Absolutely Fantastic. THIS is the greatest ever produced Hands On information on this.!! Not just the science of it but the Humor of your dialog. Exactly right on how horrendous the techniques have turned. The LEGACY Knowledge and Talent is extinct. In the U.S. they ignorantly handle an old wall by bringing in the wrecking ball and putting in forms and pouring concrete.
I dont do Building , Have been in Engineering, I listened to both your Vlogs and i was so very interested in your science of Lime plus its history . British Castles still remain today Through lime mortar Fact ,Regards from NZ
Hi. If you’re planning on retiring it would be good if towards the end of your career you could share your knowledge. That way more buildings can be saved. It’s hard to find anyone who does this sort of work. It would be a travesty for the knowledge to be lost.
Your videos are great. Re RUclips, advise you put a suitable episode Title - so you can be found in a search for Lime work, otherwise very few people will find a video like this. (eg "External Wall Repointed with Traditional Lime"). Hope you post more videos, enjoy your content and appreciate your technical advice.
Thanks for the video. If there are voids in the wall where earth lime used to be (maybe washed out), do you bother with filling it with a lime weak slurry or just point over it?
Oh shit, I've been buggering about with finger trowels😮. But what do you fo if you're pointing a house built with faced stone blocks, or bricks? I've tried to follow the lines between the blocks fairly neatly and not mark the faces too much, and I bashed it flat with a churn brush to "expose the aggregate"in my nhl mix. It looks ok but id rather have the whole wall "plasterered" with sticky lime like your wall here!
These videos make me chuckle. Great guy, sharing knowledge, but very eccentric. I ain't got time for dat made me lol. How ballistic did the client go when the saw the end result was slapped on? Jokes
I'd love to know more about your mixes and how you knock back - I'm up in scotland where nhl is still king - there are a few folk doing hot mixes - but the local masons mortar sells nothing but nhl - I wouldn't worry about revealing trade secrets there are so many houses in dire need you can't possibly do them all 🤣
@@michaeljamesdesignI get my stuff there - most recently I used their Easyfast mix, but when I read back on their website I can't seem to track down what's in it, especially how much lime. I'm gonna try the Otterbein CL80-Q Quicklime next time. What kind of sand, and how much, would you normally use? MM just seem to sell "brown" or "sharp" now.
Poor old Brits- facebook pages on damp houses. Australians have face book pages on 40 quid spit roasters! Keep up the good work Michael keeping poms warm and dry!
Oh how the other half live! Blisteringly hot and arrid deserts, punchy kangaroos and summer Christmasses. And that's without even a mention of a third world internet service. I think I'll take my seasons at the right time of the year thank you very much. G'day mate! 😁
Heartbreaking how many wooden windows have been ripped out to be replaced with hideous plastic ones. I blame modern paints rotting woodwork. Sadly it's rare to see linseed based paints being used anymore. The amount of ignorance on this subject in the trade is alarming.
I don't know my friend, a lot of other restoration masons will argue that stone is to be exposed. The lime mortar breathes and lets the moisture exit from the wall. The use of the churn brush pushes the mortar into the joint and exposes the aggregate.
Yes, but these stonemasons have probably been heavily influenced by the 80s lime revival. Exposing aggregates unnecessarily exposes them to the elements. It ages the lime by decades.
@@peterfcoyle9127The other masons can argue that stone should be exposed but once you do this you subject it to weathering and all the usual harmful salts and chemicals in rainwater. Any kind of lime or lime wash protects it because it covers the substrate in a material which is vapour permeable. But if you start brushing and scraping this back then you take years off the mortar because you're............ wait for it............ excoriating the surface. Yes you open it up and give it texture but it was never done like this. It was simply trowelled on. So to hit it with a churn brush means you're damaging it. Twas never thus with original pointing. Brushing is recent. It's a 1980s lime revival practise born out of ignorance.
@@winnieman-fx1huI wouldn't exactly call it that. It's a boundary wall which was a bit rough which has been fully repointed in hot mixed mortar and is still drying out. It needs 12 months to carbonate.
