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Blade
The blade of a tuck pointer has a long toe and pronounced
heel, to allow it to fill the whole length of a brick joint.
The blades on conventional tuck pointers also have
narrow edges to allow them to slice easily through
mortar.
Ferrule
Tuck pointers are usually held together by a ferrule: a
circular clamp that holds the blade and tang in place
through "crimping" (depressed grooves in the metal
created by a crimping tool). Rubber or fibreglass tuck
pointers sometimes lack a ferrule, and the handle is
simply sealed around the tang, or attached via a joint that
allows the handle to rotate. For more information on
alternatives to the ferrule, see What are the different types
of tuck pointer?
Grip
The grip of the tuck pointer is simply the part held by the
user while they are using the tool. It is angled away from
the blade to ensure as much comfort and leverage as
possible.
Tang
The blade and tang of the tuck pointer are usually forged
as one piece, but may be welded together, with the tang
extending up into the grip, secured by a ferrule. This
structure allows the user to apply greater pressure with the
tuck pointer, because the force is leveraged through the
handle rather than being fixed on the point of connection
between the handle and the blade
Preparation
When repointing a wall, you will need:
Tuck Pointer
Pointing Trowel
Mortar Hawk
Plugging Chisel
Club Hammer
Holding the mortar hawk in one hand and the tuck pointer
in the other, use the tuck pointer to slice off a "lift" of
mortar which is thick enough to fill a bed joint.
Tidying Up
Step 1 - Cleaning the brick face
Turn the tuck pointer on its side and use it to scrape off
any large flakes or "feathers" of excess mortar.
Step 2 - Pointing
Now you have finally got to the 'pointing' stage of
repointing. Pointing is the process of shaping a brick joint
to make it more resistant to weather. A popular kind of
pointing is a concave joint, but there are alternative styles.
If you have a round-edged tuck pointer, you can run its
base along the joints to depress the mortar into the right
shape. For drier mortar it can be more effective to use
other pointing tools such as a brick jointer. See Brick
jointers and brick rakes for more information on brick
joints and tools for brick jointing.
A Frenchman
How to tuckpoint
Step 1 - Mix brick-coloured mortar
The most important element of tuckpointing is creating a
mortar which disguises the original brick joint. To do this,
the mortar needs to be roughly the same colour as the
brick work. This can be achieved by buying pre-coloured
dry cement, adding a dye to the mortar mix, or trying to
colour the mortar yourself using sand that is a similar
colour to the brick. The basics of mixing mortar are
explained in How to repoint a wall with a tuckpointer.
Step 7 - Continue
Keep scoring beads until you've laid all of the bed joints
you need. Do this roughly one brick at a time.
Step 11 - Done!
If you've followed our steps correctly, then
congratulations! You've tuckpointed your wall like the
master tuckpointers of old.
Repointing:
How to Properly
Restore Old Buildings
By Mario Cantin
Invisible Tuckpointing Ltd.
So much has happened in the last 100 years: the automobile, electricity, the airplane, two
world wars, television, space exploration, computers and a lot more. Consequently, we live
faster and we build faster as well.
Unfortunately, unless you are over 90 years old, masons have never been exposed to how our
predecessors used to build, due to the advent of the modern cavity wall and cement-based
mortars, which have replaced traditional bonding methods and lime-based mortars. This only
becomes problematic when we attempt to repair older structures. It is especially made evident
when repointing is attempted on older buildings using the wrong mortar mix and the
wrong joint finishing style to boot.
Just as we do a professional job when building new masonry projects, we can achieve the
same degree of quality through acquired knowledge when tackling older structures.
Definition of the Terms
So what do you need to know? Let's start with this basic question: What is repointing? Have
you ever wondered what the difference is between the words "pointing," "jointing,"
"repointing" and "tuckpointing"? Although there is no longer a distinction, even among
engineers, between the terms, over a century ago the difference was clear.
Figure 6
and does not breathe or move with humidity. Lime being a naturally occuring mineral is flexible and when
sets is weaker than the surrounding stones or bricks and therefore will move or under worse situations
crack inside the joints. When cement is added to mortars the cement sets by a chemical reaction which
results in a hard impervious material which can damage soft stone or brickwork.
