. The other thing i found was when the mortar got too stiff then you'd still need to bang the block the final bit so best to chuck the last bit of stiff mortar and mix another load. Easy to do on a DIY project I know. I also gauge with a bucket but, and you'll all laugh at this one, I also started off measuring the water and plasticiser mix in marked up 6 pint milk bottles. After a few test mixes I knew how much water I needed by looking at how much I'd used from the bottles and the marks. Odd? Yes, but worked for me... but I was only mixing up 24kg in one go in a rhino tub... and the mix was at least consistent.
4-1 everbuild optimix. Gauged buckets. Half water plastiser 2 sand 1 cement then 2 sand. If in small belle petrol mixer. Foundations 3-1. 5-1 on occasions depending on the brick. Have to watch not have drum tilted to far back or paddles don’t really mix it.
Half bucket water and feb, 6 sand , loverly and wet, add half a bag of cement dash in some water,very wet now, another 6 sand and let it mix 7-8 mins and should be good. I get it bang on every time but i have been doing it over 15 years
All the jobs I've been on the laborer never gets to let it mix for 15 minutes everybody's always yelling at him to hurry up everybody would be saying I don't know what's wrong with this kid why is it taking him so long to mix with that being said it probably would come out better if you let it mix for 15 minutes instead of keep adding water
Bull shit. A good laboror can tell just by looking at the mortar wether or not it needs more sand or water. And as soon as the mason puts his trowel to it he will know also.
Your basically saying all the sand / dust/ plasticiser is exactly the same in every part of the country and your making it sound like rocket science . How did us Hoddies manage without you ‘ maybe if you paid your Hod carriers more money they’d put more effort in it
Gauge it so you dont have to add water at the end, then adds water at the end?? is that a fail? and wtf are you playing with a trowel for? wannabe? your tool is a shovel, own it. Mine was sharp, and shiny, enabling a surgical and quite dust-free splitting a bag of dust in two - 1/2 in the mixer, bucket of water, and 20* shovels of sand aiming at the slurry trying to escape. splosh with water, and use the wheel to jiggle the mixer, because leaving it leaned back encourages dryness at the back - just like your fail, and pointless poking at it with a trowel haha- oopsie. Building sand is not homogenous - some have more clay, others less - if you leave some types spinning over for 15 mins, the mortar is ruined, especially lime based mortars, for stonework - adapt. No rules fit every situation, no two sands are alike, and brickies throw stones at hoddies playing with trowels, and poking them in the mixer..use your shovel! *varies according to ratio
For all the young naïve up n coming bricklayers and hods pls pls don’t put your trowel in the friggin mixer like that or ya shovel for that matter , this should of come with a small warning chaz. Not so many bright people in the industry as we made to believe. Some young impressionable young lad breaks him arm or wrist an blames you you’re bang to rights pal advice these lads to check it with a trowel. 😳 im surprise you even said that.
@@fabiandegussion5134 To be honest I've read it about 4 times and I think it's drivel. 1. If someone breaks their arm it's their own fault not some stranger from a video he seen. 2. Every brickie or labourer I've seen has a shovel and a square guaging trowel that they use to scrape off the dry shit that is caked on the paddles. It's absolutely necessary unless u want it to come out when ur tipping it into the barrow meaning you'll have random pockets of unmixed sand throughout the compo. 3. If you can't do it without somehow breaking your arm maybe you're in the wrong job. It's not spinning that fast, quite easy to time it and if the trowel or shovel gets caught let it fucking go
In fact my old man a very experienced brickie was always telling me/showing me to get a couple of well timed swipes with the square trowel in the middle and from back to front of the mixer to speed up the mixing process. Was shown how to scrape the mixing paddles. A few times the trowel got jammed because one of the three mixing paddles had a broken weld and the trowel would slide in and get stuck. I just used to let it go and then time the grab on the next turn. Then swill in the water bucket and go again. You must work for the HSE lol
See it has the diatech blade on it top company Charlie. CD15S. Best blade business for blitzing concrete products and refinforced with steel use there blades a lot if buy in bulk 24 blades will get a free ts410 or ts420. Ps ts420 a must to any bricklayer builder 125mm cutting depth.
