I'm new to bricklaying, and am in the process of building a low level garden
wall that's about 10m long. I have access to a mixer and I've found that if
I mix the mortar at 1:4 with some plasticizer it begins to stiffen after
about 2 hours. Is it OK to add a little more water and keep using the mortar
a little longer as I understand I could be using a 1:6 mix?

Thanks for any advice.

bhads wrote:
I'm new to bricklaying, and am in the process of building a low level garden
wall that's about 10m long. I have access to a mixer and I've found that if
I mix the mortar at 1:4 with some plasticizer it begins to stiffen after
about 2 hours. Is it OK to add a little more water and keep using the mortar
a little longer as I understand I could be using a 1:6 mix?

Thanks for any advice.

2hrs is way too long. 4:1 is a strong mix, 1:1:6 is a more likely
condidate for walling. But 4:1 will work ok, long as youre not using
soft bricks.

Your remixed mortar will work, but be much weaker. Best discard after
40 mins or so.


NT

bhads wrote:
I'm new to bricklaying, and am in the process of building a low level garden
wall that's about 10m long. I have access to a mixer and I've found that if
I mix the mortar at 1:4 with some plasticizer it begins to stiffen after
about 2 hours. Is it OK to add a little more water and keep using the mortar
a little longer as I understand I could be using a 1:6 mix?

Thanks for any advice.


Duh! never add water to mix after its started to go off, plaster or
mortar. Its a chemical reaction that going on here you know.
Only mix as much as you can use. Chuck the unused hardening stuff away.

bhads wrote:
I'm new to bricklaying, and am in the process of building a low level garden
wall that's about 10m long. I have access to a mixer and I've found that if
I mix the mortar at 1:4 with some plasticizer it begins to stiffen after
about 2 hours. Is it OK to add a little more water and keep using the mortar
a little longer as I understand I could be using a 1:6 mix?

Don't add more water, don't mix more than you can use in two hours;
don't you want a tea break anyway? That may mean it is barely worth
using a mixer anyway.

"Nick Finnigan" wrote in message


bhads wrote:

I mix the mortar at 1:4 with some plasticizer it begins to stiffen after
about 2 hours. Is it OK to add a little more water and keep using the mortar
a little longer as I understand I could be using a 1:6 mix?

Lots do. I dare say it is wrong though.

Don't add more water, don't mix more than you can use in two hours;
don't you want a tea break, it is barely worth using a mixer anyway.

It is cheap enough to discard but if he had used a 6:1:1 lime mix he'd
have ben better of (you don't use plasticiser with lime mortar.)

Some mortar is supplied in skips that is kept wet for ages.


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On Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:27:05 GMT, "bhads" wrote:

I'm new to bricklaying, and am in the process of building a low level garden
wall that's about 10m long. I have access to a mixer and I've found that if
I mix the mortar at 1:4 with some plasticizer it begins to stiffen after
about 2 hours. Is it OK to add a little more water and keep using the mortar
a little longer as I understand I could be using a 1:6 mix?

Thanks for any advice.


Its best to make less :-)


I started with 4 shovels of sand, to 1 cement, and when I had enough
skill to use that in 30 minuites, I doubled the mix.



Rick