P R A C TIC A L

C O NC R E T E B L O C K -

M A K I NG
A S IM P LE P R ACT ICAL T R E A T IS E F OR THE WOR KM A N

E X PL A INI NG T H E S E L E C TION OF TH E
M AT E RI A L S A ND T H E M AK I NG
OF S U B ST A NTI A L C O NC R E T E BL OC K S
A ND C E ME NT B R I C K

TO GET H E R WIT H

DIRECTIONS FOR M A KING M OLDS

A ND REM A RKS ON HOW TO OBTA IN T HE
B ES T A RC H ITECT URA L EFFECTS

CH AR LES B A LLISER
Autho r o f M o dern Cemen t S id ewalk Co n s truc ti o n , ”
Us efu l D etails ,
" ”
Ame ric an A rc hit ec ture , etc . etc .

F UL L Y IL L U S T R A T E D

NE W Y O R K

INDU S T R IA L PU BL I C A TIO N C OM PANY

1 908
P RA C TI C AL C O NC RE T E BL OC K M AK ING
-

C OPY R I G H T C
SE URE D 1 908

BY

IND UST R I AL PU BL I C ATI ON C OM PANY

 CO N T ENTS

P AG I

I NT R O D U C T O R Y
C E M E NT A ND C O NCR ET E
B L OC KS M O L D S
, ,
M A C H IN E S
A ND

D IR E CT I O NS F OR M A N U F A CT U RIN G C ONCR ET E B L O CK S

GE NE R A L H INT S A ND S U G G E S T IO NS
P ORT L A ND CE M E NR S A ND B R ICK
W O OD E N M O L D S
AR E ARCH IT E CT S A ND B U IL D E RS AG A INS T T H E US E OF

T H E C O MM O N C O NCR E T E B L O CK
,
A ND WH Y "

ST A N D A R D SPE CIF IC AT IONS F OR B L O CKS

T ES T ING H OLL OW C ONC R ET E B L OCKS
IND E X
 P R E FAC E

rapid advance in the use of concrete blocks f o r

T
HE
building h as tempted many to go in the busines s
Of manufacturing blocks for a living and unf o rt u ,

n at e ly many have entered the field who are ignorant of

how a block sho uld be made and in consequence they turn

,

out bad blocks whi ch soo n crumble .

If the blame f or such poo r work w as put o n the maker ,

who is at fau lt we would have no thi ng to say but the ver

, ,

di ct is usually agai ns t concrete blo cks thus making them ,

un popular.

In this little book the writer has tried t o put in simple

language directi o ns for mak ing blocks based upon an ,

exp erience of thi rty years in c o ncrete work .

If this book will be a guide to the workman enab ling ,

him to turn out a good substantial concrete block it

, , ,

will fulfill the wish of

TH E AU T H OR .

ELB E RON , N J
. .
,
Oc t o be r 1 , 1 908 .
 P RA CT IC A L

CONC RET E B LOC K =

M A KING

HE fast ext ending emplo yment of concrete com

pressed into the fo rm o f st o ne blocks f o r building
work of all descripti o ns pro mi ses t o m ak e a new
sty le o f architecture and the success o r failure of the same
,

will depend in large measure on wh at the architects accept

o r reject in their dra wings and sp e c i fi c at i o n s-as the best f o rm

Of bloc k or the putting together of t hi s mate rial an d the

,

appearance given to its face fin ish The architects design s

.
’

and details must go vern these matters and they and they
, ,

alone must be the educato rs o f the public in such matters

,

of t as te and art ,
and not the block machine men o r the
-
,

manufacturer of stone or the c o ntractor "but s o far it

,

woul d app ear that the architects have in many secti o ns

been rather S low in co ming f o rward and the other gentle
men have gone way ahead in thi s all important matter -
.

It is high time that the archi tects an d building s up eri n

t e n de n t s of the country were a live to the situati o n and ,

w herever they have bee n so they have on hand f ar more

,

wo rk than they can atten d to .

8 C C L C ONCR
PR A T I A ET EBLOC K
-
MA KING
C oncrete and ther fi re pro o f building materials when
o -
,

n o t fas hioned aright produce t o o much mo not o ny but

, ,

it is abso lutely true that in the hands o f th o se w ho are

practical and Skilled in design and co nstructi o n these ,

materials can be made t o yield archi tectural eff ects Of the

greatest variety and beauty as they are susceptible o f ,

being produced in any design o f face c o lor mold or shape , , , ,

and in durability are f ar better than any sandstone lime ,

stone Or lo w grade marble

,
-
.

CEM ENT AND CO N C RE T E

ONCR ETE is the name given t o a compact mass

o f b ro ken st o ne gravel Cinders Shells or other
, , , ,

sui table material j o ined t o gether with mortar

and all o wed t o harden TO prevent air spaces f o rming
.
,

the concrete is firmly squeezed o r rammed do wn o r

"
tamped as it is called
,
”
.

The mo rtar used is generally co mp o sed o f cement and

sand mixed with water .

C EMENT is a preparatio n o f clay and limestone o r ,

their equivalents whi ch has been placed in an o ven o r

,

kiln and subjected t o an intense heat the clay and lime ,

sto ne thereby being reduced t o a crumbling mass which

is gro und in a mill to make it a unif o rm powder when it
.
,

is kno wn as cement It p o ssesses the pro perty Of harden

.

ing into a so lid mass when m o istened The so lid mass .

being composed o f many small crystals hence it is Often ,

 PR C C
A TI AL C ONCR ET E -
BLOCK M AK IN G
mentio ned abo ut cement crystallizing o r set as it is ,

called .

Wh en a defini t e quantity Of co ncrete is m ade at o n e

mixing it is called a batch
,
"
.

When co ncrete is tamped o r rammed it tends t o cl o se ,

the Spaces between the sto nes o r whatever else is use d f o r

the aggregate and this wo uld bring the water t o the
"
,
”

su rface When c o ncrete is mixed with SO li ttle water that

.

very hard ramming is requi red to flush the water t o the

surface it is called a dry m ix and likewise when eno ugh
,
"
,
”

water is used so that little o r n o ramming is needed t o have

it floo ded it is called a wet mi x
,
" ”
.

BLO C KS , M O L D S , AND M AC H I NES

N making concrete blocks the mixture Of co ncrete is

placed in a mo ld so as t o give the c o ncrete S hape
,

and make it into a block .

The simplest arrangement is t o have a co mmo n bo x into

whi ch the co ncrete is placed and tamped do wn so that ,

t here will be no air ho les the concrete thus f o rming a thor

,

oughly solid blo ck .

Af ter the concrete has been in the bo x for a week or ten

days it is remo ved fro m the bo x o r mo ld and the result
, ,

is a block of artificial st o ne o r as it is called a co ncrete

, ,

block ”
.

If it simply depended o n making a number o f plain con

c re te block s the above meth o d would be su fficient
,
.
10 PRAC TIC AL C ONCR ET E- BLOCK MA KING
The item f or making molds w o uld amount t o quite a
good deal hence one mold must do service f or making a
,

large number of b locks The mo lds must be substantial

.

and easi ly taken apart without jarring the concrete block

(which w o uld be likely to make it crack ) so that,

they c an

be used agaIn In a Short time for the manuf acture of the

next blo ck.

Wo oden molds are the simples t to mak e and they are

always u sed when anyt hi ng out Of t he o rdi nary i s c all ed
 PR ACT ICA L C ONCR ET E- BLOCK G
M AK IN 11

for For commo n blocks cast iron molds are used as

.
,
-
,

they stand hard continuo us usage These are made so

,
.

that the sides may be Opened and the block easily removed .

T here are many diff erent kinds of these iron molds in the
m arket and they are kn own as concret e block machin es
,
-
,
”

so me bei ng arran ed with devi ces to do the tam p i n g by

g

FIG 2.

pressure an d the sides opening so that the blo ck may be

eas ily removed Fig 1 S hows one Of these machines and
. .
,

this shows the general princip le on whi ch all o f the machines

are constructed .

C oncrete blocks are usually made Of large size so that ,

t he labor of b uilding with them is less ened w hen c o mpared

 12 PRA CT ICA L C ONCR ET BL OC K M A KING
E -

with brick The mo st p o pular machines have ado pted

.

the standard length o f 1 6 and 24 inches a height Of 9 ,

inches and a thick ness o f 8 1 0 an d 1 2 inches Small

, , , .
,

so lid concrete blocks the S ize Of brick are also made these
, , ,

being used the same as brick A machi ne f o r making .

cement brick as they are called is Shown in Fig 2 T hi s

,
”
,
. .

machin e is also us ed f o r the making o f sand lime brick -

.

Full particulars abo ut the vari o us machines can be had

f rom the manufacturers who se advertisements will be fo und
,

in the vari o us building and cement papers " therefo re

we will n o t give descripti o ns Of machi nes but in stead will ,

"
g ive directi o ns f o r makin g w o o den m o lds as Often special ,

designs are want ed and the co ncrete blo ck manufacturer

,
-

should kno w how t o make the mo lds s o that he can turn ,

out somethi ng m o re th an just a mere plain blo ck whi ch

h e makes On his machine .

It is a well kno wn fact that a dead ai r space is a poor

-

conduct o r Of heat and this f act has been taken adv ant ag e
,

Of in the man ufacture o f bl o cks by mak ing them h o llow ,

as in that way they also use less material and being lighter ,

in weight than a so lid bl o ck are mo re easily handled

, .

Various f o rms o f hollow blo cks are sho wn in Fig 3 P rac . .

tically every f o rm is made by a cert ain machine and each , .

man uf acturer declares some special advantages o ver all

o thers for his particular f o rm Of bl o ck An ) o n e reading r
.

the remarks in this b o o k will have no tro uble in selecting

a machine suitable for his o w n class Of w o rk Select a .

machine with a go od reputation and y o u will be sure to get

o n e that will give satisf action .
PRACTICAL C ONCR ET E -
BL OCK M AK ING 13
14 P R ACT ICAL -
CONCR ET E B L OCK MAKING

D I RE CTIO NS FOR M AN UFACTURI NG

CO N C R ET E BLO C KS

HE following specificatio ns f or the m an uf acture

o f concrete blocks have in general b ee n accepted .

SAND — S uch as will pass a scree n of "

. inch w

mesh an d is retained by a screen Of NO 40 mes h Thi s . .

applies to bank river or beach sand and t o crusher dust

, , , .

GR AVE L —.Such as c o mes from a bank river or beach , , ,

Of such size as is retained by a screen having i inch m es h -

.

—
C R USHED ST O NE Such sto ne as is retain ed by a
-inch screen
i .

BANK GR AVEL Such as is Obtained from a pit cel

— .
,

lar river or beach containing b o th san d and gravel

, , , .

AGGR EGAT E — An y material as broken stone gravel

, , ,

o r su ch fragments us ed with P o rtland cement an d s and

mort ar in making concrete f o r the purpose of reduci n g

the cost and adding to the dens ity and strength .

VOI DS S pace existing between particles of sand

—.
,

crushed sto ne Or other materials Of whi ch an aggregate

,

is co mp o sed .

C EM ENT An y P ortland cement American or f oreign

—
, ,

that will pass the tests required by the Ameri c an Soc iety
f o r Testing Materials .

" U L ITY OF S N — Must not be ner

w

A A D fi than ab o ve a

described and mus t contain no clay or other so luble mat

,

ter Crushed stone or gravel t o be free from di rt loam

.
, ,

o r o ther foreign substan ce or rotten ston e .

 R
P A CT I A C L CONCR E TE B
- L OCK MAKING 15

AMOUNT OF C EM ENT A c o rrect c o ncrete should

.

c ons is t Of sand and gravel or c rushed st o ne or a combina ,

tion of same with an amount of cement equal to the voids

, ,

or in other word s the interstices to be filled with cement

, . .