Хобби
how do you make your Muck/Mortar/mud/squirrel/compo?
What trowel you using?
Ready mix delivered to site. Frees up 70% of my time to be actually helpful 😉
Depends on sand type/quality 🤔
3 Sand 1 Cement here in Germany^^ and a little bit of Plasticiser
I like to make mine in different colours every mix just to keep the trowels focused 😂
This takes me back. I must say, sometimes I miss being a brickie's labourer. Being able to knock up a good gauge, have one ready in the mixer, and keep the lads going with bricks and blocks in hindsight was quite a sign of discipline. Praise from my old boss was rare so when it was given you knew you'd done well. Ended up wearing my hip joints out though and had to have both replaced in my early 30's!
God bless ya mate I was a real grafter myself until covid hit then all my health problems surfaced. I hope your all good now mate having bad legs in any way is the worst kinda pain I think in the construction game
@@jonnyhyndman5298 Thank you for the kind words mate - I'm all good now thanks fella! Hope you make your way back to full health mate and you're right, aching joints in the legs when you're on your feet all day is the worst! All the best!
@@cantabrian1009 the feeling is mutual buddy I'm not too far from getting back to myself I'm just hoping it doesn't take a turn like last time. Cheers bud legend
been a hoddy for 30 years ,bricklayers just moan all the time , mucks too dry ,mucks too wet , mucks got stones in it , bricks are too wet , bricks are too dry 🤣
Here in the States I have never been on a job that allowed any type of additive to the mortar. And we use mortar mixers not cement mixers. Your mortar looks good. Not too sandy. The way you are able to perp the heads on the block doesn’t work if you mortar is crap. Nice video
You always think about things and take a scientific approach to the trade. Well done.
SIKA DUDE!!!!!! Optimix is tonk. 15ml for a full mix in the 150 belle.
Appreciate your vids and love dude!
I was always taught You can always add but not take away. Love your vids x
A good Hoddy, should be able to do the perfect mix based on the days weather and type of bricks/blocks being used.
And most don’t even seem able to knock up a gauge suitable for any bricks or blocks 😂
Exactly
Done in 15 mins but 5 mins for a good gauge?
Great tuition on knocking up
Give it time to turn 👍🏻
Fuck that shit
The best "muck" ( we call it "mud" down under where we swing on handles) is made with a mortar mixer, with crushing wheels. Sand always has a variable moisture content, so that's always something you have to gauge by the senses.
I labourer for a mason for a short while. Sometimes he used wash up liquid instead as plasticiser.
I use two full 5 gal buckets of water 10 monster shovels of sand (20 reg shovels if your weak), 2 80lb bags of type S&M masonry mortar followed by 18 to 22 more full size monster size shovels of sand, in about 3 minutes but I like to let it mix for at least 6. Honestly I don't say it but I don't even count when I mix 😆 I just LOOK at the texture and consistency of the mortar as it's being made and that tells me everything 😁 *And depending on the masons and the time of day I adjust my consistency of water and sand a bit to help them keep height on the early morning leads with a bit less water, 2 or so more shovels of sand, thicker tighter mud that's not so wet, but before lunch and after I do use the full two buckets of water and make sure it's going to last longer and not dry up and set quick, that way the tenders aren't having to shake up the tubs as much and can focus on more production. That's how I make my mud. 💪😤🙏
Great content 👍 More like this please, especially as the temperature changes.
Another good video Charlie when I was a hod carrier you didn't have time waiting 15 minutes for the muck to mix up the bricklayers would shout muck up
My old man was a perfectionist brickie so I had to learn the hard way that good compo one day is bad compo the next.
