An old timer set me straight on mortar mixing yesterday

I was on a job in Tacoma, mixing mortar the way I always have, dump the bag in, add water, get it to the right feel. This guy, 30 years on the trowel, walks over and says I was making it too wet, that it should hold its shape when you grab it but not stick to your glove. He showed me his mix, drier than anything I ever used, and told me that's why my joints were slumping on the last course. Caught myself thinking I knew it all after 12 years, but that one tip saved me a redo on a whole wall. Made me wonder what else I've been doing wrong that simple, you know? Anyone else get humbled by an old hand like that on a basic step?

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victor_palmer14d ago

Drill down on what he said about the gloves. We all wear different gloves, nitro, leather, cloth. If the mortar doesn't stick to his glove but sticks to mine, we are working with two different mixes. That old timer probably had a calloused grip and a dry glove that held no moisture. So his "dry" mix might be the same as my "wet" one if I'm wearing a slick pair. Then you start chasing a feel that depends on the gear, not the mix. Maybe the real tip is to test the mix on the same glove you're laying with, every single time. That would have saved me from a lot of guesswork back in the day.

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