Here we have the old heirtage Army base of Fremantle utilising a red tuckpoint,
This has been repointed since its original build being highly exposed to weather.
At first I thought this was the poor mans tuckpoint. A created recess then pointed with paint which was the case without having to place the tuck. It was quite hard to tell without jumping the fence.
The tuck appeared almost flush with the point which would make it hard to use a frenchman.
The stone is probably from the nearby having the soil colours of a less consistent floor of stone. They were more than likely lose stones buried in a field rather than from a floor.
I love the colours, the flaws and the inconsistencies.
Note the mortar colour which appears very much original it may be unslaked burnt lime sand.
I love stone, collected stone, hand built, like art no machines.
I want to time travel back for a week in this Australian history; immerse myself in the time.
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| Fremantle limestone and tuckpoint |
And here we have one of Fremantle's formal early pieces with its non-hydaulic pieces uncovered to show what I discussed earlier where darker stone is revealed and possibly the evidence for darker lime washes we saw in the vernacular of Fremantle.
Here we see two colours. Both construction mortar and a lighter facing mortar. First stone buildings may also have had conch lime in the facing mix to increase strength.
While we now have penetrating sealers which harden stone exterior and prevent stone losing its colour to mold, evidence is present of a hydraulic Portland bag over the top.
This stone would have been chosen darker, slightly softer for facing.
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Here I found today a great section view of tuckpointing. Here it shows the stopping laid over the joint, the tuck or whiting that is laid over the top.
Some of the whiting may be set wide of the real mortar joint to keep the joints aligned called a blind joint. Bricks, even modern vary at least 2mm unless they are refractory.
Today I visited Fremantle again to see further proof of the old mortar almost a peach in colour or of terracotta to tan in colour. In dealing with different limestone over the years it varies in colour tremendously. Moore river stone is very biscuit in colour.
Even a photo Ill publish later shows one of the early historic buildings with the layers of paint pretending to be white wash removed.
It clearly shows the stone to be quite tan in nature and the pointing to of two distinct colours. The construction mortar is quite dark, The facing mortar is a lighter tan almost a peach colour as discussed before.
I would say this stone for its softer attributes which allow for the pillow face finish it was given. Many of the deliveries we receive from some quarries these days is extremely hard. The axe bounces of much of this especially when there is a high content of cap rock.
The scrap of this stone would have been slaked on site along with the soil colour made up the larger mortar component attributes in both cases. Unslaked burnt fines of the stone would forming sand would make part of the mortar giving it the colour.
I dare say some of the old washes would have been given this light brown colour from the darker stone colour, less calcified no doubt an higher in silica I believe.
Here is an old Fremantle stone wall I found that is of what I believe an original point protected by an outhouse for years under the cover of tin in a row of terraces.
The image of the luxury building will show darker mortar samples again right on the harbour of Fremantle.
After returning to Fremantle for a look at my Great Grandparents home ground I noticed a much greater usage of White washed sand and white portland cement as a pointing mortar mixture of limestone.
Its as if someone has presumed early settlers used beach sand which is incorrect. Its bastardy I say!
This stark white brittle mix is totally inappropriate as a mortar for limestone.
Apart from its starkness, it is harder than the stone itself, its brittle, and breaks all the principles of masonry where the mortar should be weaker than the material itself.
If the building moves the crack should be int he mortar not the material. The harder the stone, the harder the mortar.
Many of our older buildings had their building materials sourced from the nearest point, mainly because transport such s horse and cart added large costs to the construction.
The sand was mostly quarried from the site it was used. The lime was slaked on site then the mortar mixed with hoe and board. Much of the mortar ingredients are a mixture of the soil upon the building was built.
Based on this principle the slaked lime may have some ash, the sand will relate to the sand under the building which is why we see some of the Subiaco building mortar 'peach' in colour.
The mortars were based on the 3:1 aggregate matrix principle using a lime putty which dries slower as it reabsorbs the carbon dioxide to harden. Lime mortar using slaked putty can be kept for days immersed underwater or as long as it is kept wet preventing water from evaporating.
What people don't envisage now is the large quantity of limestone dust left from the stone dressing and crumbled limestone excavation that my well have occurred 'on-site'. Limestone dust also left from the pre-slaking process. Burnt but not slaked.
These would have in many cases been mixed together to build a colour that either matches or slightly darker to match the aging stone.
Here attached is an image of the older point, unfortunately vandalised by an inconsiderate person.
I would be more inclined to use a low loam sand such as plasterers sand even with the addition of some pinjar sand with a 'creme' (blue clinker) cement with lime in a 9 sand:2 lime: 1 creme cement mix as a limestone mortar.
A pure lime mortar has a totally different behavior. There may even be some shell in early mortar.
Matching the stone colour for today and tomorrow is the key in many cases.
A ribbon joint to mock stone I think in Fremantle.
The stone lacks grain and I dont even recognise the stone.
An example of what is known in the vernacular as Dado or cement glass render. Almost a lost art to get it right. As an apprentice I was privileged to see it done.
Some apprentices out of the Building Management Authority have taken this product to the next level creating colours etc.
In the past plasterers created faux marble, some so skilled it was hard to distinguish between the real item.
A stone arch niche built into a hill side with spring water to face. This niche is actually carved into the hillside in Liverpool where water seeps.