It's still my rice bowl. Took me a long time to understand this art and the more people who know, the more people can take work off me. It's the same for all of us. Giving people your knowledge has to stop somewhere. People who do this kind of work have their unique ways. Not even Nigel Copsey gives instruction on how to finish work. You can buy his book but you have to perfect your own signature finish.
@@michaeljamesdesign Fair point I guess. I see it slightly differently in that how is anyone supposed to learn if no-one is willing to share the information? I'm not sure sharing how you finish your work would wind up in less work as from experience, there's a huge shortage of those in the know anyway so a couple more professionals wouldn't hurt but I think largely having the public know is a huge step towards educating people on the correct way to do stuff which in turn would lead to more people having work done correctly which would result in more work
@@GCtrees It's getting on a bit and isn't easy to find and it's a bit naff but if you get the chance watch Steve McQueen in the Sand Pebbles. You'll see what I mean.
@@michaeljamesdesign I'm a little bias as I learn by watching and doing rather than reading and I'd like to learn for my self to enable me to re point my own house but I completely understand your point of view
I enjoy your ethos and the historical emphasis on this . Keep up the videos thank you
Absolutely Fantastic.
THIS is the greatest ever produced Hands On information on this.!!
Not just the science of it but the Humor of your dialog.
Exactly right on how horrendous the techniques have turned.
The LEGACY Knowledge and Talent is extinct.
In the U.S. they ignorantly handle an old wall by bringing in the wrecking ball and putting in forms and pouring concrete.
Thanks for the comment bruv.
I dont do Building , Have been in Engineering, I listened to both your Vlogs and i was so very interested in your science of Lime plus its history . British Castles still remain today Through lime mortar Fact ,Regards from NZ
Hi. If you’re planning on retiring it would be good if towards the end of your career you could share your knowledge. That way more buildings can be saved. It’s hard to find anyone who does this sort of work. It would be a travesty for the knowledge to be lost.
I will, I will indeed.
Your videos are great. Re RUclips, advise you put a suitable episode Title - so you can be found in a search for Lime work, otherwise very few people will find a video like this. (eg "External Wall Repointed with Traditional Lime"). Hope you post more videos, enjoy your content and appreciate your technical advice.
great application from hawk- just like my dad and his old crew of artisans showed me 40 years ago...perfect application!
Hot lime and conversation where every second counts. I'm listening.
U are very right . But some of us we learn the hard way.
We all learn the hard way.
Thanks for the video. If there are voids in the wall where earth lime used to be (maybe washed out), do you bother with filling it with a lime weak slurry or just point over it?
It's never that badly erroded. If there's rotten stone then this is just hoofed out and replaced. Thanks for the comment dude.
Bang on Mike. Your a genius 👍
I wouldn't go that far. I do like to elevate each ingredient though.
Oh shit, I've been buggering about with finger trowels😮. But what do you fo if you're pointing a house built with faced stone blocks, or bricks? I've tried to follow the lines between the blocks fairly neatly and not mark the faces too much, and I bashed it flat with a churn brush to "expose the aggregate"in my nhl mix. It looks ok but id rather have the whole wall "plasterered" with sticky lime like your wall here!
Let your mortar sit around in the barrow overnight. It'll have gone off enough to go in a bit dryer. No staining.
These videos make me chuckle. Great guy, sharing knowledge, but very eccentric.
I ain't got time for dat made me lol.
How ballistic did the client go when the saw the end result was slapped on?
Jokes
No Michael- thanks for your time.
Cheers!🎉
I'd love to know more about your mixes and how you knock back - I'm up in scotland where nhl is still king - there are a few folk doing hot mixes - but the local masons mortar sells nothing but nhl - I wouldn't worry about revealing trade secrets there are so many houses in dire need you can't possibly do them all 🤣
Mason's Mortar do a CL80 by Otterbein.
I'm in Australia and you can't get quicklime except by the truckload! I will get some soon by hook or crook.