What is Tuckpointing?
Tuckpointing is the operation of finishing joints in brickwork after the bricklaying has been completed,
and is a way of using two contrasting colours in the mortar joints of the brickwork with one colour to
match the bricks themselves with a secondary pointed line pressed ontop as a means of contrast in both
colour and in lined layout. It is a way to make individual bricks in the brickwork to stand out and to give a
striking distinguished effect.
After the bricklaying has been completed, the joints are rough raked with a wall tie or raking tool to a
depth of 10mm (1cm) during construction. A self coloured mortar (lime mortar) is then placed in the raked
joints and flushed up. Following this, lime putty is pressed onto the mortar filling with a jointer /
tuckpointing tool and then finally cut to a uniform size.
What is lime Putty?
Lime Putty is a mixture of hydrated lime plus fine sand (Botany sand/fine beach or river sand). The
mixture is about 50:50 hydrated lime to fine sand. You can add more or less sand or water depending on
final mix consistency or personal preference.
Cement should not be added to lime putty as it is unneccesary and leads to impervious material which
cannot breathe or move and more prone to cracking. If cement or plastizers are added to lime putty then is
no longer regarded as authentic lime putty. Plastisizers should be avoided as they are not breatheable and
also form an impervious layer which damages the underlying mortar and does not lend iteself well to
repointing years down the track. So please stick to the original authentic hydrated lime and sand and you
cant go wrong.
How to Tuckpoint?
(coming soon)
Preparation of Walls
Dampen down the walls you are tuckpointing sufficiently prior to tuckpointing with lime putty (also read
below)
more of a problem in the northern hemisphere during very cool winter months. In the southern hemisphere
this is not as much of a problem but something to be aware of.
How to use Ready-Mix Lime Putty?
Just open the lid and drain out the top sealant layer of water and then stir putty. Then use as required. No
mess! Our Ready Mix Tuckpointing Lime Putty will save you alot time and effort. And you dont have to
use all of it in one go. As long as you add a small amount of water afterwards to cover over the top of the
lime putty to prevent it from drying out in the atmosphere and then reseal the lid tightly, it is possible to
store the product for a long time and reuse when required. Our Ready-Mix Lime Putty can be used straight
away. Some professionals prefer lime putty to sit for a number of weeks prior to use to allow better
bonding and general infusion of the lime putty into the sand, so please note that aging of our Ready-Mix
Lime Putty will not be a problem as long as the lime putty is kept covered in a sealant of water.
Ready-Mix Tuckpointing Lime Putty is available only in standard white natural lime colour. If you desire a
particular colour to your lime putty in order to match an existing home, then you can add coloured oxides
to the putty according to your requirement. We also supply colour oxides in red and black. It is best to
remove a small portion of lime putty into a second container and then add and mix to this small portion a
small amount of coloured oxide to first see how the colour comes out first, before doing the whole mix.
Tuckpointed lines are commonly white but they can be various shades red, grey, browns, yellows and
almond colour.
Ready-Mix Lime Putty ingredients are suitable for authentic heritage tuckpointing! Our Ready-Mix Lime
Putty is a mixture of rocklime and fine sand dating back to how it was originally made in the rocklime
furnaces of 18th century England. It is specifically made to a traditional heritage lime putty mixture dating
back well over 100 plus years. No plastisizers are added that would ruin the longevity of the lime putty on
the finished exposed brick and using a traditional mix will enable an existing heritage home or heritage
building to be repointed properly many, many years down the track and most importantly keep its value
well into the future.
Can Ready-Mix Lime Putty be used as a Mortar?
Yes, our Ready-Mix Lime Putty can be used for tuckpointing lines, and also to repair holes in brick mortar
in existing heritage brickwork. You do not have to add any ingredients apart from say coloured oxide when
used as a mortar between the joints, as the Lime Putty by itself is sufficiently suitable to do this purpose,
but you can add more sand or other aggregate if used as just mortar (not for tuckpointing, as fine sand and
more lime ratio is required in tuckpointing).
