Brickwork for Apprentices

These are made by ‘throwing’ clots of clay into a previously sanded mould. The excess clay is cut off with a wire and the ‘green’ brick turned out onto a pad ready for drying and firing. These bricks tend to vary in shape and size according to the amount of compaction of the thrown clay.

Engineering bricks. These are exceptionally hard, dense bricks which have a low porosity and therefore absorb very little water. Engineering bricks are intended for walls that are heavily loaded, or very exposed to risk of frost damage. They were originally developed by brick makers in Victorian times, in response to requests by civil engineers for a very strong brick for use in tunnels, bridges and viaducts.

Concrete blocks are produced in a range of shapes and sizes. The face side is usually 450 225 mm, the thickness varies from 37 mm up to 225 mm and the weight from 6.3 to 15 kg. They are produced in solid, hollow and multicut format. Multicuts enable a bolster cut to be made without wastage.