Some block s are made only wit h sand an d cement "thes e ,

properly speaki ng cannot be called conc rete b locks as

, ,

they are sand cement blocks

" -
”
.

If the concrete is Of sand and gravel such portion Of ,

cement shall be used with the sand that is equal to the

voids in the sand and such quantity of this mortar mi x
,

ture shall be used with the crushed stone or gravel as will

fill all voids in the latter .

The cement is to fill the voids in the sand and the mor ,

tar resulting is to fill the voids in the aggregate .

D ET ER MI NATION OF VOI DS — TO determi ne the

.

voids in the sand or the material used as an aggregate

, ,

the water tes is employed The sand o r gravel us ed

"
.

must be bone dry .

A receptacle holding a known amount such as a gallon ,

jar is filled with the materials to be tested an d into thi s

, ,

vessel is poured as much w ater as the sand or other mate

rial will absorb Meas ure the water an d the amount of
.
,

water absorbed indicates the voids and also indicates the,

exact amount of cement which it is neces sary to use in

ord er to produce a den se solid stone , .

In mak ing ho ll o w blocks if no gravel or brok en stone

,

is used this t es t gives the proportions Of sand an d cement

,

to be us ed Average sand will absorb about

. of
water indi cating that amount Of voids also that a p ropo r
, ,
 C C L C O NCR ET E B LOC K
PR A T I A -
MAKING

ti o n of 1 part of cement t o from 3 to 5 parts sand are

required to make a solid block .

The pro per selection o f sand and aggregate is impor

tant and the particles should vary in si z e so as to red uce
,

the v o ids to the smallest amo unt p o ssible With care in .

this selection t he amount o f cement needed to produce

,

best results is greatly lessened provided that in the defi n

,

ing of the proportion o f cement is meant a given meas ure

of cement as one porti o n and that multiple of that meas
,

ure of aggregates as properly co mbined under the water ,

t est shall determine the pro po rtion If f ound under the

, .

t est that 5 parts crushed sto ne o r gravel will take 3 por

ti o ns of sand to fill the v o ids witho ut increasi ng the bulk ,

and that 1 portion Of cement shall fill the remaining v o ids ,

this pro portion shall be a 1 3 5 mixture

— — .

MI X I NG After selecting the materials mix them

—
,

t o gether dry until Of a unif o rm color " then apply water

,

and repeat the thorough mixing the amount of water to ,

be as great as possible .

Mo re care Of the face plates Of any machi ne will enable

the worker to use a wetter co ncrete than is usuallv em
pl o yed Only such size Of batch shall be mixed as can be
.

used up in 30 mi nutes f ro m the t ime the water is added .

MANUFACTUR I NG The c o ncrete should be placed

—

in small quant i t ies and tamping begun immediately and

,

co nt inue d until the mold is full A s m all faced tamper sh ould

.
-

be used and S hort quick sharp blows should be struck

, , ,
.

If faced blocks are made use 2 parts sand and 1 part

,

cement for facing Tamp the concrete well into the

.
18 PR ACTICAL C ONCR ET BLOC K E -
MA KING

Through the kindness Of the Miracle P res sed St o ne

C ompany Minneapo lis Figs 4 5 6
,
.
, given
, ,

F IG . 5

which sho w the Operati o ns very clearly .

C oncrete bl o cks are mo st econo mically made by employ

 PRACTICA L CO NCR ET E—BL OCK MA KING 19

i ngthree men one t o do the mi xing an d the other two to

,

attend t o the making Of the blo ck Ho wever the process

.
,

is simple eno ugh so that two or even o n e man can do

,

the j o b .

mixture shoveled into the mold

F IG . 6

4, and t amped as shown in Fig 5 As so o n as the mo ld

. .

i s full it is fl o ated o ff that is all the surplus material is

, , ,

pushed Ofi as shown in Fig 6 so that the t o p is level

.
, .

After this operation the block has set enough so as t o

k eep its shape if it is not jarred " hence it is caref ully
20 R C
P A CTI A L C R
ONC E T E- BL OCK MA KING

removed fro m the mo ld To do thi s the cores and si des

.

are remo ved and the blo ck allowed to res t o n the bo ttom .

F IG . 7

The sides are then formed t o gether again and pla ced o n a
n e w bott o m
,
an d the proces s re pe at ed for the next bl o ck .
 PR C C L CONCRET E BL OCK
A TI A -
MA KING 21

In t he pictures the Miracle mold is shown and thi s h as ,

an iro n bottom the blocks being turned upside do wn

,

while in the mold on a tray o r p allet made Of boards o f

the proper wi dth and with t w o cleats to keep it in shape ,

an d w hich also allow suffi cient ro o m for the fingers so ,

that when putti n g it down it need n o t drop the least bit .

This pallet can be used to level the mixture in the mo ld ,

as sho wn in Fig 6 and then held in position while the

.
,

mold is being turned until the blo c k rests on the pallet ,

and the mo ld removed and the blo ck can then be carried

,

away as sho wn in Fig 7

,
. .

Sho uld any crack or def ect appear in movi ng the

green (freshly made) st o ne thro w the material back
"

int o the batch and mix it o ver again .

C UR I NG After the bl o ck i s made as abo ve desc ribed

— .
,

it is imp o rtant that it be pro p e rly cured that is dried , , .

T hi s is a process that takes time as the c o ncrete takes ,

time t o get its full strength The time needed is about .

as foll o ws
5 0 % Of strength in 7 days
l
65 %
l Cl
30
95 % months 6
1 00 % year 1

B locks should be made under cover an d kept under

cover f o r at least 1 0 days and protected from the sun,

a n d dry currents of air wh i ch would

,
tend to dry the o ut

si ed o f the block first causing

,
unequal d rying w hi ch will ,

make a b lock the i ns i de o f which will be in a poor cond i

t i on
. N O m atte r how g o o d a b lock is ma d e if i t is poorl y ,

cu red it i s worthless
,
.
22 PRA CT ICA L CONCR ET E BL OCK - MA KING
TO prevent thi s rapid drying Of the o utside Of the block
( which prevents the pr o per crystallizati o n Of the cement ) ,

they sho uld be kept mo ist by gentle sprinkling whi ch ,

sho uld be c o mmenced as soon as the blo cks will bear it

wi tho ut falling apart "that is wait until the cement h as set
,

eno ugh so that it will prevent washing

,
.

On a warm dry day they need moisture sooner than

, ,

o n a rainy day T o kn o w just ex actly how l o ng t o wait

.

will be learned by experience with the fi rst few blocks .

They sho uld be kept wet for abo ut 1 0 days at leas t as it ,

gives time f o r the proper crystal lizati o n Of the cement .

When cement drys t o o q uickly the cry stals are in the ,

f o rm Of little balls and f o r the mo st stre ngth they S ho uld

, , ,

be Of the needle f o rm which pro ces s needs m o isture and

,

slo w drying .

B locks sho uld n o t be used unless they are at least o n e

mo nth Old and where they are subjected t o an y c o nsider
,

able weight i t is best t o have a blo ck six mo nths old

,
.

This subject o f curing is an imp o rtant o n e and if you ,

haven t the cash o r credit t o keep a three mo nths supply

’ ’
,

had best in the business f r you can be cer

‘

y o u n o t s t art o ,

tain of one t hi ng and th at is if you don t turn out a go o d

, ,
’
,

reli able bl o ck you wi ll go out o f business after a S hort

,

time .

Pro per storage ro om should be provided f o r the blocks ,

SO that they will be pro tected fro m the sun and dry winds

for the first few weeks Of curi ng Bl o cks can be s af ely .

remo ved from the pallets in abo ut three o r four days It .

is nec ess ary t o have a good supply of the pallets on hand .

 C C
PR A T I AL C C
ON R ET E-
BL OCK MA KING 23

PL AC I NG placing cement st o ne in the wall a so ft

— In
,

mo rtar co mp o sed o f cement and medium screened sand -

sho uld be used a mo rtar that will w o rk greas y under the

—

trow e l spread evenly o n the bed and butter the ends o f

, ,

blo cks so as t o make a so lid and full set in all j o int s These
,
.

st o nes must be evenly and so lidly set all ro und so as t o ,

have clo se bearings and contact .

CO LO R I NG In u sing c o l o ring matter the c o lo r sh o uld

—
,

alw avs be mixed with the cement dry bef o re any s and o r ,

water is added Thi s mixi n g must be tho o ugh an d the

. r ,

c o lo r unif o rm After b ei n g mixed dry us e in the s ame w ay

.
,

as clear cement .

"U A NTITY OF C O L O R I NG MATT E R P E R S AC K OF

1 00 P OUND S OF P O R T LAND C E ME NT

C O LO R . DR Y M A T E R I A L US E D . WE IG H T OF CO LO R .

B lue S lat e Ult ram ari n e blue

B lack slate Ex cel s i o r c arb o n bl ack
Gray Lampbl ack .

Bro wn . R o ast e d iro n o xide .

R ed R aw i ro n Oxide
B right red . Po mp eii an red .

Yell o w o r buff . Yell o w o chre .

B O ND I NG b o nding t o gether the inner and o uter

— Fo r
wall Of the ho llo w blo ck us e a material that will in,

n o wise be a conduct o r Of the mo i st ure fro m the o utside t o

the inside " c o ncrete will n o t do under any c ircumstances .

The o nly practical material i s galvan ized i ro n Of co urs e .

if c o n c ret e is use d f o r the tie then no claims can be made

,
24 PRACTICAL C ONCRETE BL OCK -
K
M A ING

that the inner wall will be moistur p ro of and it must be e-

,

first studded Off and then lathed bef ore the plastering can
be done .

In c ase s where the moisture (caused by the rain beating

against the sides Of the ho use ) canno t penetrate to the
inner wall the plas tering can be done directly o n the
,

blocks .

WAT ER PR OOFI NG TO prevent the moisture the

—
,

faces o f the blo ck and mortar are p ainted o ver with a

waterproofing so lutio n A go o d o n e called the Sylvester
.
,

P ro ces s Of Waterpro ofing is as f o llo ws ,

Wash the surface with a so luti o n Of three quarters of -

a p o und Of cast ile soap t o every gallo n o f water Apply .

the so lut i o n ho t with a flat brush to the wall which must

, , ,

be clean and dry L et this remain twenty four ho urs and

.
-

apply a so lut i o n Of a half p o und of alum t o f o ur gall o ns

-

o f water " thi s was h must al s o be applied h o t If at t h e .

end o f ano ther twenty f o ur ho urs the wall abso rbs mo is

-

ture repeat the t w o c o ats as bef o re C are sho uld be taken

,
.

not to have the so ap so lutio n fro th while applying .

The use Of milk o f hyd rated lime has been advocated

f o r concrete faci n g and m ixing and is said t o materially
,

add t o the strength and waterpro o fing qualities "uick .

lime is also adv o cated It must be tho ro ugh ly slaked with

.

water and remain in the water for a day o r t w o SO that ,

all particles will di sso lve It is then called milk Of lime

"

and after being po ured through a very fine screen can be

, ,

readily used in t he place Of clear wat er f o r mi xing the

facing and will make the color Of t he stone whiter and
,
26 PRACTICAL CONCR ET E BLOCK
-
MA ING K
and f orm a stiff hom o geneous mass "the bringing of the
,

mixture t o the pro per consistency is Of great importance .

In all instances the exact p o rtio ns of cement sand grave" , ,

o r stone, and water sho uld be ascertained an d decided o n

in advance and the same quan tities used in making each
,

and every batch f o r bricks o r blo cks " otherwise there will
be a variatio n in the colo r and durability Of the walls c o n
structed These mixes vary in f o rmula fro m 1 t o 4 to 1 t o
.

5 but the gre ater the amo unt o f P o rtland cement added
, ,

the stronger will the bricks or blocks pro ve when cured .

