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Update: I finally figured out my mortar mixing was costing me extra time on every job | Bricklayers - Rigidtalk

kai463•6mo ago

Update: I finally figured out my mortar mixing was costing me extra time on every job

For years, I'd just dump the whole bag of sand and lime in the mixer at once, add water, and hope for the best. It always took forever to get a consistent mix, and I'd waste material cleaning out the pan. About six months ago, I watched a guy on a site in Toledo layer his dry materials first, then add water in stages. I tried it the next day. Now I do a dry mix for a full minute, add half the water, mix for two, then add the rest. My setup is 15 minutes faster per batch, and the mortar is way more uniform. Anyone have a different mixing sequence that works better for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_carr575mo ago

Watched a YouTube video about a guy who pre wets his mixer drum with a spray bottle before adding anything. Tried it myself and honestly it cut down on dry clumps sticking to the sides way more than i expected. Small stuff adds up i guess.

avery5826mo ago

My buddy had a similar problem with his plaster mix always coming out lumpy. He started mixing the powder in a separate bucket with a drill paddle before it ever touched the mortar board. It added one step but saved him a ton of time and elbow grease trying to smooth it out later. The consistency was night and day, and he said it went on like butter. It's funny how one small change to the routine can make such a big difference.

barnes.shane6mo ago

Man, why do we all have to learn that lesson the hard way? I used to just chuck everything in my mixer too and then fight with it for ten minutes. Half the batch would be soup and the other half was still dry powder. Seeing that guy layer it out must have felt like a magic trick. It's wild how just taking an extra minute to do the dry mix first fixes everything. My foreman used to yell about wasted material, and now I get it.