My grandpa taught me to mix mortar by hand, now I use a drill

Patching up the old house used to take forever without power tools. I still remember his rough hands showing me the right swirl, but the drill saves my back these days.

4 comments

4 Comments

corar371mo ago

The part about "rough hands showing me the right swirl" got me. I read an article last week saying that kind of hands-on knowledge is still the base, even if the tools get faster.

avery8611mo ago

Totally. I tried to learn a shortcut in a spreadsheet last month and just couldn't get it until my coworker leaned over and moved my mouse for me.

christopherw3418d ago

Honestly I used to roll my eyes at that kind of talk, figured it was just old guys being stubborn. Tbh I thought the right tool or a good video could teach you anything. Then I tried to lay tile last year and the mortar was either soup or concrete, nothing in between. My neighbor, this retired contractor, came over and just stuck his hand in the bucket. He showed me the feel of it right in his palm. Changed my whole view. You can't get that from a manual, someone has to show you the real thing.

claire8721mo ago

Get yourself a proper mixing paddle for that drill, not just a paint stirrer. They're like ten bucks and stop the mortar from climbing the shaft. Also, still add the water slow by hand, the drill goes too fast to judge it right.

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