The mixing and tamping must be th o ro ugh but a rake ,

is the best t o o l t o use t o ge t the co lor unif o rm and this ,

work can best be do ne by experts NO exact rules can be

.

given whi ch would help o n e t o understand just when the

ingredients are sufficiently inc o rp o rated o n e with the
,

o ther but the mixing should be d o ne t o secure a perfect

,

unif o rmity o f material and water sho uld be added until

,

the mass is plastic eno ugh to work witho ut sticking o r sag

g ing when rele ased and taken out Of the mold o r machine .

An enterprising manuf acturer o f stone machi nery has

the f o llo wing to say in hi s circular
"
C o ncrete is not the coming age IT Is H E RE Port
. .

land cement has made such vast strides in the last few
years an d h as been used in the work of the greatest impor
,

tance so extensively and with such satisfaction that its ,

many valuable qualities are now kno wn to everybo dy .

We find it t o wering in the air tunneling the earth and

, , ,

like Gibraltar ho lding the sea at bay An d why not "

,
.

It is as readily molded as wax " limited in form c o lo r an d , ,

 PRA CT ICA L C ONCR ET E BL OCK -
MA K I NG 27

design o nly by the imaginati o n o f the architect and pos

sesses the enduranc e o f the pyramids Fo r building pur .

p o s es it is unsurpassed unequaled
,
.
”

Then he go es o n to tell o f his machi ne and it i s certainly ,

the real thi ng and a corker and every builder can aff o rd ,

t o own o n e and he gives facts and figures that are cer

,

t ai n ly c o nvincing .

He furt her says that it is imp o ssible t o anticipate all

the requirements o f t h e mo dern architect but direct io ns ,

are sent with each machine so that an y carpenter can ,

quickly impro vi se plates f o r special S hapes o r designs .

Among so me Of the advantages f h ll w concrete con

o o o " -

struction he mentio ns the f o llowing "

,

Artist ic appearance .

Cheapness of c o nstruction .

B uildings warm in winter and cool in summer .

D ry ventilated walls fi re and fro st pro o f

, ,
-
.

Insurance is cheaper .

R equires n o painting o r rep airs .

B l o cks can be laid in t h e w all rapidly and req uire ,

but little mo rtar .

P lastering may be do ne o n the back o f the st o ne ,

saving lathi ng .

Free fro m rat s mice and vermin

, , .

P erfectly san itary R esists rain and dries quickly

.
,

while solid wall s remain d amp .

Can be molded into the m o s t elab o rate des igns

conceived by the architect " all that is required
is the carpenter to carry it out .
28 PR A C TI A C L CONCR ET E BLOCK - K G
M A IN

T he stone is thoroughly durable beco ming harder ,

with age .

He has the f o ll o wing t o say abo ut Po rtland cement

Wh en Po rt land cement began t o be used so extensively
and by so many persons t o tally ignorant Of its pro perties ,

and working witho ut directio n there was much n uc er ,

tainty as to its p roper use and particu larly so as some

, ,

times good results were Obtained with totally incorrect

methods Of han dling Thi s pro ved o nly that accidents
.

wi ll happen ,
o r p o ssibly that cement is like a hen
— when
it w ants t o set it sets
,
.

The ques t io n is n o t merely to get cement t o set it will

—

do that anyw ay if it gets into c o ntact with dampnes s .

The ques ti o n i s o n e o f eco no my and intelligence t o get

—

t he bes t p o s ible resu lts with the least p o ss ible expense

s
.

T he f o remo s t chemists and engineers o f the wo rld have

made t ho usands o f tests with the m o st accurate i n s t ru
m ents and careful handling have c o mpared notes and,

verified res ults t ill we n o w have certain well recognized -

"
laws t o guide us the mo st important Of which are as
,

f o llows
.1 Portland cement should have only eno ugh water
at firs t t o start crystallizati o n TOO much w ater
.

"
drowns cement
”
.

.2 Water S h o uld be fed to the stone as c ryst alli z a

tion requires .

.3 C oncrete c o ntinues t o harden with increas ing age ,

an d the sl o wer the crystals f o rm the larger an d ,

st ronger they will be .

 PRA CT ICAL R
CONC ETE B L OCK M A KING
- 29

4 . C oncrete sho uld be made co mpact the grains ,

Of

sand being w o rked till they thoro ughly weld

themselves int o each other and cl o se all the p o res .

5 Thi s is best accomplished by frequent but not

.

t o o hard tamping Very hard tamping with a

.

small faced tamp jars and bo unces the material

-

witho ut packing it at all .

6 P res sure will n o t make a g o o d st o ne the re as on

.
,

being that when pressure is applied the c o ncrete ,

is at o nce made c o mpact at the top and bott om in

thin layers These layers effectually form a seal
.

and prevent t he air o n the inside from es caping ,

and the air is co mpressed as the pressure is applied .

As soon as the pressure is remo ved the air expands , ,

forc es the grains of sand apart an d makes a stone,

that is weak and p o rous and therefore easily ,

subject t o disintegrati o n On the c o ntrary light

.
,

but frequent tamping wo rks the air o ut an d packs

the grains t o gether .

7 C o ncrete when fi rst made has n o m o re strength

.

than so much damp sand If a crack is start ed

.

while in this co nditi o n it will n o t reu ni te but

, ,

forms a permanent element o f weakness " there

f o re c o ncrete should n o t be disturbed o r jarred
after it h as been m o lded o r whi le it is setting NO .

nails sho uld be u sed in making f o rms .

He furt her says that hi s machi ne embraces all of these

fundamental principles and is the o nly machine made with
,

which an Observance o f all Of them is possible .

30 R
P ACTI A C L C ONCR ETE BLOCK
- MA KING

Then he gives the cost Of making stone block s as follows

The c o st to make the blo cks naturally varies in di fferent
c o untries and in diff erent parts Of the same c o unt ry In .

the no rthern part o f the United Stat es the standard size ,

-

blo cks usually cost fro m 6 t o 8 cents each .

We give below an itemized c o st based on present prices

in our st o ne facto ry These figures may be changed t o
.

meet l o cal co nditions .

1 4 yds sand and gravel at

. 50. .

1 4 bbls Po rtl and cement

.

4 lab o rers (3 m o lders and 1 mixer ) at 1 50 . . .

All o wance f o r water and sundries

$36 00 .

Dividing the t o tal by 600 which is the num

of ,

ber Of bl o cks the abo ve materials will p roduce and the

f o ur men make and take care o f gives the cost at 6 cents
,

per bl o ck Wh en the blocks are made in large enough

.

q u ant i t ies to justify a c o ncrete mixer this cost can be c o n

,

si d e rab ly reduced .

D elivery Of the blocks usually costs about 1 cent per

block Seventy Of them can be hauled at a load The
. .

u su al s elling price is fro m 1 6 t o 20 cents so that there is ,

a very h andso me profit in their manufacture .

Frequently they are made on the premi ses f rom the sand
tak en fro m the cellar and then used in the walls o f the
,

building thus saving hauling the sand away as well as

,

d elivery Of the bl o cks .

He h as the fo llo wing t o s ay abo ut rock faci n g an d c o lori n g

 C C
PR A T I AL C ONCR ETE B L OCK -
MAKING 31

At a sm all additional expens e the blo cks may be molded

2 inches larger than they are t o be in the fi ni shed wall .

After the st o nes hav e part ially set this extra 2 inches is ,

—
rocked Off with a stone c utt er s pitching tool making every ’
,

block diff erent and presenting an effect i n t he wall that

,

is strikingly artistic .

For churches st o re fronts and h andsome residences

, , ,

there is nothing that will equal it .

By using diff erent c o l o red sands crush ed white lime

-
, ,

st o ne crushed gran ite o r quartz almo st any natural stone

, ,

may be duplicated so as t o deceive even the experi enced .

With the ai d o f different mineral co l o rs the stones may ,

be made of almost any co lo r either solid mo ttled o r , , ,

stratified .

There is apparently no great necessity f o r a man who

builds just one house to go and purchas e a machi ne as ,

his c arpenter will build the molds and be the pattern

maker The Allen G Thurman ho use at C o lumbus Ohi o
. .
, ,

a rem arkably fi n e appe ari n g house to day cons tructed in -

,

1 885 sh o ws that yea rs ago so me one had an idea Of a

,

cut sto ne house without the cut stone and it certainly

-
”
,

is a rational and perfect example " no freakish stamped ,

sheet metal face abo ut it The bl o cks were cast in a mo ld

- .

and faced to resemble stone w o rk pl ain pure and simple " , , ,

they are abs olut ely water proof and perfect tho ugh they
-
,

were not made on a mac hi ne An other example is l o cated.

at Portchester N Y built man y years befo re the above

,
. .
, ,

only it is concrete througho ut even to the st airs p ar , ,

t it i o n s etc
,
.and also t he Old ho use on Staten Is land ,
32 R C
P A T ICAL CO NC ET E- B O R L CK MA K ING
also built Of made stone They all testify th at the blo ck
.

machi ne m an is an inno vati o n but any one wh o go es into ,

t h e s t o ne making business needs just such a machi ne as

-

is described in thi s boo k and it certainly appear t o be

, s

a mo ney maker .

There is o nly o n e feature abo ut it that I do n o t approve

o f and that is it makes a st o ne that is tied t o gether with
, ,

the same material as that whi ch it is made Of and cannot , ,

theref o re p o ssibly be damp proo f and fit to plast er di rectly

,
-

o n the back because c o ncrete o r the mort ar between made

,

sto ne brick o r stone work is unquesti o nably a water c o n

, ,

ductor .

All walls sh ould be constru cted so that they will h ave

a continu o us air space between the inner and the o uter
wall and these are the only walls that will give an even
,

temperature summer and winter .

I see no reas o n why my esteemed friend the manu ,

facturer Of the block machine here referred to do es n o t ,

so adjust hi s machine to this idea and tie the inner and

o uter face of the block t o gether o n a di ff erent plan and , ,

with a material that will n o t make it a conductor Of damp

n ess " then it would certainly fill the bill completely He .

shoul d do thi s at o nce o r else thro w hi s machine in the

,

scrap heap as it is simply a lie and he is claiming f o r it

, ,

w hat it is in no way entitled t o in this res pect .

Framed structures are doomed "wood is t o o c o stly t o

build with and is a co nstant so urce o f exp ense t o main
,

t ain .

B rick and natural stone buildings will be erected f o r

-
34 PR AC TICA L C O NCR E T E- B L OCK M AKING

aire an d the hard burned b ricks were spoiled crumbled

,
-
, ,

and disintegrated and the Insurance Company had t o

,

make it good with new brick and about new bri cks ,

had to be put in at c o nsiderable co st .

B rickwo rk done t o d av is n o t what it used to be 30 or

-

35 years ago whe n I have h ad b rick walls and partitions

,

built 60 feet high and 8 inches thick in the fin est kind o f

buildings and they are standing as solid to day
,
-
.

Natural stone much Of w hi ch though apparently good

, ,

when quarried has t o be d ressed or broken to shape by

,

stone masons at great expense after it has been set for ,

the facing of walls crumble s o r is washed away by the

,

weather w hile made s t o ne being easily molded t o any

, ,

desired f o rm will pro ve t o be a f ar more econo mical build

,

i n g mate ri al than s to n e an d the most durable if properly

,

made .

H o llo w walls of mo lded st o ne give a dead air space and ,

.

therefore tend t o prevent sudden temperature changes

wi thin a buildi ng ren dering it cool in summer and mo re
,

eas ily warmed in winter The hollow spaces may also .

be utilized for ventilatio n an d other purpo ses .

ST AI N TO make a rich red brown colo r for brown

— .
-

o r red stone eff ect or t o renovate Old stonework or brick

,

wo rk t o fill up cracks etc use a thi ck w as h m ade of the

, ,
.
,

f o ll o wing
4 ounces Of white c o pperas cut in alcohol "
5 pounds Of P rince s metallic dry "
’

3 gallons of so ur lager beer "

2 go o d shovelfuls o f Po rtland cement .
 R C C L
P A TI A CON CR ET B L OCK
E- MA KING 35

Let man keep stirring it continually while another

one ,

man brushes it o n So ak the c o ncrete o r st o ne wall and

.

wash it tho ro ughly with water befo re applying the stain .