All depends on how dry/damp the sand is, what the weather is like. What blocks or bricks are being used and if they're wet or dry. All measured by the shovel and the water and feb was guesswork
Great work mate 👍
Great job 👍🆗👍🆗👍
A lot depends on the type of sand and how wet the sand is before you start. But yes putting level buckets in is just perfect.
thoughts on adding sbr for exterior walls such as retaining
Nice one Charlie lad spot on ya need a good labourer. Big up the C Team 🙂✌️
Brill Mate!
love it boy I've never worked with blocks but I'd love to be there, I'm not sure mortar Is going to ever look like that in jamaica, except for rendering purposes
I always gauge every thing, takes any guess work out and makes knocking out a half mix an exact match. I don't like leaving in in long mind. I find although lovely to lay with, if you leave it in a while the darbo dries powdery.
The fine art of a lovely bit of Donald
This I great content love every single episode!! Could you go over what to use for brick that is over 60 years old?? Thanks so much for providing good videos!! Keep up the teaching I have learned so much since watching every single video on your channel!
If you are using old London stock or Accrington norie a stiff mix with a cement to sand more sand than cement. Modern cement will snap some bricks
Lime based mortar for 60 year old brick.
You’ll love that new saw had a few of those much more grunt than that tilers saw have fun
If anyone knows, what is used as a plasticizer in the United States, and is it called something different?
Thank you!
Vocês americanos são bom em tudo o que faz
moisture in the sand always goes to the bottom, find it quite difficult sometimes keeping consistency with gravity messing shit up lol
Lovely bit of Squirrel. I always used buckets to gauge (don't lose count though). Like the idea (same as a bucket mix to put a fair bit of the water into the mixer as the first step to stop it sticking. P.S. hope the flints ok. I'm thinking they need to make different depth flint blocks to break it up more. Could you cut some up? or too hard?
I had to use a gauge box and a full bag of cement, so you had to fill the box then shovel it into the mixer it was a job and a half then into the bin and up a ladder all day and I use to get 50 a day for that.
You’ve got it Charlie! It’s a team effort with everyone knowing there job and doing it well. Then you do what you need to keep them. That makes you confident to take on any project! That’s my soap box from the retired tradesman! You have it down! 👍👍👍👍🍺😃
As Brucie used to say..."Good gauge, Good gauge".
😂😂Brilliant!!
Bloody right there about a good labourers!
2 bags and fill wi sand. And a squish of fairy..creamy everytime :D 😀 footings for life
Charlie what mix would you recommend for 4" 7kn solid block please?
3to1 below ground 4to1 above
That muck was to wet but I did learn from your old videos on how to make the perfect mix and You helped out massively! I even gained some more knowledge then. You should show all the sand colors and why you use them on different color bricks (Red, Yellow, Brown, White I've seen you use) anything less than 5-1 looks grey no matter what sand I think..
Knocking up in a mixer always better then the silo shit we get on site.
Ever tried Fairy liquid?
Thanks Charlie, very helpful
Excelente trabajo 💯 👊 🧱👏💪👌🏻
Depends how wet your sand is.
And just cut bags in half.
10 shovels and half a bag and put a bucket of water and feb in first.
Then ad whatever water you need.
Leave it for ten mins then pour out or turn the mixer off.
Decent muck also depends on the sand used . The sand round our way ( Southampton) tends to have tiny balls of clay which is an absolute nightmare when dissolved into the mix making the muck incredibly sticky.
I’m from Southampton, does our building sand come from local sources then? And is different around the country?
I assumed it came off massive boats from wherever had supplies at the time
@@simonshotter8960 our sand used to come from fair oak pit many years ago and was quite yellow , now it comes from a pit in Romsey.
I agree with the most part also lads should learn to let the feb work in and not add to much water at once 👍👍
I generally use 5,1 for everything maybe a bit strong for soft blocks but it can get confusing/ get mixed up on the face work and cause mayhem
4:53 what does he mean length of his hand?
It’s mad how he lays the exact amount of mortar bed needed, the blocks went exactly to the line first time!
this is all in accuracy, lay a nice even flat 12-13mm bed so as you lay it the block can squeeze down a few mm straight to the line. Your blockwork shouldn't be need to be forced down to the line, this is because there is too much muck there and that's why 90% of walls have a belly in them because someone's been heavy handed on the wall.
