Overheard a guy at the supply yard say his bricks were 'singing' to him

I was picking up a pallet of red commons this morning at the yard in Denver and this old bricklayer was telling his helper that the bricks 'sing' when you tap them with a trowel if they have the right moisture. He said dry ones sound dead and wet ones sound thuddy, so listen for that ring. Anyone else pay attention to the sound of their bricks before laying them?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_anderson544d ago

Heard a similar thing from an old timer down at the salvage yard once. Said he could tell if a brick was gonna hold up just by the sound it made when he dropped it on the gravel. Tapped one for me and it did make a nice little ring, almost like a tuning fork. Course, I just grabbed my pallet and left, because I don't have that kind of patience for listening to rocks. Still, makes you wonder how many little tricks like that get lost every time one of those guys retires.

hernandez.gavin4d ago

Yeah, that "listening to rocks" line hit home. My grandpa used to tap test spark plugs by holding them up to his ear and flicking them with his finger. Said a cracked one would sound dull instead of sharp. I never learned to hear the difference myself, just grabbed a new set when they looked rough. Now that I think about it, those old timers basically had calibration built into their heads from years of feel and sound. Nobody bothers writing that stuff down either, it just dies with them.

rivera.hannah4d ago

Actually spark plugs make a sharp pop, not a ring. Different animals entirely.