Two co ats are usually req ui red on concret e whi le o n e ,

is generally sufficient o n o ld stone o r brick work If any .

thing mo re is necessary t o bring o ut the co l o r eff ect apply ,

o ver it an o rdinary b rush c o at of linseed Oi l .

When dry y o u will n o t be able t o ei t her scrape o r cut

the co lo r Off witho ut taking the wall with i t and it will ,

wear fro m my knowledge and experi ence with it 25 years

, ,
.

This st ain is excellent f o r chi mney to ps Old o r new ,

.

Be fore applyi ng the dirt should always be w ashed Off

,

and j o ints pointed up with Po rt land cement mo rtar 1 t o -

3 and c o lored
,
Add Venetian red if extra rich brick red
.
- -

is wanted .

P O RT LA ND C E M EN
’
-
T S AND B RI C K

man ufacture Of Po rtland cement and s and brick

HE - -

is far diff erent fro m that o f clay Very small .

expense is required in cu ring the pro duct Up o n .

bei n g made they are all o wed t o remain o n the pallets

,

o vernight and the next day they are piled up pro tected
, ,

fro m the rays Of the sun and kept wet f o r 1 0 days after
, ,

which they are so o n ready f o r the market and the bui ld

ing Operati o n .

C lay and also sand lime brick require a l o nger peri o d o f

-

t ime and a lo t of heat lab o r and expen se before they are

, , ,
36 PRAC TICAL CONCR ET E- BLOCK MAKING

fit to be placed in the wall "bes ides an enormous outlay Of

mo ney is required to equip such plants while the exp ense ,

incurred in ins tal ling a cement-sand b ri ck plant making ,

six to ten bricks at each o peration may be fro m ,

up and a small one can be operated in a cellar o r basement

, ,

where I have known one t o be run successfully making ,

7 00 t o bricks daily by hand .

There is a plant lo cated in a city in no rthern New Yo rk ,

where also a high grade Po rtland cement is likewise manu

-

f ac t ure d
. One brick machi ne is in Operation (there are
alto gether abo ut 25 similar plants in the United Stat es
and C anada) and I have gleaned the f o ll o wing particulars
,

as t o what is being acc o mplished there " to

bricks are made daily and the plant cost
,
the
pressure applied t o each brick in the press is 1 80 to ns and ,

each tho usand brick c o sts t o manufacture all charges Of

, ,

every kind whatsoever included as f o llo ws ,

Po rtland cement 1 5 bbls

,
.

Sand I t yards
,

Lab o r p o wer rent and interest o n cas h

, , ,

investment
T o tal cost per bricks .

Af ter expense o f delivery salesmen and Offi ce staff etc

, , ,
.
,

h as been all o w ed f o r this plant earns a clear p ro fit o f

,

a day an d sells all its product in the lo cality

where it is es tablishe d .

One machine Operating do wn o n the Jersey coas t where ,

the sand do es n o t freeze and co sts practically nothi n g the ,

 PRA CTICAL C ONCR ETE -
BL OCK MA K IN G 37

pl ant heated in winter and running 300 days a year making ,

b ricks daily would turn o ut

, b ri cks which ,

if sold at the p ri ce Of common stock brick would net ,

to per tho usand or

, to f o r the
year s work " besides these bricks are classed with the
’

bes t press ed brick an d w o uld sell at a much hi gher p rice

-

than the Jersey red half baked common ro tten b rick

, ,
-
, ,

F IG . 8

that there is so much trouble with every winter in the walls

Of a naturally very damp s e a air atm o sphere and especially
-
,

when walls have been pl astered with cement stucco f o r

the outside I have seen it time and agai n and the b ri ck
.
,

were graded and sol d for A No 1 all hard bum e d

.
-
.

What do es c o mmon hard burned clay b ri ck and what

-

does pressed brick cost yo u and what does sand and

,

also Po rt land ce ment cost yo u p er b arrel ( car lots ) "

38 PR C C L C ONCR
A TI A ET E - BL OCK MA K I NG

Mo lded ev e ry shape and style o f brick can be made

an d

f o r interi o r dec o rat i o ns fireplaces t iles also f o r fl o o rs e t c

, , , ,
.

Co l o rs can be used and they can also be made abso lut el y

impervio us t o m o isture by a little extra tro uble in their
manuf ac ture besides f o r facing up a c o ncrete building t o
,

give a clear air space between them and the c o ncrete wal l ,

o r f o r venee ring a stud frame c o ncrete fi lled structure

-
or -
,

o the rwise no thing can be better o r m o re reaso nable

, .

There are vast architectural p o ssibili ties in this mat e

rial i n c o mbinatio n with co ncrete c o nstructi o n o f f o un d a
t i o n cell ar w all s underpinn ing watertable sills lintels
, , , , , ,

qu o ins v o usso i rs do o r and windo w dressings belt c o urs es

, , , ,

friezes c o rnices c o lumns rails steps e t c Fig 8 sho w s

, , , , ,
. .

vari o us f o rms Of cement brick " an examinatio n of these will

S h o w any o n e the possibi lities Of eff ective c o m binati o ns

that ca n be h ad .

WOO DEN M O L DS

MOLDS that are t o be used t o make a

OOD EN
number Of bl o cks sho uld be strongly made "
they must be substantial enough to resist the
pressure exerted by the tamping The joints should be so .

arranged that the mixture will n o t leak out .

Fig 9 shows a view Of a f o rm Of mo ld that will answer

.

f o r nearly all purposes It is co nstructed of woo d 2 inches

.

thi ck an d by removing the bolts all the side pieces may

, ,
 PRA CT ICA L C O NC R ET E BLOCK -
MA K I NG 39

be remo ved Fig 1 0 sho ws ho w the side pieces are framed

. .

and lo cked t o gether by the bo lt .

When a wooden mo ld is t o be used a number Of times ,

it sho uld be well p ainted s o as t o prevent the mo isture fro m

,

warping the w o o d A go od paint for this purp o se is made

.

o f 3 linseed oil and I paraffi n o il This not o nly preserves

.

the mold but all o ws the blo ck to leave the mold mo re

,

e as ily
.

To save material the blocks may be made ho ll o w by

cores which are al so m ade o f w o o d In using .

F IG . 9

cores be careful t o always use ro unded co rn ers as a crack ,

is more likely to start from a square co rner The c o re .

should be slightly tapered so that it may be easily with

,

drawn .

S O much for the plain m o ld which is but seldo m used

,

f or m aking c o mmo n bl o c k s No w if it is des ired t o have

.

a mol di ng like Fig 1 1 thi s c o uld be eas ily cast in a m o ld

.
,

i n whi ch plain pieces Of w o o d and m o lding (pro tected with

t he p aint already menti o ned ) are so arrang ed as to give
40 PR A CT IC A L C ONCR ET E- BL OCK MA KING
the required shape These pieces o f wo od can be nailed
.

t o o n e s ide s o that it can be easily removed

,
An ex ami .

nati o n Of Fig 1 2 will show the idea

. .

In the case of li ntels t o place over wi ndow Openings ,

the mo lding is returned at each end to the wall end In .

cases Of thi s kind the mo ld is made o f the required size

and the mo lding mitred S O as t o make the pro per f o rm
,
.

The blo ck maker sho uld keep On hand diff erent kinds
-

o f m o ldi ngs so that he will be prepared t o make up a

,

variety o f designs and if he will tu rn o ut go o d honest

, ,

F IG . 10

w ork and use a little ingenuity in preparing the molds as

, ,

o utlined ab o ve he will make a reputati o n f o r himself and

,

hi s pro ducts and will find himself recommended by archi

,

teets w ho want a go o d j o b do ne .

Arti stic e ff ects can be had by m ak ing the blocks with

plain faces o n which rai sed f est o o n s o r other designs appear .

Figs 1 3 1 4 and 1 5 will S how a few examples Of bl o cks

.
, ,

with such designs .

O rn amental blocks of thi s sort c an b e very e as ily m ade

PRA CT IC A L C O NCR ET BL OCKE- MA K ING

F IG . 13

F IG . 14

FIG . 15
 PRA CTICA L C O NCR ET E - BL OCK MA K ING 43

too deep in the plas ter it s ho uld be n ailed t o a piece Of

,

board as S ho wn in Fig 1 6 The o rnament S ho uld be

,
. .

Oil e d t o prevent its sticki g t o the plaster n The plaster .

sho uld be allo wed t o harden tho roughly befo re the c o n

.

crete is placed in the mo ld In practically every case .

the pl aster mo ld will be f o und stuck t o the cast but thi s ,

can be very eas ily dampened and scraped away Of co urse .

with this method it is necessary t o make a new mo ld Of

pl as ter for every bl o ck as the plaster will last f o r o nly
,

o n e casting This ho wever is a simple matter as the

.
, , ,

m olds are so easily made .

a - han d le , b - bo ard . c = o rn am e n t , d p las t er .

F IG . 16

M any friezes and mo ldings that are suitable for co ncrete

are made in stamp ed metal and even if the blo ck maker ,
-

h as o nly a few of these he can m ake unli mited designs by

,

using them in di ff erent c o mbinations .

Of course these sheet metal d esigns will n o t last like

-

the c as t iron molds which the blo ck machine peo ple f ur

- -

nish but if they are back ed up with a cement an d sand

,
- -

mixt ure so that they will n o t be crushed o ut Of shape

,

by the tampin g they will last lo ng enough t o turn out a

,

number of creditable and o riginal j o bs .

44 PRA CT IC AL CR
C ON E T E- BL OCK MA K IN G

FIG . 17
PRACTIC AL C ONCR ET E-BLOC K K ING
MA 45

FIG . 18
46 P R A CT IC A L C O NCR ET E BL OC K
-
MA KING
This sugges t i o n Of using stamped metal f o r f o rms will
be a new one t o mo st bl o ck makers but i t is o n e wo rthy
-
,

o f th o ught as it will enable o n e t o create s o mething dif

,

f e re n t There has been t o o much sameness ab o ut c o n

.

crete blocks .

It will be f o und that even if a small selecti o n o f the

stamped iro n o rnaments and borders are kept on hand
, ,

FIG . 19

they will open a field to the ambiti o us blo ck maker t o carry -

out the o riginal ideas Of architects which under o rd inary ,

c o nditio ns wo uld be impracticable Fig 1 7 gives design s Of

. .

a few o rn aments whi ch can be had in st amped metal an d ,

Fig 1 8 gives so me suitable b o rders

. .

When large o rn amental pieces like Fig 1 9 are c as t it .

,

is well t o rein f o rce them A simple and go o d way is t o

.
 PR C C A L C O NCR
A TI ET E- BL OCK M A KI N G 47

use a mesh wire screen cut t o the shape o f the casting and
we ll i mbedded A des ign si milar t o Fig 1 9 (size ab o ut
. .

1 6 x 2 9 ) can be had f o r a few d o llars an d can be c as t

” "

witho ut much tro uble in the manner just described The .

architectural value Of such an o rnament in a l arge unbro ken

w all Of blo cks needs n o further menti o n as it spe aks for
,

itself turni ng a dull mo no t o no us expanse Of rectangular

, ,

blo ck wall into a suitable backgro und and f o rming an ,

o bject o f beauty A little o rnament used with taste g o es

.

a very l o ng way .

