The Brick Mason work is varied it could consist of making a simple stone path to a complicated installation of an elaborate surface on a major downtown building.
Primary Objectives:
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The Brick Mason normally performs all types of masonry work.
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The Brick Mason know how to use masonry panels, casts, blocks, and other materials to construct and maintain walls, exteriors, fireplaces, walkways, etc.
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The Brick Mason is usually a high school graduate but needs to work with an experienced mason in order to get his/her training.
The most common types of masonry work are that of doing sidewalks or laying brick walls. Some Brick Masons focus on laying industrial furnaces’ firebrick linings. The Brick Masons use a variety of procedures in their work. Often the work is done outside and requires a lot of heavy lifting. Brick Masons usually work from scaffolding and their work can become highly dangerous. They have to carry heavy loads of brick and mortars up and down the scaffolding in order to create a structure. About a quarter of the Brick Masons are self-employed making it hard for them to get any benefits. There are many Brick Masons who known for their buildings and exteriors.
One step that a Brick Mason utilizes is that of using a corner lead which means that he creates a pyramid structure of bricks, called a lead, in the four corners. Leads are extremely difficult to construct and require meticulous and skilled masons. After the leads are complete junior masons then draw a line connecting the leads to show where each line of bricks, called a course, will go to fill in the wall. Leads are very difficult to construct which makes them more expensive. The Brick Mason prefers to use corner poles or guides which make it possible to build a whole wall at once. The Brick Mason usually places the corner poles vertically to show the lines the walls will take and connect the poles by a cord, thus outlining the walls. The lines show where each course will go making the construction go quicker saving time which saves money.
The Brick Mason uses a mixture of cement, water, and sand called mortar which they apply with a flat tool called a trowel, to create a base for the bricks, which are then laid. Brick Masons may need to size bricks using a chisel or saw to make them fit around doors and windows or to make them fit neatly. Afterwards the Brick Mason uses a joining tool to smooth out the mortar to give the bricks a polished, clean look. Brick Masons sometimes will build arches out of brick around openings like windows instead of using steel lintels. This is more difficult but also more visually appealing. Many Masons are known as Stonemasons and they frequently work from highly detailed blueprints that number each individual stone. The assistants may identify and transport the appropriate numbered stone to the Stonemason. Large stones may require the use of a derrick. The Stonemason knows that building a wall out of stone begins with setting the first course into a thin prepared bed of mortar. The Stonemasons then use wedges, plumb lines, and levelers to set the stones in the straight line. Afterwards they then hammer them with heavy rubber mallets. The Stonemasons repeat the process, trading layers of stone and mortar. The Stonemasons remove the supporting wedges as the building grows filling in gaps between stones, and use a tuck pointer, a sharp tool, to even out the surface of the mortar.
Stonemasons may have to bolt large stones to anchors in the wall to keep them in place. When they’re finished, masons thoroughly clean the stones, removing all stray mortar and dirt. The Stonemason also constructs floors. In order to do this they must start by laying a bed of mortar over the surface before they lay the stone. Floors usually use larger and heavier blocks of stone, which are places using crowbars and mallets. Finally, they fill in the spaces between blocks and clean the new floor. Stonemasons usually cut their own stone. Cutting stone is difficult work that requires precise tools and the ability to construct in an artistic manner. Brick Masons and Stonemasons are highly skilled craftsmen.