@@brickpug6088 I'm a fledgling DIYer and was always having to tap and press the block down to the line. Sometimes as much as 15mm! As the block was being moved and pressed to get it in position it was slightly moving the block laid before it. Had a conversation with a time served brickie and he said I was putting too much mortar down. Did as he said and bingo! The blocks went in much easier, and quicker, and didn't disturb the previous block. The advice of too much muck was invaluable.
The other thing i found was when the mortar got too stiff then you'd still need to bang the block the final bit so best to chuck the last bit of stiff mortar and mix another load. Easy to do on a DIY project I know.
I also gauge with a bucket but, and you'll all laugh at this one, I also started off measuring the water and plasticiser mix in marked up 6 pint milk bottles. After a few test mixes I knew how much water I needed by looking at how much I'd used from the bottles and the marks. Odd? Yes, but worked for me... but I was only mixing up 24kg in one go in a rhino tub... and the mix was at least consistent.
@@jp6975 there's no right or wrong way if the job is finished at the end and it's satisfactory to what is required youve done it.
try using a long narrow trowel for blocks.
❣
I drive the telehandler and if I get a gobby hoddy I throw a good handful of pea gravel in and watch the brickies go ape.
Knew it
Smooooth
Gostaria de ser presenteado com um casaco desse ai
5 mins Max here (W.A.) especially in summer or it starts going off in the mixer...
Casaco maneiro sera que você me vende um
How the job going mate
Look good for your website
4-1 everbuild optimix. Gauged buckets. Half water plastiser 2 sand 1 cement then 2 sand. If in small belle petrol mixer.
Foundations 3-1.
5-1 on occasions depending on the brick.
Have to watch not have drum tilted to far back or paddles don’t really mix it.
I’m down south sand is know we’re near as good as it used to be back in 70s you could really knock up a good bit muck but quality sand now is crap
Always a good idea to stick your arm into the mixer while it’s rotating. Great way to break an arm !
Bet your the life of the party
Zzzzzzz
@@sbuxcey1803 stop it you’ve had us all in stitches!!
how do you know how much water in to a 5 to 1 mix?and how do you determin the water content in wet sand to the mix you use🤔
If its wet sand I usually mix everything dry then add small amounts with a measuring jug and keep track how many jugs you use.
Y'all check my latest video of my material and mortar mixer
Charlie our prices are so tight so I’d sayin and out boys 👊
Half bucket water and feb, 6 sand , loverly and wet, add half a bag of cement dash in some water,very wet now, another 6 sand and let it mix 7-8 mins and should be good. I get it bang on every time but i have been doing it over 15 years
12-1?
Paul weller.lights go out walls come tumbling down😂😂😂
Nice :-)
@@martin2466 hello :-)
Time makes the best mortar😜
Are you related to Gordon Ramsay? I'm sorry it's completely off-topic but you and him look just like one each other lol
How much and when did u put your water in, why didn’t you show it. Thought it was a tutorial 😁. Oh and much was the mixer? Cheers
ok
here in ireland mate the muck is so shit you would go home on the next ferry , its like sharp sand they use here all the time you would hate it
Use the remains of super-sized vs superskinny and my 600lb life comtestants
2 a sand 1 a water 😆 🤣 😂
It’s always been 20 and a bag
20 what
@@alextomlinson shovels maybe ? Oh could be handfulls
@@fruitpunchbigga3251 haha yeah
Just let it mix
Never put your hand in the mixer while it’s mixing 😂
🏗️🏘️🏘️🏘️🏘️🏘️🏘️🏘️
Like mustard
As the comedian Uncle Roger would say. “Do the right amount, not the white amount” 😂
Lol
No tienes peones ?
It's like cooking it can get burnt
Im not a hod carrier or a bricklayer
*am I allowed to watch* 🤔
Yes you are, but don’t tell the others
All the jobs I've been on the laborer never gets to let it mix for 15 minutes everybody's always yelling at him to hurry up everybody would be saying I don't know what's wrong with this kid why is it taking him so long to mix with that being said it probably would come out better if you let it mix for 15 minutes instead of keep adding water
Bull shit.
A good laboror can tell just by looking at the mortar wether or not it needs more sand or water.