A RE A RC H I T E CTS AND B U IL DE RS
AG A I NS T T H E US E O F T H E CO M M O N
C O N C RE TE BLO C K AND W HY " ,

I NC E the c o ncrete bl o ck i s m o re c o nvenient mo re ,

e ffi cie n t and che aper t h an o t her buildi n g material

, ,

it wo uld naturally f o ll o w that it sho uld rapidly

jump into fav o r t aking the place o f w o od brick and
, , ,

st o ne and be generally ad o pted f o r all o rdi nary c o n s t ruc

,

ti o n The gro wth o f the blo ck indus t ry has indeed been

.

pheno menal pushed mushro o m like by the machine manu

,
-

f ac t ure rs but it is n o t a healthy gro wth t o o much slas h

,
—

ing and cutting and even yet it pl ays but a small part
—

in the building Operat i o ns o f the co untry It is q uite .

evi dent o n all sides that c o ncrete blo cks meet with o pp o si
tio n and suspici o n on the part Of arc hi tects and b uilders ,
48 R C C L C ONCR ET E B LOC K
P A TI A -
M A KING

an d in co ns equence are much less generally adopted than

their merits w o uld appear o n the surface to warrant It .

is neither just nor expedient t o attribut e this Opp o sitio n

t o prejudice ag ains t a new material as it is n o t a n e w ,

material as I have already sho wn The machine manu

, .

f ac t ure rs an d the bl o ck makers must get do wn t o busi

-

ness and remo ve the real gro unds on which the o pp osition
is based t o the c o mmo n style concrete bl o ck as n o w pro
-

d uc e d
. Architects and e n gineers have n o prejudice against
c o ncrete but o n the c o ntrary welc o me it as a buildi ng
, , ,
-

material by means o f which they can o btain result s never

bef o re within their reach They are also keenly watching
.

the b lock industry and are re adv t o ad e pt block c o n

,

structi o n as so o n as they c an secure a product whi ch meets

t heir ideas as t o u tility and beauty .

F o rtunately n o material is so el astic in its capabilities

as c o n crete an d n o o ther can with S O little eff o rt be
,

adapted t o pro duce any eff ect desired It is hardly .

expected that the bl o ck o f the present day will be the

bl o ck of the future " the type which is mo st eco no mic al ,

prac t ical and arti stic will gradually co me to the fro n t

, ,

and th at which is c o stly clumsy and ugly w ill bec o me

, ,

a thi ng Of the past To make a success the m an uf ac

.

turer mus t study the wants Of cultivated taste also and ,

must n o t hesitate t o thro w the o ld blo ck machi nes into

the scrap heap and get up t o date with the latest ideas
, , ,

pro c ess es and machinery Of co urse t hi s seems like thro w

,
.

i n g go o d m o n ey aw ay but t h e greater sales due t o an

,

impro ved blo ck will m ake it a p aying pro p o sitio n .

50 PRA CT IC A L C ONCR ET E- BL OC K MA K I NG
It w o uld be very ni ce f o r the block maker if he could -

c o nfine himself t o a size and let cust o mers take it o r

"

leave it B ut such an attitude bars the way to an y Wide

.

use o f blo ck s in vari ed and attractive buildings an d can ,

n o t long be maintained without loss Of trade .

Arc hitects also w ant c o urses o f greater o r less height

than the 9 inch stand ard and all manner Of copings water
-
, ,

tables sills belts c o rnices c o lumns balustrades and capi

, , , , , ,

tals All thi s m ay frighten the ti mid and conservativ

. e

bl o ck maker but it is in that directi o n that success lies

-
, ,

and the producti o n Of thes e S pecial shapes and sizes req uires
o nly ingenuity c o urage an d mechanical skill Until t he
, , .

archi tect can design whatever he d esires t o knowing it ,

will be produced he will be shy Of the blo ck maker and

,
-

hi s pro duct He will o f c o urse readily appre ciate that

.
, ,

special shapes c o st m o re th an stand ard and if he kn ows ,

he c an get just what he wants he will be more likely t o ,

accept as f ar as possible what can be conveniently an d

, ,

cheaply furn ished .

P reference Sho uld be given theref o re by the block , ,

m aker t o the m achinery o r ap pliances whi ch will permi t

,

o f the greatest variety Of manuf acture " and the greatest

business success i s mo st likely t o c o me t o hi m who sho ws

the least inclin at io n t o get into a rut and is most ready ,

t o adapt hi s pro duct t o the wants o f hi s patro ns .

The Objecti o n to the weight Of o n e piece block comes -

c hiefly fro m m as o ns and c o ntract o rs Ho isting 12 X 32

” "
.

bl o cks weighing 1 80 lbs t o the upper st o ries Of a b uilding

.
,

and placing them in the wall is a co nsiderable task and it , ,

 PRACTICA L C ONCR ET E- BL OCK MA KI NG 51

is largely on thi s acc o unt that t he h alf block Of t he t w o ’

-

piece system 24 inches lo ng weighing only 64 lbs is

, ,
.
,

received wi th so much favor It must be remembered .

,

ho wever that the t w o piece blocks m ake a wall with over

,
-

5 0% Openi ng and a one piece bl o ck Of the same thi ckness

,
-

Of su rfaces —
2 5 inches w o uld also be li ght to handle an d
—
,

do ubtless very p o pular The o n e piece bl o ck o f the future

.
-

sho uld be 24 inches lo ng with a thick n ess Of surf ac es of

,

not o ver 3 5 inches Such a blo ck 1 2 i n ches wide and

.
,

9 inches high will weigh abo ut 1 00 lbs

,
an d if well and .
,

strongly ti e d with light material and ho nestly made will ,

bear required han dling and stress .

But it is t o the appearance Of c o ncrete bl o cks as regu ,

larly m ade and used that architects and o thers Of t as te

,

and so und judgmen t in such matters make the greatest

Objecti o n .Anything that s av e rs Of i mi tati o n that p re ,

tends to be what it is n o t will always be condemned by

,

tho se who know the diff erence between the goo d and the
bad in archi tecture The co mmo n c o ncrete blo ck is an
.

attempt at imitati o n of ro ck faced quarry st o ne " n o two

-

natural stones will break alike o n the face so the blo ck ,

machine furnishes a few diff erent rock faced plates Of the -

same Size Of blo ck w hile the great beauty o f a ro ck faced

,
-

stone as hlar is the irregularity in the sizes etc Of the ,

.
,

who le with the exceptio n Of level beds and plumb c ut

,
-

j o ints An d the blo ck m ak er strives as best he can t o

.
-

shuffle up his pro duct fro m his diff erent face plates but ,

hi s labo r and shu ffling are in vain It is s urprisi n g how .

unerringly the eye will pick out the spots where t w o of a

52 PRA CTIC AL C
CO N R -
ET E B L OC K MA K ING
k ind will have flocked together in the w all and not as t he ,

D utchman had i t — "

Birds Of a feather go o n e by hi ms el
S o mething wrong is quickly detected It is an eyes ore .
,

and very Objecti o nable bad art .

The ro ck faced galvanized iron of our vi llage and

-
”

t o wn st o re fro nts is a no mo re glaring fraud The imit a .

ti o n ro ck faced bl o ck has been weighed in the balance

-

and has been f o und t o be sadly wanting and the verdict ,

is It must go "
,
”

The fi n e brick manuf acturers make ro ck faced brick in

- -

a rati o nal way that have n o t the abo ve Objecti o ns Why .

did the c o nc rete bl o ck man n o t foll o w in hi s steps if

-

he was called o n t o pro duce such material by the archi

t e c t ural fraternity which I very much d o ubt " NO it is
, ,

the machine man and tho se w h o have n o t as te in matters

o f art w h o are re s p o ns ible f o r this m o nstro sity .

No w let us inqui re what is imitati o n and how c o nc re te ,

may be made t o stand o n its merits and l o o k like what it

really is a cast artificial st o ne which cannot help l o o k
—
, ,

ing like natural sandst o ne o r li mest o ne made up Of the

same materials bo und t o gether by carbo nate Of lime o r
,

soluble si licates S l o wly dep o sited in its p o res We nee d .

never be af raid that c o ncrete will be condemned f o r its

stony lo ok since that is its nature All one need avoid
,
.

is giving the work an appearan ce whi ch is unnatural such ,

as the ro ck f ace -
Smoo th rough ribbe d an d paneled
.
, , ,

surfaces are al s o go o d ornamental patterns f o r friezes or

be lt c o urses an d are entirely legitimate and equally char
,

ac t e ri s t i c o f terra c o tta or concre te Fo llow terra c o tta and

.
 PRA C TICAL C ONCR ET E- E L OCK M A ING K 53

you will be right but keep shy Of galvanized iron and the
,

metal designs and tin co rni ces etc etc The thin g t o be
,
.
,
.

av o ided is prete n se the attempt to deceive the Observer

—

int o the belief that the material he see s is something di f

f e re n t from what it really is All t hi ngs are not what
.

they seem ”
.

The surface that best satisfies the eye of the architect

and critic is a rough and varied one rather than the very ,

s mo o th glas sy
,
and dead l o o k whi ch rich c ement mixtures
,

have The film of cement which coats the face of the

.

o k is certainly mono t o no us and unattractive " besides

it is very liable to hair crack This film can readi ly be
.

removed and very beautiful eff ects are thus o btained

, ,

especially when crushed st o ne o r beach gravels containing

pebbles o f various c o lors have been used .

S TAND AR D S P EC IFICATIO N S FOR

B L O C KS

ANY failures Of buildings o f concrete bl o cks have

o ccurred due to the ignorance of the makers
, ,

and the f ault is blamed o n concrete rather than

o n t h e make rs who are at fault
, .

The National Associatio n o f Cement Users realizing the ,

abo ve facts appointed a c o mm ittee t o investigate the

,

industry an d to make expe riments and investigations

, .

The results of their experience were embodied in a stand

ard f o rm Of Spe cifications These specifications are prae
.
54 PRACTICAL C ONCR ET E- BL OC K M A KING

tically the same as the di re ctions p reviously given but it ,

wi ll be of inte rest to have them for re fe re nc e in t hi s

book The specific ations are as follows
.

C oncrete hollow blocks m ade in ac cord an c e with t he

f o llo wing specific ations and meeting t he require ments
,

there of may be us ed in buildi ng cons truction subject

, ,

t o the usual form of appro val req uired Of other materials

Of cons truction by the B u re au Of B uilding Inspec t i o n .

1 C EM E NT
.
— The ce ment use d in making sand bl o cks
shall be Po rtland c ement capable Of p as sing the requi re
,

ments as set forth in the Standard Specifications for

"

Cement by the American Society f o r Testing Mat e ri als

”
.

2 S AND
.
— The sand use d shall be sui table siliceous
.

material p ass ing t he o n e f o urth inch mesh sieve clean

,
- - -
, ,

gritty and fre e from impurities

,
.

3 STO NE OR C OAR S E AGG R EGAT E

.
— T hi s mate rial
shall be clean b roken st o ne f ree f rom dust o r clean
, , , ,

screened gravel passing the three quarter inch and refused - -

by the one q uarter inch mesh S ieve

- - -
.

4 UNIT OF M EASUR EM E NT
.
— Th e barrel o f Po rt
lan d cement shall weigh 380 p o unds net either in barre ls ,

o r subdivisi ons thereof made up Of cloth or paper bags

, ,

and a cubic f oot Of cement shall be called not to exc e e d

1 00 p o un ds or the equivalent of cubic fee t per barre l .

Cement shall be gauged or measure d ei ther in the Origi nal

package as received from the manufact ure r o r may be ,

weighed and SO pro portio ned " but under n o circum

st ances Shall it be measured loose in bulk .

