[Zeke]

I really like this one. He does the end fill differently.



If you want to work like these guys you can't use store bought mortar. Mix you own. FOA, get plasterer's sand. It's graded finer but not as fine as silica play sand. 2nd, mix 4 parts sand to 1 part cement and add 1/2 part lime. It doesn't matter much what type of cement you use, but you will find mostly portland cement for sale. There is also Type 3 High/early cement for a faster set in cold weather. This is what they use on the concrete roadways when repairing.

You can buy Mason's cement which has the lime in it as well as some type of air entrainment. The ratio is still the same but you don't need the added lime. You can go richer using 3:1 mix but a pro would find that too expensive at the end of a day. It will handle like soft butter.

Lime comes in big sacks so you will have too much. Garden lime is not slaked so it won't work. There might be some slaked lime sold as food grade. That will be pricey but your mortar will be sticky like in the videos. The pros have an advantage because they buy lots of material and don't waste any.

Well mixed mortar will slump quite a bit. It should pour out onto your mortar board like a big fat pancake. Wet your board first and keep tossing the mortar as you work because the water likes to sink. When you slide the trowel under the pancake, raises it up and shake down once, you should see about an inch of mud on your trowel. If it's a big mound, your mix is too dry.

Don't wet the bricks unless it's a real hot and dry day. Then only mist the pile now and then to keep them cool. Hot very dry bricks are hard to adjust when the hit the bed and being an amateur, you will not be very fast in tapping the brick into place.
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Use your levels, long and short and level and plumb 2 ways. Strings (dry lines [no chauk]) are good. Best of luck.