removing bricks - easy way?

[onholidays]

I've got a garden edging which is made of two levels of bricks (one row of bricks, with another row of bricks on top) I want to take off just the top row of bricks, leaving the bottom row still there. The bottom row is partially underground, with anywhere from 5-25mm showing (sometimes more)

They're standard brown house bricks, with mortar. They're freestanding, so I can get to the top and both sides. I tried chiselling the mortar out (with a brick bolster) which will work, so long as I have about eight years ;)

Can I remove the top layer without damaging the bottom row?
What's the easiest way?

[HappyHammer]

What about using an angle grinder to take out the mortar, might be a bit quicker.

HH.

[Cliff Rogers]

G'day.

Last week, I took a row of concrete blocks out of a window to make it bigger.
I found the quickest way was to use an Air operated chisel to knock out enough mortar around the edge of one block in the middle of the window & then I stuck a wrecking bar under it & levered it up & it took all it's mates with it.

All I had to do then was to clean up the mess on the floor & remove any old mortar that stayed where I didn't want it.

[Cliff Rogers]

What about using an angle grinder to take out the mortar, might be a bit quicker.

HH.
I tried that, it was VERY messy, fine dust everywhere & it ate disks faster than I could replace them. The airtool made a mess too but there wasn't anywhere near as much fine dust & I didn't have to keep replacing the chisel.

[simon c]

An angle grinder would make a lot of mess

A brick or concrete saw may be better as it will squirt water and reduce the dust - but will be expensive to buy or hire.

An altenative to an air pressure chisel maybe one of those dynalink rotary hammer/chisel jobbies

Simon

[silentC]

Just whack 'em with a sledge hammer. Or a lumpy if you haven't got a sledge. If they're buried nice and tight they'll just pop off. If not, it will be a quick job to put them back in and less messy and time consuming than trying to cut, grind or chisel them off. Try a couple and you'll soon see.

[onholidays]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will try a couple of them (hitting them sounds more fun and satisfying). Excuse the ignorance, but what's a lumpy? I've assumed it's just a special type of giant hammer for hitting things.

I'm going back out to the house this afternoon so I'll try taking one out the old fashioned chisel and hammer way, then I'll see if applying leverage will pull them up, I'd like to leave the bottom row as untouched as possible but the top row I'm throwing out. Failing the gentle approach I'll break out the hammer and give em what for. I agree that smashing the whole lot out and replacing the bottom row might actually end up being quicker, easier, and better for my sanity and shoulder muscles.

[silentC]

A lumpy is a lump hammer. Looks like a miniature sledge hammer. Handy thing to have and pairs up nicely with a bolster and/or cold chisel. Have fun! Smashing things is very therapeutic. :D

[bitingmidge]

I agree with SilentC

(sorry I forgot we aren't on the poetry thread)

You can buy a lump hammer for less than 5 dollars in the cheap hardware section!

Whack the top course in an upwards direction (if that makes sense) and you'll break the bed right where you need it. (Unless the brickie was a proper tradesman and used REAl cement in his mix :eek: :eek: :eek: )

Lump hammers are just the best things for banging in tent pegs too.

Cheers,

P :D

[ozwinner]

(Unless the brickie was a proper tradesman and used REAl cement in his mix :eek: :eek: :eek: )

Cheers,

P :D
Real?
How about some?

Al :D

[onholidays]

Thanks heaps for all the ideas, the sledgehammer and twenty minutes of fun was the answer. I smashed quite a few bricks up (Eye protection is extremely important!) but most of them came out whole. One brick on the lower row seems to have been chipped, but it's easily fixed.


I chiselled 50% of the mortar out from between two bricks, then hit one of the bricks at that end a few times until it moved. Getting the mortar out took ages! But once that support was gone the brick smashed out. Then the others had less support and came straight off with a few good hits! I found if I hit them on the lower half in the centre, most of them shifted off their foundations pretty quick.

Now to remove the cubic metres of soil in the garden behind those bricks ;)

[simon c]

It's funny how life comes around as I've just done the complete opposite in our backgarden.

It's like reincarnation

[bitingmidge]

Real?
How about some?

Al :D

Fair enough! I should have said ANY!!

I've seen these brickies that carry empty bags from job to job just to trick the supervisors!!!

P (old in-joke)
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D