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A Bucket Handle


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For my stonework jointers, I used to bend a very shallow S in 15mm copper pipe to get the right serpentine curve, then beat flat the pointing end and round. A bit fat for brick pointing, but great for stonework. Far better than the stock ones you could buy from the BMs.

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I still have the bit of bent bucket handle that was given to me by by the builder who was building the ground floor bedroom extension (for my father, who was by then a wheelchair user) with a single bedroom self-contained flat above for my grandmother (the mad Irish one).  I was building a brick-built, curved, raised flower bed, for my father's roses, raised so he could reach them from his wheelchair. 

I remember building that wall very clearly, as I'd never done any bricklaying before.  The builder gave me lots of instruction, and let me use his mixer, whilst my father sat outside watching me, whilst listening to the test match on the radio.  Periodically he'd remind me that Churchill (of whom he was a great fan, to the extent of giving me the middle name Spencer............) could lay 400 bricks a day, and I would be lucky to lay 200 a day at the rate I was going.

Mind you, I was about 13 years old at the time, so it was misuse of child labour, really.  That means I've been carrying around that bit of polished, galvanised, bucket handle for over 50 years, and was using it only a week ago to point up some stone work.

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7 hours ago, Onoff said:

About 2 mins in, the Pro Pointer:

I think I've got a spare one somewhere. PM me your address if you want it.

I've seen those Brixky's demonstrated at a few shows and it always looks impressive. Has anyone actually used one in anger?

im hopeless at blockwork/brickwork :(

Edited by Barney12
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Not for a professional I'd agree but for the occasional user they're great. I've used one and IMHO they do what they say on the tin. The bed gets laid about 12mm thick then with a tamp ends up at 10mm. I wetted all my blocks first and got the mix just. It's a doddle tbh. Very little, if any waste so less to worry about muck falling down in say a cavity. Have lent out to a couple of mates who found it good too. The little clip on string line clips are inspired IMO.

I do then faff about an point all the joints with a mortar gun.....then go over them with a paint brush to work it in, then over fill again and rub off the excess with a block when going off so all smooth. No gaps in my blockwork!

This was a bit of a pig. I had a single skin, rickety out house. I put a second skin up on the inside using the Bricky with Easy-fix ties tied into the new skin as I went. 60mm gap with 50mm Rockwool batts. Then more batts on the inside and another 50mm of Rockwool. Got the idea from the Make It Up As You Go Along School of Building

If only I'd known about eBuild then. About the only good bit is I've got about 350mm of fluffy insulation in the roof.

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