Building an 8" Block Lead [For Students] 

Good thalent God bless you 100😚👍

I guess thumb down then because I liked it there Rodrigo San Gustas veinero de LA poopypants diego Engaysiez

@@502Louisville thanks for the comment! 😂

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for comment!

He has one more today!…..excellent tutorial.

I am a mason and I watch alot of masonry videos and his channel never came up in my recommendations til yesterday that's probably why he doesn't have more subscribers

He will get more

Because he doesn’t know how to set up a camera…

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment and good luck!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Yeah this is good.check tutorial de construccion and you will see everything you want to learn.the channel is spanish but is very easy to understand.

Thanks for the comment! Great ideas in regards to uneven surfaces and mortar types.

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! I think makes the block work look a little bit better, and ready for paint, than the just a brush.

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Hello Sir thank you for your video. I agree with with all of the comments. Sir I am a beginner I've never laid any blocks in my life time. Finding your video was by the grace of God Divine Providence thank you Jesus. Great job now AT least I am not hesitant about laying concrete blocks. I have a big project ahead of me I'm going to be building a Outdoor Pizza-Bread oven. For the first time. I've watched several videos on how to build a outdoor Pizza-Bread oven thank you very much sir. Amazing job.

Agree

​@@thomasj.fulnecky4547great project to begin with and any imperfections just add to the character of the construction.

Awesome teaching! Pure teaching talent matched with a great demonstration!

Thanks for the comment!

Hahah! Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! I hope everything works out for you!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

That's great! :) Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! No one gets it right the first time! It takes practice and repetitions to get a good grasp of it. I can guarantee that the next wall you build would be better than your first, and that's really the goal. Thanks again!

Hi Masonry201. Thanks for the reply...and your encouragements. One thing I will do is watch your instructional video over and over again until its ingrained in my intellect. Then I will use a mock-up similar to your demo. Lining up 4 cinder blocks on a flat surface, then use the heel and tip of the trowel with the right consistency to lay each line on each side of the block starting at the bottom footer. then work the your technique until I get it right with full confidence. The beauty of this is I can repeat this over and over again - just wipe-up, add water when the mix dries up, and reuse again. I probably will use less than a 1/4 bag or 15 pounds of mortar for this demo. In closing, this is one of the most difficult learning curves to undertake. Yet, as in any challenge, this can be mastered. Thanks again for your wisdom All the best in your future endeavors.

Thanks!

Thanks for the comment!

Thank you for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Best of luck!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! Good luck with the wall!

Thats's a great observation! When I was first taught, ~25 years ago, we spread a full bed of mortar, just as you mentioned, the entire width of the block. Nowadays, with walls having rebar and grout added to them, the first course's cells should be free of mortar. This is so there is no "sandwich" of mortar between grout/concrete. On most commercial buildings in California, "clean outs" (the face of block removed) are left in the first course of block. The cell floors are cleaned, even vacuumed, and inspected before grouting. Thanks for commenting!

Thanks a lot!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the reply! Good luck!

Thank you too!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thank you!

Thanks for the comment! Take your time. Once you lay a few, you'll get in the swing of things.

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! The mortar is just 4 to 1 mix of bar sand and hydrated lime.

Thank you!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment/question! Building corners or leads with thinner block can be a little more difficult. They will want to lean forwards and backwards as you're building. The best tip for those types of blocks will be to have consistent and smooth mortar. If the mortar is too stiff, you will beat the units down and cause the lower units to move in and out.

Thanks for the comment! The 1/8" tolerance is for grading purposes. In the field, I like the saying "when it's perfect, it's close enough". Thanks again!

Thanks for subbing and thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the comment! Sure, this mortar can be mixed in mortar mixer.

@@masonry2018 I think he meant a concrete mixer. But yeah, that will work if you don't have a mortar mixer. Or mix it by hand with a box and hoe. Old school.

Thanks for the comment! As for the question, I would need a lot more info. Drainage is more important in a retaining than reinforcement. The wall can be made super strong, but will always lose to hydrostatic pressure (water build up behind the wall). Which is why you may see retaining walls leaning outwards. The wall may have been built correctly, but without allowing for water to get around or through it, it will fail.

@masonry2018 The retaining wall is being built on a dug out slope with a French drain behind it so the water drains off down on the outer edge.

Thanks for the question! 7 courses high is usually the height at which scaffold will be built. After that, usually every 6 courses the scaffold height is raised. There's usually grout involved in building walls, and going 6 courses at a time (after the first 7) usually works for grouting heights and rebar overlap.

Good question. No, blocks typically don't get pre-wet before laying. However, there are certain types of brick with what's called a high ROA (Rate Of Absorbtion) that quickly suck the moisture out of mortar. Those brick can be hosed down before laying. Thanks!

Great questions! As for depth of the bottom of the footing, it will usually depend on the frost line depth in that area and possibly the soils compaction level. The bottom of each stepped area will be much lower than the frost line, depending on how many steps you want to put into it and how fast the grade rises. As for the foundation block, go as close as you can to grade without going over, then, I'm guessing, you'll transition to something else (brick, stone, etc.) above grade.