5
. P R O P O R T IO NS — Fo r
exp.o se d exterior o r be ar
 P C C L C ONCR
R A TI A ET E- BLOCK MA KING 55

ing wal ls " (a) Co n c rete ho ll o w blo cks machi ne made , ,

using se mi wet c o ncrete o r mo rtar shall c o ntain o n e ( 1 )

-
,

part cement not t o exceed three (3) parts san d and n o t

, ,

t o exceed f o ur (4 ) parts st o ne of the character and S ize

,

bef o re stipulated When the st o ne shall be o mi tted the

.
,

proporti o ns o f sand shall n o t be increased unle ss it can ,

be demo ns trated that the percentage o f v o ids and tests

of absorpt i o n and st rength allo w in each case Of greater
pro p o rti o ns with equally go o d results (b) When said
, .

bl o ck s are made o f slush c o nc rete in individual m o ld s and

allo wed t o harden undisturbed in same bef o re remo val ,

the prop o rti o ns m ay be o n e ( 1 ) part cemen t to n o t t o exceed

three (3) parts sand and fi ve (5 ) parts st o ne but in this ,

case also if the st o ne be o mitted the pro p o rti o n o f s and

,

S h all n o t be inc reased .

6 MI X I NG
.
— Tho rough and vigo ro us mixi n g is Of the
utmo st imp o rtance .

( )
a H A N D M I X IN G — The c ement and sand in c o rrect
proporti o ns sha ll first be perfectly mixed dry " the water
shall then be added carefully and sl o wly in pro per propor
tions and tho ro ughly w o rk ed int o and thro ugh o ut the
,

resultant mo rtar "the mo istened gravel o r bro ken stone

shall then be ad ded either by S p reading same unif o rmly
,

over the mortar o r by sp reading the mortar unif o rmly o ver

,

the st o nes and then the whole mass shall be vigo rously
,

mixed t o gether until the c o arse aggregate is thoroughly

incorporated with and distributed thro ughout the mo rtar .

( )
b M E C H A N I C A L M IX IN G P reference
.
-
S hall be given to
m e c han i c al m i x e rs O f suitable desi gn an d adapted
, to t he
56 P C C L C ONCR
RA TI A ET E -
BL OCK M A IN G K
p articu l ar work required Of them " the sand and cement o r ,

sand and cement an d mo istened sto ne shall ho wever be firs t , ,

thoro ughly mi xed bef o re the additi o n o f water and then ,

co ntinued until the water is unif o rmly distributed o r inc o r

p o rat e d with the m o rtar or concrete pro vided however , , ,

that when mak ing slush o r wet c o ncrete (such as will quake
or flow ) this procedure may be varied with the conse nt
,

o f the B ure au of Building Inspecti o n architect or enginee r

,

in charge .

7 MO LD I NG
.
— Due care shall be used t o secure density
and uniformity in the blo cks by tamping o r other suitable
means o f co mp ression Tamped bl o cks shall n o t be finished
.

by S imply striking Off with a straight edge but after strik -

, ,

ing Off the t o p su rfaces shall be tro weled o r o therwise

,

finished t o secure density and a sharp and true arris .

8 C U R I NG
.
— Every precauti o n shall be taken to p re
vent the drying o ut Of the blo ck s during their initial se t
and first hardening A suffi ciency of w at e r shall first be
.

used in the mixi ng t o pe rfect the crystalli z atio n o f the

cement and after mo lding the blo cks Shall be carefully
, , ,

pro tected fro m wind currents sunlight dry heat or f re e z

, , ,

ing f o r at least five (5 ) days during which time additional

, ,

moisture shall be supplied by approved methods an d ,

o cc asi o nally thereafter until ready f o r use .

9 AGI NG
.
— C o ncrete ho llow bl o cks in which the ratio
Of cement to sand be one third ( i ) ( 1 part cement t o 3
-

parts sand ) shall not be used in the co nstruction o f any

have attained the age of not less than three (3 ) weeks .

58 P R A CT IC A L C ONCR ET E BL OCK - MA KING
the bri ckw o rk every fo urth co urse be ing a heading co u rse
, ,

o r with appro ved ties " n o brick backi n g t o be less than

eight (8 ) inches Where the walls are made enti rely of

‘

co nc rete blo cks but where said blo cks have no t the same
,

width as the wall eve ry fifth c o urse shall extend thro ugh
,

the wall formi ng a se cure bo nd when n o t o therwi se suf

, ,

fi c i e n t ly bo nde d All walls where bl o cks are use d sha ll

.
, ,

be laid U p with Po rtland cement m o rt ar -

.

1 4 GI R D ERS OR J OISTS
.
—
Whe rever girde rs o r j o ists
.

rest upo n walls so that there is a co ncentrated l o ad o n the

blo ck Of o ver t w o (2) t o ns the bl o cks supp o rt ing the girde r
,

o r j o i sts must be made so lid f o r at le as t eight (8 ) inches

fro m the inside face Where such c o ncentrat ed l o ad shall

.

exceed five (5 ) t o ns the bl o cks f o r at least three c o u rse s

,

belo w and f o r a distance extending at least eightee n ( 1 8 )

,

inches each side o f s aid girder sh all be made so lid f o r at ,

le as t eight (8) inches fro m the inside face Wherever .

w alls are dec re ase d in thickness the t o p co urs e of the ,

t hicker wall s h all affo rd a full s o lid beari n g for t he we bs ,

o r walls o f the c o urses o f bl o cks ab o ve .

1 5 L IMIT OF L O AD I NG
. NO wall n o r any part .
,

there o f comp o sed of co nc ret e ho llo w blocks shall be lo aded

, ,

t o an excess Of eight (8 ) t o ns per superficial f o o t Of the

area Of such blo cks including the weight Of the wal l an d
, ,

no blocks shall be use d in be ari ng walls that have an aver

age c rushing stre ngth Of less than 1 000 pounds per square inch ,

Of area at the age of twenty e ight (28) days "n o deducti o n

-
,

to be made in figu ring the area f o r the hollo w spaces .

1 6 S I LLS AND L I NT EL S Co nc rete sills an d linte ls

— .
.
 PR ACTICAL C ONC R ET E- BL OCK M AK IN G 59

shall be Reinf orc ed by iron or steel rods in a mann er satis

factory to the Bure au Of Bui lding Inspecti o n and the archi
te et or e n gineer in charge and any lintels spanni ng o ver
,

4 fee t 6 inches shall rest on blo ck so lid f o r at least 8 inches

,

from the face next to the Opening and for at least three
courses belo w t he b o tt o m o f the lintel .

1 7 HO LL OW S P AC E
.
— The ho llow space in bu ilding
bl o cks used in beari ng walls shall n o t exceed the percentage
given in the f o llo wing table f o r d iff erent height walls and -
,

in no case shall the walls o r webs o f the blo ck be les s in

thi ck ness than one f o urth their height The figures give n
-
.

in t he table represent the percentage Of such ho llo w space

f o r diff erent height walls
-
.

S t o rie s . l st . 2d . 3d . 4t h . 5th . 6t h .

1 and 2 . 33 33
3 and 4 . 25 33 33 33
5 and 6 . 20 25 25 33 33 33

18 . APPL I CATIO N FOR US E — Befo re any such mat e

rial be used i n buildings an applicatio n f o r its use an d f o r
,

a test Of the same must be filed with the Bureau Of Build

ing Inspection In the absence Of such a Bure au the
.
,

application shall be filed with the chi ef o f any department

having such matters in charge A descripti o n Of the mate .

rial and a bri ef o utline Of its manufacture and proporti o ns

use d must be embo d ied in the applicati o n The name of .

the firm or corporation and the resp o nsible Offi cers the reo f
, ,

shall also be given and changes in same the re after pro mptly
,

re po rte d .
60 PRA CTICAL C ON R C
ETE- BL OCK M AK I NG

19 . P R EL IMI NAR Y T EST ho llo w concrete blocks

.
— NO
shall be use d in the c o nst ructi o n Of any b uilding unless the
maker Of s ai d bl o cks has submitted his product to the
full tests requi red herein an d placed on file with the Bu
,

re au of Bui ldi ng Inspection o r other duly autho rized Official

, ,

a certificate fro m a reliable testing laboratory S howing ,

that repre sentative samples have been tested and suc c ess
fully p as se d all require ment s hereof and giving in detai l ,

the results Of the tests made .

No c o nc rete bl o cks shall be u se d in the c o nstru ction Of

an y building until they have been i ns pected and approved ,

or if requi red until rep re sentative samples be tested and

, ,

fo und satisfact o ry The results o f all tests made whethe r

.
,

satisfact o ry o r n o t shall be placed o n file in the Bureau

,

Of Bui lding Inspecti o n These reco rds S hall be o pen t o

.

inspectio n up o n app licati o n but need not necessarily be

,

published .

20 ADD ITIO NAL T EST S

.
— The manufactu rer and use r
o f such holl o w c o ncrete bl o cks o r either Of them shall at, ,

any and all times have made such tests o f the cements
use d in m aking such bl o cks o r such further tests o f t he
,

complet ed blo cks o r o f each o f these at their o w n exp ens e

, ,

and under the supervisi o n Of the Bureau o f Building In s pe c

t ion as the chief Of said B u reau shall requi re
,
.

In case the result Of tests made under this c o ndition

S h o uld sh o w that the standard o f these regulati o ns is not

maintained the ce rtificate Of appro val issued t o the manu

, ,

f ac t ure r Of said blo cks will at o nce be suspended o r rev o ked

, .

21 C E R TIFI CAT E OF APP R OVAL

.
— Followi ng t he
 R C C L
P A TI A R
CONC ET E B OC -
L K MA KIN G 61

applicatio n called for in clause NO 1 8 and upon the satis .

,

fact o ry co nclusion Of the tes ts called for a certificate o f ,

appro val shall be issued t o the maker o f the blocks by the

Bureau o f Building Ins pecti o n Thi s certi ficate Of approval
.

will n o t remain in force f o r mo re than four months unless ,

there be filed with the Bureau o f Building Inspecti o n at ,

least o nce every four m o nths f o llo wi ng a certificate f rom ,

so me reliable physical testin g labo ratory sho wing that ,

the average Of at least thre e (3) specimens tested f o r com

pressio n an d at least three (3) specimens t est ed f o r trans
,

verse strength comply w ith the requi rements herein set

,

f o rth The said samples t o be selected by a buildi n g i n spe c

.

t o r Or by the lab o rat o ry fro m bl o cks actually g o ing into

, ,

constructio n work .

2 2 T EST R E"
. UI R EM ENT S C o ncrete holl o w blocks
—

must be subjected to the f o llo wing tests transverse com

—
,

pressi o n and absorpti o n and may be subjected to the

,
—

freezing and fi re tests but the expense of conducting the

,

f reezin g and fire tests will not be imposed upon the manu
facturer o f said blocks .

The t est samples must represent the ordinary commerc ial

product of the regular size and shape use d in construction .

The samples may be tested as so o n as desired by the app li

cant but in no c as e later than sixty days after m an uf ac
,

ture .

TR ANS "E RS E T E S T The m o dulus Of rupture f o r co ncrete

— .

blocks at 28 days must average one hundred and fifty ,

and must not fall bel o w o n e hundred in any c ase .

C OM PRE S S ION T E S T The ultimate co mpressive st rength

— .
62 PRA CT IC AL C O NCR ET E BL OCK -
MA K ING
at 28 days must average o n e tho usand p o unds
per sq u are inch and must n o t fall below se ven hundred
,

in any case .

A B S OR PT ION T ES T — The pe rcentage Of absorptio n (be i n g

.

the weight Of water absorbe d divided by the weight Of the

"

-
,

dry sample ) must n o t average hi gher than an d must

not exceed 22 % in any case .

2 3 C O ND EM NED BL OC K
.
— An y and all blocks sam ,

ples Of whi ch on being tested under the directi o n o f the

,

Bu reau Of Building Inspectio n fail to stand at twenty

,

eight (28 ) days the tests requi red by this regulati o n shall ,

be marked c o ndemned by the manuf acturer or user and ,

shall be destroyed .