@@michaeljamesdesignI get my stuff there - most recently I used their Easyfast mix, but when I read back on their website I can't seem to track down what's in it, especially how much lime. I'm gonna try the Otterbein CL80-Q Quicklime next time. What kind of sand, and how much, would you normally use? MM just seem to sell "brown" or "sharp" now.
You need to speak to Masons about Otterbein CL80 as they're the only stockists.
Mason's will do you some nice sand as well.
AWESOME JOB THANKS FOR SHARING
You're welcome David.
A1 for Attitude. You are a national treasure Mike and technically spot on Some of us are listening!
I think everyone in heritage conservation tries to do their bit. We certainly owe Nigel Copsey a debt.
Great knowledge 👍🔥
Poor old Brits- facebook pages on damp houses. Australians have face book pages on 40 quid spit roasters!
Keep up the good work Michael keeping poms warm and dry!
Oh how the other half live! Blisteringly hot and arrid deserts, punchy kangaroos and summer Christmasses. And that's without even a mention of a third world internet service. I think I'll take my seasons at the right time of the year thank you very much. G'day mate! 😁
Heartbreaking how many wooden windows have been ripped out to be replaced with hideous plastic ones. I blame modern paints rotting woodwork. Sadly it's rare to see linseed based paints being used anymore. The amount of ignorance on this subject in the trade is alarming.
I've been working on a house that's nearly 100 years old. Original windows because they've never been touched.
I don't know my friend, a lot of other restoration masons will argue that stone is to be exposed. The lime mortar breathes and lets the moisture exit from the wall.
The use of the churn brush pushes the mortar into the joint and exposes the aggregate.
Yes, but these stonemasons have probably been heavily influenced by the 80s lime revival. Exposing aggregates unnecessarily exposes them to the elements. It ages the lime by decades.
In what way does it age the mortar?
@@peterfcoyle9127 Oh come on, really?
Just not as knowledgeable as you.
@@peterfcoyle9127The other masons can argue that stone should be exposed but once you do this you subject it to weathering and all the usual harmful salts and chemicals in rainwater. Any kind of lime or lime wash protects it because it covers the substrate in a material which is vapour permeable. But if you start brushing and scraping this back then you take years off the mortar because you're............ wait for it............ excoriating the surface. Yes you open it up and give it texture but it was never done like this. It was simply trowelled on. So to hit it with a churn brush means you're damaging it. Twas never thus with original pointing. Brushing is recent. It's a 1980s lime revival practise born out of ignorance.
have you got a vid of the finished product?
Yes, part three. It's on immediate completion.
@@michaeljamesdesign Nice! how did i miss that! looks amazing
@@winnieman-fx1huI wouldn't exactly call it that. It's a boundary wall which was a bit rough which has been fully repointed in hot mixed mortar and is still drying out. It needs 12 months to carbonate.
Informative videos but why dont you want people to k ow how you finish the mortar? Surely the more that know the better
It's still my rice bowl. Took me a long time to understand this art and the more people who know, the more people can take work off me. It's the same for all of us. Giving people your knowledge has to stop somewhere. People who do this kind of work have their unique ways. Not even Nigel Copsey gives instruction on how to finish work. You can buy his book but you have to perfect your own signature finish.
@@michaeljamesdesign Fair point I guess. I see it slightly differently in that how is anyone supposed to learn if no-one is willing to share the information? I'm not sure sharing how you finish your work would wind up in less work as from experience, there's a huge shortage of those in the know anyway so a couple more professionals wouldn't hurt but I think largely having the public know is a huge step towards educating people on the correct way to do stuff which in turn would lead to more people having work done correctly which would result in more work
@@GCtrees It's getting on a bit and isn't easy to find and it's a bit naff but if you get the chance watch Steve McQueen in the Sand Pebbles. You'll see what I mean.
@@michaeljamesdesign I'm a little bias as I learn by watching and doing rather than reading and I'd like to learn for my self to enable me to re point my own house but I completely understand your point of view
@@michaeljamesdesignwhy dont you take on an apprentice? or are you happy that this valuable information will be lost when you are not around?
Top man