However you can add a little bit of sand and cement if you choose when used as mortar if structural
integrity is more critical for very worn or very deep joints or cracks below 10mm deep but not usually for
surface application as Tuckpointed Joints using Lime Putty are usually 10mm deep. However as mentioned
elsewhere cement being impermiable prevents buildings breathing and may end up in cracks through brick
and stone instead of just through the joints as cement is harder or as hard as the material it bonds together.
Tips on applying Tuckpointing with Lime Putty
Please remember to dampen down the walls you are tuckpointing sufficiently prior to tuckpointing with
lime putty to prevent flaking off when curing, as if lime putty is placed onto dry brick mortar /brick walls
the moisture will be sucked out causing flaking. So it is important that you dampen the walls prior to
tuckpointing preferably with a damp/wet towel or with a very light hose spray and then dampened down
with a damp towel, depending on how dry the weather is and what surface area you are doing. The brick
mortar should not be too wet as to cause the lime putty to run or dissolve but just damp enough to prevent
the moisture from being sucked out of the lime putty prematurely.
When applying Lime Putty to a brick wall you can first apply a small amount ontop of a hawk tool or
straight edge and then transfer using an appropriate Tuckpointing Tool.
A Tuckpointer's Straight Edge is then lined up with the tuckpointed line and using a Frenchmen knife,
which is a knife with a small upturned sharp bent tip the excess Lime Putty is "cut" away from either side
of the line, so a clean fine line is produced, without rough edges.
How much Ready-Mix Lime Putty do I require?
As a general estimate only, each 4L bucket of Ready-Mix Lime Putty should do a minimum of 20 square
metres of wall. So therefore a 10L bucket of Ready-Mix Lime Putty should do 50 square metres of brick
wall. This depends on how much you watse and other factors such as brick type, size and shape. But you
can use ths as a rough estimate.
If you accidently spill or get lime putty on areas you do not want then you should clean up as soon as
possible, if left to dry you can use a dilute acid to wash off if any other means is not an option.
How to removing Lime Putty from Bricks- What happens if I find some insoluble lime scum on my
bricks? How do I remove this without bleaching the tuckpointed joints?
Sometimes no matter how good you are you may unknowingly or accidentally spill or drip lime putty onto
un intentional areas.
The solution is to use hydrochloric acid and brush it onto the affected brickwork. But you must use a 10%
concentration only - NOT MORE CONCENTRATED! If you use too strong an acid and it soaks too much
into the brick it can "burn" the lime mortar and professional tuckpointers have told me that it actually can
go green. And you may not see affects till as much as 3 weeks later. So please be careful with the amount
of acid you use. Also it is harmful to hands and eyes so wear gloves and eye protection.
When applying an acid, scrub on the acid and leave for 5 minutes only.
Then wash off/scrub off twice with plain water. And wash down wall to remove an acid residue.
If this does not work, then use hydrated lime over the affected areas overnight and wait till the morning to
remove with water
In both cases you will have to re-tuckpoint the affected areas.
If you are still having trouble getting rid of lime mortar from unwanted areas then another remedy may be
to use Selley's sugar soap.
You may want to use masking tape to cover any surrounding tuckpointing from exposure to acid prior to
acid application, but remember to peel off after washing the walls so it doesn't retain any acid and wash
without tape.
Heritage Restorations
coming soon
Tuckpointing Trade Schools and Teachers
There are places where you can go to learn the unique art of tuckpointing.
In Australia you can do a 2 day or beginners and advanced courses at the Holmesglen Institute of TAFE,
courses are limited so please phone to book.
Holmesglen's contact website is www.holmesglen.edu.au
The Holmesglen Institute of Technical And Further Education is a tertiary level training institute situated
in the South-Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. The course that you will need to find more
information about is "Tuckpointing & Restoration"
Tuckpointing Tools
Speedex manufactures Tuckpointing Tools of the highest quality and largest range available worldwide.
All of our Speedex Tuckpointing Tools are manufactured from special wear resistant tool steel, and are
fully hardened and ground sharp to ensure a perfect edge and long tool life. We have been supplying
professional tradesmen worldwide for over two decades with tuckpointing tools, aswell as hobbyists and
those interested in learning this unique trade.