24 C EM ENT BR I C K
.
— C ement b ri ck may be used as
a substitute f o r clay b ri ck They shall be made o f 1 part
"

cement t o not exceeding 4 parts clean sharp sand or 1 , ,

part cement to not exceedin g 3 part s clean sharp sand ,

and 3 parts broken sto ne o r gravel passing the o n e half -

inch and refused by the o n e q uarter inch mesh sieve In

- - -
.

all o ther respects cement bri ck must conform to the re quire

ments Of the foregoing S pecificati o n s .

The f o regoing specificatio ns t o gether with p re vious dire c

,

tio ns co ver practically the whole subject Of the maki ng o f

,

concrete blocks TO be suc c essful in this line o f m an uf ac

.

turi ng you must produce a fi rst class block an d thi s c an be

,
-
,

do ne by strictly followin g these rules an d direct io ns Sho w .

that yo u have faith in blo cks by building your Ofli ce with

them Be enthusiastic and yo u will succeed
. .
 C C L C ONCR ET E BL OCK
PR A T I A -
M A ING K 63

T ES TI NG H O LLO W C O N C RET E BLO C KS

imp o rtant w o rk e spe c i allv for fact o ri es and

N ,

warehouse s which are t o carry heavy lo ads o n

the flo o rs it is a go o d plan to test the blo cks
,
.

The rules ado pted by the Nat i o nal Asso ciatio n o f Cement
Users are go od o nes t o f o llo w " they are as f o llo ws
1 All tests required f o r appro val shall be made in so me
.

labo rat o ry Of reco gnized standing under the supervisio n ,

o f the engineer o f the Bu reau o f B uilding Inspe cti o n or ,

the archi tect or engineer in charge o r all o f the se The ,

.

manufacturer may be present o r rep rese nted d uring sai d ,

tests if he S O desires Approval tests are made at the

,
.

expense Of the app licant .

2 Fo r the pu rposes o f the tests at least twelve ( 1 2 )

.
,

s amples or test pieces must be pro vided Such samples .

must rep re se nt the o rdinary co mmercial product and may

be selected fro m st o ck by the Bureau Of Building In spe c
ti o n o r in the absence of such a Bureau by the architect
, ,

o r engineer in charge .

In c as e s where the mate ri al is made and use d in special

shapes or f o rms t o o large f o r testing in the ordinary
machines sm aller sized specimens shall be use d as may be
,
-
,

directed .

3 In addition to the tests required f o r approval the

.
,

weight per cubic f o ot Of the mate ri al must also be obtained

and reco rded .
64 C L
PR ACT I A R
CONC ETE-B OC L K MA KING

4 Tests shall be made in series Of at le as t t hree

.

except that in the fire tests a s e ri es Of t w o (f o ur sam ples )

are su fficient .

Transverse tests shall be made o n full sized samples - .

Half samples may be used f o r the crushing freezing and , ,

fire tests The remaining samples are kept in re serve in

.

case duplicate o r co nfi rmato ry tests be re qui red All sam .

ples must be marked f o r identification and compariso n .

5 The transverse test shall be made as f o ll o ws " The

.

samples shall be plac ed fl at wi se on t w o ro unded kni fe

edge bearings set parallel 7 inches apart A lo ad is then .

appli ed On t o p midway between the suppo rts and tran s

, ,

mi t t e d thro ug h a similar ro unded knife edge unt il the ,

sample is ruptured The mo dulus o f rupture shall then

.

be determined by multiplying the t o tal breaking lo ad in

p o unds by twenty o n e (three times the distance between
-

suppo rts in inches) and then di vidi ng the result thus

,

Obtained by twice the pro duct o f the width in inches by

the square Of the depth in i nches "

3 WL
2
2 bd

NO allowance should be made in figuri ng the modulus o f

rupture f o r the ho llow spac e s .

6 The c o mpressi o n test shall be made as f o llo ws " S am

.

ples must be cut from blo cks SO as to c o ntain a full w e b

secti o n The sample must be carefully measured the n
.
,

bedded flat w i se in plaster Of P aris t o secure a uniform ,

beari ng in the testing machine an d crushed The tot al , .

66 PRA CTICA L C ONCR ETE-B LOCK MAKING

j
e c ted t
to hi s tempe rature for at least 30 minutes One
.

Of the samples is then plunged in c o ld water ( ab o ut 5 0

°

t o 60 F ) and the results n o ted The second sample i s

°
. .

permitted t o cool gradually in ai r and the results no ted

,
.

1 0 The f o llowing requirements must be met t o secure

.

an acceptance o f the mate rials " The mo dulus Of ru pture

f o r c o ncrete blocks at 28 days Old must average o n e hun
dred and fif ty and must not fall be lo w o n e hundred in an y
case The ultimate c o mpressive strength at 28 days must
.
,

average o n e tho usand p o unds pe r square inch and must

n o t fall bel o w seven hundre d in an y case The percentage
.

Of abs o rpti o n (being the weight o f water absorbed divide d

by the weight Of the dry sample ) must not average high er

than 1 5 % and must n o t exceed 22 % in any case The .

reducti o n o f c o mpre s sive strength must not be m o re than

33 47 0, except that when the l o wer figure is still abo ve

o n e th o us and p o unds pe r square inch the loss in strengt h
,

may be neglected The freezing and thawing pro cess must

.

n o t cau se a l o ss in weight greater than n o r a loss in

strength Of mo re than except that when the lo wer

figure is still abo ve one tho usand pounds per square inch ,

the loss in strength may be neglected The fire test must .

n o t cause the mate ri al to disintegrate .

 INDE X

PAG E

Abs o rption test 6 1 , 65

Advantages of c o ncrete
A dvantages of c o ncrete c o nstructi o n
Aggregate .

Aging
Ai r space
Appearance blo ck s
Of

Architects attitude t o wards bl o cks .

Artificial st o ne .

B ank gravel .

B l o cks ,
diff ere nt forms of
B l o cks
,
directi o ns f o r manufactu ri ng
B locks ,
facing .

B l o cks ,
ornamental .

B locks ,
sand cement
-
.
68 D
IN EX

B locks to m ake economically

,
.

B l o cks where they sho uld be made

,

Bo nding
B o rders
B rick art in cement
,
.

B ri ck cement sand
,
-

Bri ck falling apart

,

B ri ck f o rms o f cement
,

B ri ck sand lime
,
-

B rickw o rk
Builders attitude t o wards bl o cks
’

Building with bl o cks .

C apabilities o f c o n c ret e .

C ast s t o ne .

Cement . 8, 1 4
Cement am o unt o f
,
.

Cement b ri ck
Cement b ri cks c o st o f ,
.

Cement bricks f o rms Of ,

.

Cement crystallizati o n o f
,
.

Cement weight Of a barrel

,
Of

C o l o ring
C ompressi o n te s t .

C oncrete .

C o nc rete bl o ck mac hines

-

C o ncrete bl o ck s .
 IN D EX 69

PAGE

Co ncrete strength Of fresh

,

C o ndemned bl o ck .

C o res
.

C o st Of making bl o cks
C o st o f makingbrick .

C rushed st o ne .

C rystallizati o n Of cement pro per time ,

fo r
C rystallizing Of cement

D amp proof bl o cks

-
.

Dimensi o ns of bl o cks .

Disintegration
Disintegrati o n of bricks .

D rying t o prevent rapid

,
.

D ry mix .

E conomy in making bl o cks .

Faced blocks
Festoons
Filling molds .

Fire test .

Freezing test .
70 IN D EX

PAGE

Galv am ze d eff ects

-
rro n

Galvanized iro n ornaments

-
.

Girders .

Go o d bl o cks
Gravel .

Green st o ne .

Hand mixing .

Hardening .

Hardening o f bl o cks

H o ll o w bl o cks .

H o llow spaces .

H o ll o w walls .

Ign o rance in using c o nc rete

Imitati o ns

J oists

L aying Of wall s .

Lintels .

L oad o n walls
 IN D EX

Machine se lecting a , .

Manufacturing
Marking blocks .

Mechanical mixing .

Mix dry
, .

Mix wet
,

Mixes
Mixing .

Mo istening .

Mo lding .

M o lds
M o lds filling
, .

Mo lds o iling
,
. .

Mo lds plaster
,

M o lds wo o den
,
.

Mon o t o nous appearance

Mo ulding making up o riginal
,

M o uldings .

Mo uldi ngs m o lds f o r ,

.

Objections to blocks .

Ornamental bl o cks .

Ornaments .

Orn ament s re i nf orc e d ,

.
72 D
IN E X

P allet
P arty w alls .

P lacing .

P las ter m o lds .

Po o r w o rk
P ressu re .

P ro fits in blocks .

P ro p o rti o ns
P roporti o ns Of aggre gate .

Re novating old walls .

Re quirements of bl o ck s
R ock facing

Sand .

Sand cement bl o cks

,
.

San d quality Of
,

Sand screening
,
.

Selecting a machine .

Set pro per time to

,

Sh o ddy w o rk .

Sills .

Sound o f blocks
74 IN DEX

Vo ids.

V o ids determinat i o n
,
Of

Walls h o ll o w
,

Walls laying Of
,
.

Wall s l o ad o n
,
.

Wa ll s party
,
.

Wall s thick n ess o f

,
.

Wat er abso rbed by s a n d .

Water t o o much
,
.

Water u se d f o r mixing .

Waterpro o f bl o ck .

Waterpro o fing .

We ight Of bl o ck s .

Wet mix
Wet pro cess .

Wetting
W o o den m o lds
 Mo de rn
Ce m e n t S ide walk Co n s t ruc t io n
A P R A C T IC A L T R E A T IS E
FOR T HE WO R K M A N
By

C h a r l e s P a ll i s e r
6 4 Pa g e s ( 5 x 7 In c h e s )
F u l l y IIIL s t Fa t e d

H an ds o m e ly b o un d in c lo t h

P RICE, 5 0 CENTS
Se nt pos t-paid o n re c ei pt o f price
Your mo ney back If yo u are no t pleased

HE i
c o n s t r uc t o n O f c e m e ni d e w alk c urb s n d g u t t rs t s s, a e
ist ho r o u g hl y
e x p l ai n d i t hi s b o k f u ll d i t i s
e n o re c on
b e i g g i ve n re ga d i g t h e l e c t i o n a d t e t i n g f t h e
,

n r n se n s o
c e me t n sa d , t n
e g , vs lon t " t
, h e p era
c i a l t
e o l s u de" ct h e S o se
l ay i n g fi i s hi n g s a i g l i g e t t g e t h r w i t h ad
.
,

, n , e so n n co or n c o e
v i e o n d e a li g w i h c u t m e a d d a t a r g a d i g t h e ac t u al
.
, .

c n t s o rs , n e r n
c o st f s e ve a l j b s w i t h t h
o r o m p l e t e S pe c i fi a t i n
. f ac h
e c o c o s o e .

The met h d f w k h a ve b
o s o t i d ov r a d
or v r ag i ee n r e e n o e a n
b y t h e au t h r i n h i s m a y y a s o f e p i
o n c e a d al w aye rwit h x er e n n s
s uc c ess d an yan e f ll w i g t h e on di c ti
o o w ill b e a bl e t o
n se re ons
la y a m
c e t s i d e w al k t h a t w ill l a t f r y e a rs w i t h u t r a r i g u p
en s o o e n
c ra ki g r c um bli
.
,

c n o r n
g .

T h e s i m p l t l a g u a g h as b es nn u d t h ug h ut t h b
e kee se ro o e oo
all t e h i c a l t b i g fu ll y x p l i d C t i m y
,

c n m t er s, e c .
, e n e a ne . o n a ns an
v a l u a bl p i n
e t e so f r t h e rx i o d m e t em a o n a r w l l a s -
s e
p e e e c nc e n s
th e be g i e r nn .

I NDUS TRIAL PUBLI CATI ON 0 0 .

