Mike Wye lime course

[TimHardusty]

Just thought I'd say that I had my intro course at Mike Wye's yesterday and now feel inspired to tackle some lime mortar stonework repairs as well as some lime plastering. Harling was not easy - knackered elbow didn't help - but I was most impressed at how easy lime mortar and lime plasters are to work with compared to modern stuff; overall a fantastic day

That said, I've been working up a list of "stuff" I need to get to fix up the small cupboard - 5m2 of walls maybe. Mortar for the stonework; harling, scratch, float and top coats: £150 :shock:. Not cheap this lark, is it!!

 

[rebeccac]

Why not make up your own lime putty like we did?? Then you only need sand .The costly part is the labour needed to make putty and then mortar so perhaps £150 for ready made isn't much/

 

[TimHardusty]

Not a bad idea at all...but I think I will grit my teeth, stump up the cash, and buy it ready made for this first toe-in-the-water job, and if it goes well I'll look at making my own for more major jobs in the future.

 

[MatthewC]

I bought the ready made mortar and plaster from Mike Wye and was very happy with it. One reason was to take one variable out of the equation, since I was using a relatively inexperienced (in lime) plasterer. Now, with only a few small jobs which I do myself, I buy lime putty and mix my own - which means I can get the colour that I want to closely match the existing pointing, for instance.

I also did the one day course (5 years ago - where does the time go?) and found it very useful. There was a collective "Oh, I now understand" from the whole course when they showed us the effect of brushing the surface off the mortar when it was going off.

 

[TimHardusty]

There was a collective "Oh, I now understand" from the whole course when they showed us the effect of brushing the surface off the mortar when it was going off.

Hmmm...they (or I, more like, lol) missed that. We brushed it, yes, but no demo/explanation of what for as far as I recall.

What's the purpose?

 

[Zebra]

You don't so much brush it, as bash it with a brush - a stiff churn brush particularly for the purpose. It both consolidates and compacts the mortar which you have put in, and texturises the surface to remove your trowel marks.

 

[TimHardusty]

Aha! Makes sense now - muchos gracias

 

[plasticpigeon]

I have tried bashing and it doesn't leave the finish I want on brickwork, it seems too rough, and I also always seem to break the corners off using the bash brush method. Is it more appropriate on stonework? I use a piece of wood and rub the end grain along the joint which seems to level off any undulations and gives a texture more open or roughened than a tooled finish, but less open than when stippled with a stiff brush. Depends on what is being constructed i guess.

 

[MatthewC]

I have tried bashing and it doesn't leave the finish I want on brickwork, it seems too rough, and I also always seem to break the corners off using the bash brush method. Is it more appropriate on stonework? I use a piece of wood and rub the end grain along the joint which seems to level off any undulations and gives a texture more open or roughened than a tooled finish, but less open than when stippled with a stiff brush. Depends on what is being constructed i guess.

There are a lot of variables, mostly to do with how long you leave it, the precise mix being used, the temperature, how well wetted the area was, how thick the pointing is, etc. I have never achieved the same effect as we did on the course, which was done after only about three hours; at that stage I always find that the mortar is still far too soft and I'm just brushing the mortar. Then I leave it and it sets too much overnight! :?

 

[Zebra]

Yes I suppose it depends on the result you're after. I have soft rounded bricks, big joints, with the original mortar rough and textured, and I bash. I find overnight to be OK - the first task on returning next day, even 24 hours later, is to bash yesterday's pointing. If you had fine joints and were after a rather more refined finish, then bashing might not suit. I suppose we all develop our own ways of doing things, much like those who built the houses in the first place!