And as soon as the mason puts his trowel to it he will know also.
Glottal stop.
Brickies always moaning
Alot of companies don't wanna pay the money for a decent hoddy so you end up with lads that don't know what there doing.
fairy liquid makes it the amber nectar
For fuck sake just mix the ratio
Pug sand always makes a fatty muck. It's the clay content you know!
Last time I did it, it was a bag of cement and fill it up!!!!!!
Still can't afford your own place yet charlie
Y r handsome but tattoo is boring.
Your basically saying all the sand / dust/ plasticiser is exactly the same in every part of the country and your making it sound like rocket science . How did us Hoddies manage without you ‘ maybe if you paid your Hod carriers more money they’d put more effort in it
😂
Correct, If he spent as much time mixing his own batches as he did looking at a camera he wouldn’t need a hoddie
@@davieferguson202 😂😂😂
Jeez bit touchy mate fuckin hell
Chip on the shoulder pal 😂
Gauge it so you dont have to add water at the end, then adds water at the end?? is that a fail? and wtf are you playing with a trowel for? wannabe? your tool is a shovel, own it. Mine was sharp, and shiny, enabling a surgical and quite dust-free splitting a bag of dust in two - 1/2 in the mixer, bucket of water, and 20* shovels of sand aiming at the slurry trying to escape. splosh with water, and use the wheel to jiggle the mixer, because leaving it leaned back encourages dryness at the back - just like your fail, and pointless poking at it with a trowel haha- oopsie. Building sand is not homogenous - some have more clay, others less - if you leave some types spinning over for 15 mins, the mortar is ruined, especially lime based mortars, for stonework - adapt. No rules fit every situation, no two sands are alike, and brickies throw stones at hoddies playing with trowels, and poking them in the mixer..use your shovel! *varies according to ratio
But surely the amount of water's different every time!? Sand's different wetness
For all the young naïve up n coming bricklayers and hods pls pls don’t put your trowel in the friggin mixer like that or ya shovel for that matter , this should of come with a small warning chaz. Not so many bright people in the industry as we made to believe. Some young impressionable young lad breaks him arm or wrist an blames you you’re bang to rights pal advice these lads to check it with a trowel. 😳 im surprise you even said that.
To be honest I think I've seen every brickie do it to scrape off the mixing paddles or use shovel to pull back contents to front for an even mix
@@alextomlinson read my comment again pal. Then think about what I’m saying. 🙄
@@fabiandegussion5134 To be honest I've read it about 4 times and I think it's drivel.
1. If someone breaks their arm it's their own fault not some stranger from a video he seen.
2. Every brickie or labourer I've seen has a shovel and a square guaging trowel that they use to scrape off the dry shit that is caked on the paddles. It's absolutely necessary unless u want it to come out when ur tipping it into the barrow meaning you'll have random pockets of unmixed sand throughout the compo.
3. If you can't do it without somehow breaking your arm maybe you're in the wrong job. It's not spinning that fast, quite easy to time it and if the trowel or shovel gets caught let it fucking go
In fact my old man a very experienced brickie was always telling me/showing me to get a couple of well timed swipes with the square trowel in the middle and from back to front of the mixer to speed up the mixing process. Was shown how to scrape the mixing paddles.
A few times the trowel got jammed because one of the three mixing paddles had a broken weld and the trowel would slide in and get stuck.
I just used to let it go and then time the grab on the next turn. Then swill in the water bucket and go again.
You must work for the HSE lol
@@alextomlinson drivel !! Ok pal good luck.
@kd brickwork
See it has the diatech blade on it top company Charlie. CD15S. Best blade business for blitzing concrete products and refinforced with steel use there blades a lot if buy in bulk 24 blades will get a free ts410 or ts420. Ps ts420 a must to any bricklayer builder 125mm cutting depth.
I handled the brand new Husqvarna battery saw with 300 mm blade, feels unreal,it cuts about 120mm and great power too. Shocking expensive €2400 😮
@@andrewmorrissey8478
120mm depth of 300mm wheel and not a 350mm wheel impressive.