IS Tho m as St re e t Ne w Yo rk
 "
"

li k e S TE E L S UA R E
AS A

C a l c ul a t i n g M a c h i n e

BY A L B ER T F A IR

S I P a ge " Ill u s t r a t ed " H a n d e o m e ly B o u n d i n C lo t h

-
P R IC E 50 C E NT S . P O S T P A ID

HE o rd i n ary st ee l square is g e n e rally p

lo o k e d u o n as a t o o l ec u liar p
t o th e k i t of the p
c ar e n te r , a n d u se d so l e l y f o r lay i n g
o u t w o rk , m ark
ing "c ut s
Oi a n d an gl es a n d
"
s q uari n g up . B y m o s t o t h e r t rad e s i t i s
us e d c h i e fl y f o r t e s t i n g th e s q ua re n e ss
”
o f t h e ir w o rk It h as be e n fo u n d ,
.

h o w e ve r , t h a t a q
w e ll -mad e s ua re , w i t h t h e ed g e s ac c urate ly g rad ua t e d or

d i vi d e d i n to i n c h e s or p a rt s o f a n i n c h , m ay be u se d f o r m ak i n g c al c u la t i o n s

w h ic h , i f p e rfo rm ed by fi gu re s on pp
a e r by m ean s o f a p e n c i l, w o u ld t ake
q
h o u rs , w h e re as b y t h e S t ee l S uar e t h e y m ay b e s o lve d i n m i n u t e s w i t h o u t
a n y c alc u la t i o n w h at e ve r A n d i t i s a w e l l k n o w n fac t t h at ve ry f e w m e c h an
-

pli g qu q
.

ic s are able t o m ak e c om c a t e d c alc u la t i o n s i n vo lvi n e s t io n s o f s uare

an d c u be ro o t s , values , e t c B u t b y m e a n s O f t h e S t ee
. uare an d a s i m le l Sq p
g
In d e x - ui d e w h i c h i s c le arly d e s c ri M i n t h is b o o k , an d w h i c h an y m ec h an i c
c an m ak e f o r h i m se lf i n a f e w m i n ut e s , m an y o f t h e m os t i m p o rt a n t p ro b le m s
~

m a y b e so l ve d i n s t an t ly an d ac c urat e ly , w h i le t h e m e t h o d s by wh i c h t h e w o r k
i s do ne are so s i m pl e an d so e as ily le arn e d t h at as s o o n as t h e use o f t he g rad

u at e d s q ua re f o r t h is p p
ur o se bec omes kn o w n , no p
m ac h i n i s t , l um be r , e le c t r i
c i an , st e a m -u s e r o r o t h e r p rac ti t i o n e r g
o f an y o f t h e h i h e r m ec h an i c al t rad e "

w i ll fe e l t h at h e c a n aff o rd t o be w i t h o u t o ne , f o r i t is s afe to
t h at an y in
s ay

t e l li g e n t m ec h an i c w h o o w n s a g ood s q uare an d t h i s b o o k w i ll fi n d t h a t o n t w o

or t h ree o rd i n ary j o bs t h e y wi ll save h im , i n t i m e an d wo rry , m o re t h an te n

t i m e s t h e ir c o s t .

Wh ile t h i s has bee n kn o w n f o r a lo n g t im e, y e t t h us f a r an d up t o t h e p u b

l i c at i o n of the p re se n t vo lum e t h e re h as b e e n n o t e xt -bo o k i n w h ic h t h e ri n p
c i ple s ac c o rd in gt o w h i c h t h e se c alc ulat i o n s g
m i h t be m ad e w e re e x la in e d p .

In t h i s v o l um e , h o we ve r, t h e au t h o r gi ves n o t o n ly c le a r an d ac c ura te e x p lan

at i o n ao f p
t h es e p ri n c i ple s , b ut s i m le an d eas i ly f o llo w e d d i re c t i o n s f o r u t t i n p g
t h em in p rac t i c e T h e bo o k i s w ri t t e n i n t h e ve ry s i m les t lan uage
. no p g
x y — z fo rm u la , an d n o su c h e x p re s s i o n s as
"
c os di e dral m i t c r ris e c oo

h al f-c o m e r an le g 0 t o c o n fuse t h e w o rk m an .

In d u s tr i a l P u b li c a ti o n Co .

is Th o m u S t re e t Ne w Y o r k
A NEW BOOK ON T H E S "UA R E

The Ste e l S quare Po c ke t Bo o k

A P ra c t i c a l an d R an dy T re a t i s e G i v i n g th e
B e s t M e th o d s o f U s i n g t h e C a rp e n te r
"

S t e e l S q u a re

B Y D . L . S T OD D A R D

1 0 9 P a ge s " "2 Il l u s t r a t i o n s " C lo t h Bo u nd

P ri c e 50 c e n ts , p o s t pa id

The i
s ze o f t h is bo o k ena bl es i t t o be i
c arr e d i n t h e po c e t , k
he n c e t h e c arp e n ter c an a l w ay s re e r f t o i t fo r t he m e t o d o f h
fi nd in g i
t h e d ff e re n t c u t s u se d i n ro o f f ram in g ,
i
s ta r wo r k ,

h o ppe rs t o w e rs a d b i c yc l e t rac k s "al s o d i re c t i o n s f o r d e

,
n

sc r i b i n g h e x ago n s o c t ag o n s a d o t h e r p o l yg o n s c i rc l e s o val s
,
n , , ,

e ll i ps e s b rac e m e as ure m e n t d i vid in g a c o n e f ac i a an d f i e

, , , r ez

c ut s , b s i d e s d i re c t i o s i n c l e ar l a n g u ag e f o r s o l v i n g o t h e r
e n

k o t t y pro ble m s b y t h e us e o f t h e s qua e

n r .

T h i s b o k i s t h o ro ug hl y o i g i n a l "e v e ry c u t i s n e w an d
o r

s p e c i all y m ad e f o r i t O n e n e w f e at u re w h i c h w ill c o m m e d
. n

i t e l f t o m e c h an i c s i s t h e ab s e c e o f re fe re n c e l e t t e rs o n t h e
s n

i ll us t rat i o n s t h e re fo re t h e re ad e r w i ll h av e n o t ro ubl e i n l o o k
,

i g f o r t h e vari o us A B C s e t c w h i c h are s o m e t i m e s c o n
’
n , , , . ,

f u i n g t o b e g i n n e rs In s t e ad o f h avi n g t o h un t f o r l e t t e rs t h e
s .
,

r ad e r w i ll fi n d an e xac t e n g rav i n g o f t h e s quare i t s e l f la i d o n

e

t h e w o rk s o as t o g i ve t h e po i n t s l e n g t h s an d quan t i t i e s s o u g h t , .

T h i s i s a b o i l e d d o w n c o m pe n d i um o f i n f o rm at i o n abo u t t h e
-

sq uare w h i c h c an b e re f e rre d t o qui c k ly h avi n g a t h o ro ug h ,

in d e x .

l n d u s tri a l P u b l i c a ti o n C o .

i s Th o m as S t re e t . Ne w Y o rk
Sh o rt C u ts m C a r p e n t ry
A C OLL EC TIO N O F NE W A ND
IM P RO"ED M ET H O D S OF LA Y IB O
OU T A ND EREC T ING C A RP E N
TERS ’
A ND J O INER S ’
WORK
BY

A L B ERT F A IR
so mass (5 x 7 In c h e s )
7 5 ILL US TRATIONS
Ha n d s o m e ly b o u n d In (Slo t h

P RIC E 5 0 C ENT S ,

Se n t pest -paid o n rece ipt o f price

Yo ur mo ney bac k ll yo u are no t please‘

0 L A Y O U T an d e re c t c ar p e n t e rs w o r ac c u r a t e y an d
’
k l
q u i c y i s a nkla c c o m p l s m e n t i h
d e s r e d b y a ll r o g r e s sii v e
c a r p e n t e rs In t h s o o
. i b k
n o t o n y t h e s m p e ru e s f o r l i l
h i l
,
”
t h e s o r t c u t a re g ve n , b u t a s o t h e r e as o n w h y s o t h at t h e
l k l b b i
,

c a r pe n t e r c a n a p p y h i s n o w e d ge t o m a n y p r o le m s es des
t h o s e g ve n i n ti shi b k
oo .

T he oo b k i k
c o n t a n s r e m ar s a b o u t t h e c a r e n t e r a n d h i s
p
k l f l i l
w o r , a ar g e o d n g p a t e s o w n g t h e n t e r o r o f a o u s e w t h i i i ih h
e ac hp ar t n a m e d t h e u s e o f g e o m e t r y m i t r e i n g, m t r e o e s b x i ,

i l i i ki l i b i
, ,

m t r e s f o r c u r v e d m o d n g s v ar o u s n ds o f mo d n g end ng
i l l i b k
, ,

m o ld i n g s a ro u n d c rc e s r a k e m o d n g s k e r fi n g
, r ac e t s fo r
l f l l
, ,

c o ve s use o f t he s t ee
, s q u are u s e o f 2 o o t r u e u s e o f g ue -
,

ki h bli ii b h
,

i i
,

w o r n g ar d w o o d nd n a l n g s e t t n g d o o r j am s an g n g
i f i i i hi l i
, , ,

d o o r s fi t i n g d o o rs a n d w n d o w s
. ra m n g s d ng s ng n g,
i ih h i b b il i b l i
,

f
, , ,

ra m n g a fl o o r w t s o r t t m e rs u d n g up a e am ay n g
ih i l f
, ,

fl o o r s w o o d c a rpe t , d s e d fl o o rs , v e n e e r i n g
, n ayi n g ro o
f i i l x l i b h bi f
, ,

ra m n g s m p y e p a n e d r ac e s , r s w h e a t n s e n c e
o
pp e
i l b l k ll
, , ,

p o s t s s h
, a p n g a fi a g p o e , e v e o f t a n s t a v e s w e c u r b s e t c , , , .

et c .

I NDUSTRIAL PUBLICATI ON CO .

I6 Th o m as S t re e t Ne w Yo rk
D O N T C U T A ND T R Y 3 3
’

B u t L ay O u t Yo u r Wo rk Ac c u ra t e ly
b y U p -t o -D a t e M e t h o d s 3 3 3 3

ROOF FRAMN
I G M ADE EASY
A P rac t ic al and Ea s i ly -Un d e rs t o o d S y s t e m of Lay i n g Out an d

Fram i n g Ro o f s Adapt e d t o M o de r n B uild i n g Co n s t ruc t io n .

Th e l e t h o ds are l ads Cl e ar by Ne arly 1 0 0 Large Cl ear En gravi n g.

B y O WE N B . M A G INNIS . A rc h i t e c t
In s p e c to r o f B u i l d i n gs o f t h e C i ty o f Ne w Y o r k
A u tho r o f H o w t o F ra me a H o us e .
”
H o w t o Me as u r e Up Wo o d wo rk
" ”
f or B u i l d i n gs , B r i c kla y i n g, e tc .
, e tc .

S ec o n d E d itio n . Re vise d an d G r e a t l y E n l ar ge d . No w R e ad y
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u d e rs t a n d h o w t o lay o u t e v e r y p i e c e o f t im be r u s e d w i t h u t
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w as t i n g v al uabl e t i m e an d m at e r i al c u t t i g a n d t ry i n g n .

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t ifi c ph ras e s a n d c o n f us i g t e rm s h ave b e n a n i d d w h e re e vo e

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t h at t h e b o k i s val uabl e t o t h e b e g i n n e r as w e ll as t h e ad
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IND U S T RIA L p us u c x n o n c o .

P 0. . B o x 18 5 2 16 T h o m as S t re e t . N Y . .
 H O W T O R E A D P L A NS
A "A L U A B L E NE W B OOK

By C h a r le s G . P eker

6 0 PAGES (5 x 7 In c h e s )

4 3 DRAWINGS IN TEXT

8 LARGE F OLDING P LATES

H an d s o m e ly B o un d i n C l o th

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16 T h o m as S t re e t Ne w Y o r k
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