We call our tools "tuckpointing tools", but these tools are also known by various other names around the
world such as tuckpointing irons, irons, brick irons, repointers, jointers and brick trowels. They are all used
for brick restoration purposes in order to make white or coloured tuckpointed lime putty lines between the
brickwork of heritage homes around the world. These tuckpointed lines enable contrast or symetry or both
between the brickwork or stone therfore enhancing the beauty, value and old charm to heritage homes
around the world and thus is a very sort after trade.
(WE NOW ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS OVER PHONE! OUR ONLINE SHOPPING CART IS
NOW AVAILABLE!)
Our Standard Tuckpointing Tools are shown below. Our Standard Tuckpointing Tools have a
flat base which is ground to a sharp finish and made from hardened quality tools steel so that
they will last. As you can see below our Standard Tuckpointing Tools come in a wide variety
of widths to suit any particular requirement that you have. Available in 2 standard lengths
75mm long and 125mm long and from as little as 1mm wide for very fine tuckpointing and to
up to 14mm wide for wider stonework or for wider brick joints.
Our Round Beaded Tuckpointing Tools are shown below. They are used to leave behind a
raised "rounded" bead on the tuckpointed lines. Our Round Beaded Tuckpointing Tools are
available in 2 standard lengths, 75mm and 125mm long and also in a wide variety of widths.
We also can make deeper rounded beaded tools (not shown here).
Our Square Beaded Tuckpointing Tools shown below. They are used to leave behind a raised
"square" bead on the tuckpointed lime putty lines. They are available in 2 standard lengths
75mm and 125mm long and also a wide variety of square widths. Please note that when you
select a "beaded" size we are refering to the width of the round or square "bead or groove"
not the overall width of the tuckpointing tools which is made slightly wider.
Our Stubnose and Longnose Tuckpointing Tools are shown below. They are used in areas
which are difficult to reach or get to such around door jams and around window sills,
paraphets and any hard to reach ornate brickwork. We have recently brought out the
"Longnose" for those wishing to have additional reach, but you can decide which tool is most
suitable for your requirement.
Our Stone Tuckpointing Tools are shown below. They have deeper square beads or grooves.
These Stone Tuckpointing tools have beads that are approximately 12mm wide by 5mm deep,
which are slightly tapered to allow lime putty to slide out easier. We manufacture them in
two standard lengths 75mm long and 125mm long. We can manufacture them in various
depths depending on our customer requests. We have placed the tuckpointing tools in a
different category under Stone Tuckpointing Tools rather than under square beaded or round
beaded tuckpoining tools because the groove depth is deeper (3mm, 4mm or 5mm generally).
We also manuafature deeper round beaded stone tools which we will put on website as soon
as we have a picture.
We supply Ready-Mix Lime Putty in both 4L and 10L buckets shown below. If you want
convenience and no mess, then you can start tuckpointing straight away as soon as you open
the Ready-Mix bucket. Our Ready-Mix Lime Putty is made to the authentic heritage
traditional lime putty mix dating back well over 100 years, so it is perfect for all heritage
restorations. This is the mix that is used by professionals worldwide since the eighteenth
century to ensure that the tuckpointing is done right. It does not contain any plastisizers or
any harmful additives which may damage the breathability of the underlying brick or stone
wall. Experts recommend using authentic lime putty as moisture is free to permeate through a
wall as with any primary lime based building material, and therefore the tuckpointed lines
will not have a tendency to crack of unintentionally early and will enable a home to be
repointed successfully well into the future. Please click on our Ready-Mix Lime Putty page
for more information and tips on using lime putty.
We manufacture and supply Frenchmen knives and Double Frenchmen Knives, used to "cut"
the tuckpointed lines with the aid of a tuckpointer's straight edge:
We manufacture and supply Hawk Tools, which are used to place mortar or lime putty on top
prior to application to a mortar joint / tuckpointed joint:
We manufacture and supply Caulking Trowels shown below, for applying / pressing in
mortar into holes or cracks in the brick face prior to tuckpointing:
We also manufacture Raking Tools, available in 10mm and 12mm diameter. Others available
on request. These tools can be used by bricklayers / tradepeople to rake rounded grooves into
conventional brick joints.
