Old mason taught me something about pointing I still think about

There was this one guy named Frank, must have been 70, who was doing repointing on a church in Akron back in 2018. I was fresh out of my first year and I was slopping mortar all over the place trying to keep up. He stopped me and said 'son, your joints look like they're crying' and showed me how to finish them with a slicker in one smooth pass instead of jabbing at it. I still hear his voice sometimes when I'm trying to rush and mess it up. Anybody else have an old timer who just stuck with you like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_owens1mo agoMost Upvoted

My joints look like they're crying" - I've never heard it put that way before, but I know exactly the feeling he was talking about. That's the kind of phrase that sticks with you because it's so simple and true. What I'm wondering is, did Frank ever explain to you why he thought that finish mattered so much? Was it just about keeping water out, or did he have a deeper reason, like leaving something behind that looked like it belonged? I've always found that the old guys have a reason for everything they do, even the small stuff. Sometimes they just don't say it outright.

andrewh431mo ago

Yeah @harper_owens, Frank never said it outright but I think he just wanted the work to feel right more than anything.