How long did the original mortar perform at least adequately? Did it cause
any damage to the stone? Were you able to analyze the original mortar? Could
you match it in the reconstruction? Is there any reason NOT to use the
original mix?

That is my recommendation.

Please Note My New Direct Telephone and Fax Numbers

Eric Hammarberg
Associate Director of Preservation
Associate
LZA Technology
641 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011-2014
Telephone: 917.661.8176
Mobile: 917.439.3537
Fax: 917.661.8177
email:  [log in to unmask]




-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2002 12:07 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Stump the chumps


....A column 80 ft tall, weighs 150 tons (of Granite).
 The column is made up of a large base   ; and central column of drums;
.There are 4 parts to every drum ; each part weighs in excess of 2 tons .
The original mortar was lime putty the joints were under 1/2 inch
we will put back an ss anchor system for lateral forces, the replacement
mortar or setting mortar should be high strength but flexible for thermal
conditions .....
We should use  A. high Mag lime putty( guage with portland)
B. High Cal lime putty  ( same or without Portland )  or   both with stone
dust
C. St. Astier lime Mortar 2-5.( French commercial lime mortar)
.. D. 1-1-6 with portland (Type s and type N)     E. 2-1-9 also  with S and
N
..... F.    2-1-12     H.    Fill in the blank      (answer under Ralphs
couch)

Brick Bats.....Names on bricks ....up North the fabricators were not so
numerous
so we covet their unique signatures .....down South  every county had one if
not two brick Fabricators  with many in between .
...So called slave brick that have the thumb prints in them ( many of the
black craftsmen were freemen although they themselves may have owned slaves
,but thats a nutter story you won't get on NPR).
 Bricks were fabricated down "hair "
using the "scove" kiln which was a simple draw kiln quite often made of the
very brick that was to be fired . The scove kiln was fired by charcoal or
pulp wood (low temps) only one brick in four fired from such kilns were hard
enough to be used as facing brick .... the rest were called Salmons, salmons
were low vitrified soft brick used mostly as back up brick .Until after the
civil war the South "struck its brick using the soft mud method, puddled
clay
into wood forms hand pressed. The extrusion process which came later
mechanically pressed the brick  and the signatures of the fabricator.
..Jefferson wrote for his homes in Virginia that "no" salmons be used
.....but they were used on  most buildings  ...as the masons could not
always
wait for good brick ; so the buildings were covered in decorative Lime
render
to waterproof and make good the soft brick  .These same historic buildings
today are viewed  without render  as "orginal "This is also why you have to
be careful when you buy old brick for exterior work like walks ect and they
just crumble to bits.
 If you like brick and want to see some really unusual types from the
1830-1870 visit the primitive iron smelting plants in back woods Alabama
(Tanehill, Briarfield  ect) There are bricks there that do not meet the
typical expectation  of the word brick.
 ...Lou (of Lou's sandwiches New Haven ) would love it  by the way I used to
take my morning break with Lou when I worked on Yale.; and my afternoon
break
at Richters but dats a nutter story.      Best Michael

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>