We also manufacture Fine Sand Sieves specially suited for sieving fine river or beach sand
used to make tuckpointing lime putty. Available in wood or metal construction.
We also manufacture Rounded Corner Tuckpointing Tools, which can be used to tuckpoint
around rounded shaped bricks. A variety of styles and sizes are available upon your particular
request.
For more information on each of these products please go to top of this page and click the individual
product links. We now have an online shopping cart so you can select products you want and order them
more conveniently.
We manufacture and supply the following Tuckpointing Tools and Supplies: (an updated version is shown
on the following link)
Note: When ordering directly to our contact email address speedex@speedex.com.au please write down
the item code on the left hand side with quantities and we can then process your order manually via email.
Otherwise please use our new automatic online shopping cart to place an order and follow the simple
online instructions to enter in your full delivery address with post codes (very important) and then enter
your payment details.
Please note to make online ordering easier and quicker for you via our shoppping cart you can simply
order as a "Guest" (by clicking on Guest when prompted using our shopping cart instructions) to save you
from having to register an account and password etc with us.
We now have an Online Shopping Cart to provide greater convenience for all our customers
who which to purchase online via Paypal. We hope to also offer other non-Paypal payments
soon so you can still pay online using your credit card but directly to our Bank rather than via
Paypal (service coming soon).
How to use our Online Shopping Cart?
To help you with using our online shopping cart, please click here for instructions: How to
use our Online Shopping Cart?
We accept all credit cards (visa, mastercard and Amex-american express), over the phone and
in person. Only our online shopping cart via Paypal will accept debit cards and all credit
cards aswell.
Our shopping cart automatically calculates shipping prices depending on your shipping
destination and the type of service you select. But if in doubt please feel welcome to write to
us, as we are still configuring our online store to run correctly.
**PLEASE NOTE: the maximum weight per parcel for Australia Post is 22kg and for DHL
Express is 30kg per parcel weight. If our shopping cart does not give you an automatic
shipping price (or gives you only option as "pick up from store" without any other shipping
option) then dont worry your order may be over these weights, in which case please write to
us directly and we will manually calculate shipping price for you. We are currently working
on fixing this problem for larger orders so that orders can be automatically split into separate
parcels and automatic shipping prices calculated using our online shopping cart. But we can
ship any weight order anywher in the world using a variety of methods.
Delivery
You can choose to have your order sent by Australia Post or by DHL Express Worldwide
door-door couriers by default.
Local customers delivery : for local customers (within Australia) if your order is up to 3kg
and fits inside an Express Satchel safely then we will usually send your order in an Express
Satchel (either 500g or 3kg satchel) which is usually delivered the next business day if you
are within the right local australian postal zones, basically if you around a capital city then
delivery is next day (or say 1-2days from payment). If you fall outside the main capital city
zones then delivery by express satchel may take longer (say approx 3 days from payment).
For larger orders or orders better suited to be packed in a box, then we generally post them
using parcel post (via Australia post). Tracking is provided using Parcel Post and we can use
your Ausralia Post receipt ID number to track your parcel online, but thye dont send
automatic tracking notifications to your contact email address, we can do this manually via
their online website. We do not include insurance as default (to keep shipping costs lowest)
however you can either select this via the shopping cart or let us know and we can include
this. Australia post is usually pretty good with orders.We can also deliver parcels via Couriers
Please (metropolitan areas and limited country areas) and Hunter Express for heavier/larger
orders (say pallets) etc) but you must write to us for these services.
International customers delivery: for international customers (outside Australia) you can
now choose your delivery from
Airmail: delivery time 3-10 business days, least expensive method than courier. No Tracking
provided. No Signature on delivery. Service via Australia Post
Registered Post International: delivery time 3-10 business days. Ideal for sending items less
than 2kg. Signed delivery at most destinations. Send to post office boxes, metro, rural and
remote areas. Tracking provided by entering in receipt ID code into Australia post website
tracking area.