Thanks for the question! This mortar is practice mortar, just lime and sand, no cement. However, Amerimix S is good stuff. When mixing with a hoe, try to "whip up" the mortar. Don't just push it back and forth in whatever your mixing in (wheelbarrow, tub, etc.) After mixing, the mortar should feel "airy", like heavy whipped cream. That means you achieved getting small air bubbles into the mix. The small air bubbles help keep the mortar workable for long periods of time, without it becoming "dead" (all the water in the mix rising to the top). It takes more time to mix, by hand, but that's what you're trying to achieve, a machined mixed mortar. There are also additives, which should generally be avoided, but can help. Even a few drops of Dawn dish detergent in the mix will help incorporate small air bubbles. Too much and the mix becomes weak, too little and it won't really do anything. In short, take the time in the beginning to mix the mortar thoroughly. Mix it for at least 5 minutes by hand, whipping it up, AFTER it's at the desired consistency. Thanks for the comment!

Thank you for your warm reply. I'll definitely follow your advice on the mortar prep for both consistency and longevity. I had a theory prior to your reply on why the mortar dries-out so quickly. I've worked on this project in 95-deg F heat in the summer. According to a professional industry masonry forum, the heat dries out in warmer temps reducing its water content. And thus its bonding adhesion. And whether this high temp and my using a cement mixture may have both contributed of such implications. But I'll try your hoe and swirl technique with dish detergent. Thanks again my friend. Keep-up the great work.

@@jadesystem I have done half batches also, a bit of a pain but you work with fresh mortar most of the time.

Yes. Media, PA

Thanks for the comment! You make a great point. Typically one would be building a lead on an established layout course, in which case, only 6 courses high. That's when scaffold would get bumped up, electrical extensions put on, typical grout height, etc. For training purposes, a 7 course high lead, from the ground, makes sense. As the first course acts like a layout course. Great observation!

Good question! That does happen sometime, and it shows the importance of taking your time for layout courses. It's called "stack bond". It can't be "fixed", but you can make it less noticeable, by cutting two blocks, 11-5/8" long and putting them next to each other. The head joints will stagger, but not right on half bond.

Thanks for the question! The only cons would be financially. Is there leftover mortar you could've used? Does not finishing the lead hold up other trades/people? Otherwise, it could sit unfinished for years if need be. If it's just a project, for practice, the only timeline is a due date! :)

Hello, this is "practice" mortar. It doesn't cure to the strength of normal mortar. It's just a lime and sand mix. Thanks for the comment!

Yessir! We get guys from Hodgson time to time. That's a great Vo-Tech high school. Thanks!

I’ll be uploading a few more this summer. Thanks!

Yes. It's about 4 parts sand to 1 part lime. No cement. It gets about as hard as a piece of chalk after about a week. Good enough for projects, not good for field use. The units (brick ,block, etc.) get cleaned off and the mortar gets thrown onto a sifter, which filters out any broken chunks of brick or block. Then thrown right back into the mixer. Can reuse the mortar over and over and over. Same with the units.

@@masonry2018 Thanks. I use the same for my students.

Thanks for the question! It's a lime and sand mix. 1 part hydrated lime (the stuff that's sold at Lowes or Home Depot) to 4 parts sand. Can be reused over and over.

Thank you!

Thanks for the comment/question! Temperature-wise, the general rule of thumb is 28 degrees and rising. Mortar generates a tiny bit of heat on its own. If mortar freezes before it sets, it will be garbage. Setting (initial hardness) usually takes a few hours. If the temp is good for a few hours, above 32, you're good to go. As for split-face in particular, I will slightly hack (lay the bottom of the block not perfectly flush with the block below it, slightly back) each course. No one wants to see the bottom edge of split-face after it's struck. You'll understand when you do it, little tough to imagine; and just lay the top edge to the line, the split-face side, not the back! Thanks again.

@@masonry2018 thank you for the reply! What do you think would be the best way for a rookie like myself to establish a starting point under a mobile home so that my block will end up flush with the outside of the house? Do I need to build 2 corner leads at a time and then work my way to each corner?

@@hoosierhillslawncare On top of a concrete footing, I would lay the 4, single, corner blocks first. Lay them to the exact height you want to be (usually an 8" increment from the final height). Lay them to the correct bond (all whole block will be laid between them). And perfectly underneath where you want them to finally be placed (terminate). Those 4 block are the key to keeping everything else plumb. level, square, flat, on bond, etc. Your footing depth depends on where this mobile home is in the country. Look up "frost line depth" in your zip code. Your concrete footing should at least go to that depth if you want these walls to never move.

Thanks for the question! The cells of the block will sometimes need to be filled with grout, depending on what the architect specifies.

Sure, if you're trying to "get up" in height, you can lay block upside down, but once installed, it doesn't matter.

Great question! The parts of the block on the first course can be used as a guide as to where to place the second course of block. You can certainly put marks on the first course, but it's not really needed. ie, the center web of a sash block on the first course.

Thanks man great video

@@bakerco112 Thanks for the comment!

Thanks for the question! It's crossed my mind. Maybe in a year or two.

Ha! Thanks for then comment! I only expected about 20 views per year (from students) of this video. I didn't think many would watch this. I would've put more effort into the music!

Thanks!

Each block is 16" (1'-4") long with a mortar joint.

The mortar is practice mortar. It's roughly 1 part lime to 4 parts sand. No particular brand of lime. Thanks for the question.

Thanks for the comment! I wish I could too!