Bob,

You do not say if this is a brick or stone chimney and what percentage of it
needs repair (re-pointing).

Brick chimney needing lots of work is best handled with a diamond saw on an
angle grinder, to get the old mortar out. It makes a mess, as dust is
flying all over, but it's quick and good. Stone construction is less
regular and more labor intensive. You probably need a new crown/cap as
well, if it's that old.

As to what put back in the place of old mortar - can't answer that. Had
some work done recently, but my crown cracked a few days after it was
replaced. So the formula was not good. Been trying to find out the
sand/cement/etc mix myself that would hold up. The re-pointing is holding
up in my case, but don't know what mix the guy used, as he did it himself.
The crown is more crucial in more ways than one.

RichK


"Mail Man Bob" wrote in message

This is a problem with an old chimney - the house was built in 1919 and
the
chimney is probably that old - don't know for sure.

The mortar has weathered thru in places. What's the best material to use
for patching it up?