DHL Express Worldwide: Fastest delivery times for anything urgent! DHL offers delivery
times of usually within 3 business days to most worldwide destinations and full tracking is
provided unlike the other services. So throughout UK ,USA, NZ, Ireland, France, Europe etc
DHL will delivery 2-3 business days in general unless some very remote area. Full tracking is
provided and provided we have your contact email address we can then get DHL to send
automatic tracking notifications to your email address, so you can see where your parcel is at
any time. Usually immediately after an order is booked in with DHL we will send you a
confirmation email to say your order has been booked in and we give you your DHL tracking
number. With our online shopping cart this will be done automatically but we may still send
manual emails to you until we are confident our shopping cart and delivery system works
properly.
For larger orders or orders with different packing dimensions it may be worthwhile to write
to us directly so we can work out how best /cheapest shipping option for you.
We pack our tools and send them via DHL or Australia Post in either plastic satchels
(tuckpointing tools and other supplies), Post tubes (generally straight edges and combinations
of straight edges and tuckpointing tools will fit together in postal tubes, or tubes taped
strongly together for multiple straight edges or tools), and ofcourse an assortment of boxes
etc for all types of tuckpointing products.
If our shopping cart does not automatically work out most efficient delivery method (for
example know if to use a post tube or satchel or box or combination of items etc or if to better
go with australia post or DHL etc) you are welcome to write to us for shipping price
confirmation if there is any doubt. We will write to you if a discrepancy has arisen, so we will
ensure that the delivery cost is kept to a minimum. If an order is too heavy or over size then
pallets can be provided or heavier grade boxes used etc.
Please note that our online shipping cart and ordering is a very new service offered by our
business, and as such we will try to ensure that all orders are processed correctly. If for any
reason we notice an error in shipping prices or an error in delivery information then we will
let you know as soon as possible via your contact address. We maintain that all shipping
prices are true and accurate as possible to the best of our abilities and will notify you incase
of any discrepancy.
Besides buying from us directly at our business location or using our online shopping cart, we
also accept Phone and Internet orders for all our products.
Please email us at speedex@speedex.com.au
or
phone us on: 03 9459 3460 (local customers) or 0061 3 9459 3460 (international customers,
UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, NZ, France, Europe, etc)
and please send us, tell us:
1. Your full name
2. Your full Delivery Address with post codes (so we can provide an accurate total price for
postage/shipment of goods).
3. Description of what tools you require and quantity. You can list individual item product
codes from our Product Range Chart above, or simply explain what you want in an email to
us.
4. Contact phone number now required for delivery & tracking purposes so goods arrive to
you correctly.
We will then reply with a Price Quotation/Invoice for total price including delivery. We
prefer to recieve order emails sent from our customers as it prevents us from mispelling or
making a mistake writing down email addresses & delivery addresses over the phone which
prevents us from contacting you. But we also accept phone orders so please alternatively
phone us (0061) 3 9459 3460 for orders or to make a credit card payment.
Payment: We NOW ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS (VISA and Mastercard and AMEXAmerican express) over the phone and through the net. Unfortunately we do not accept debit
cards over the phone or inperson, but our online shopping cart via Paypal accepts debit cards.
We also accept Paypal payments, cash, cheque (for customers we know well), electronic bank
transfer, international money transfers via bank branches.
International customers can also use "Paypal" to make payments, as it is safe and easy to use
and automatically converts currency. How paypal payments work by the manual method is
that we will firstly send you a price quote/invoice to your email address and then also email
you a separately a "Request for Payment" via the Paypal website. You just have to follow the
Paypal links and sign up (which is totally free!) by simply giving an email address and
making up a password of your choice. Then you follow easy instructions and can fill in your
credit card/bank details and then make a payment for our tuckpointing tools online. Paypal is
safe and secure and third parties do not get access to your bank details.
Please click on How to use our Online Shopping Cart? if you cant work out how to use our
online shopping cart.
So if you would like to purchase any of our products please call us, email us or use our online
shopping cart and we would be happy to help!