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Cleaning a flue in an old farmhouse outside Boise made me miss the old ways.
Last week I was up on a roof, looking at a modern liner system. It works fine, but it's just plastic and metal. Three years ago, I was in the same county cleaning a flue with a set of old school wire brushes and rods my dad gave me. You could feel the brick through the handle, know exactly what you were hitting. Now everything is about speed and throwaway parts. Anyone else feel like we're losing the craft part of the job?
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rileyowens5mo ago
Yeah, you hit on something real. Last time I had to repoint some mortar, the new mix just didn't grip the same. Felt like spreading butter, not like you were locking the stones in for another hundred years. You lose that feel in your hands, and the whole thing becomes just a task to finish.
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ross.kelly5mo ago
Exactly, that butter feeling means the lime ratio is off or it's got too much plasticizer. You want it to grab the trowel just a bit, like stiff peanut butter. When it's wrong, you're just filling holes, not actually bedding anything in.
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barbara_hall95mo ago
Right, because nothing says "solid craftsmanship" like mortar that feels like you're frosting a cake. I swear, half the bagged stuff these days is just pre-mixed regret. Ross.Kelly is spot on about the peanut butter feel, you know it's right when it fights back a little. Makes you wonder what they're even putting in the mix now, right? Takes all the pride out of it when you're just smearing on something that'll probably crack in five years.
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