# / . 4 % 8 4 - ! 2 # ( OVERDUE SECOND EDITION IS A CONSIDERABLY UPDATED VERSION EXPANDED FROM TO PAGES )T FOLLOWS THE SAME FORMAT OF CONCISE TEXT AUGMENTED WITH THE AUTHOR S CLEAR DISTINCTIVE AND USEFUL ILLUSTRATIONS !S BEFORE THE BOOK IS DIVIDED INTO TWO SECTIONS THE FIRST COVERING MATERIALS AND THE SECOND DEALING WITH REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE 4HE MATERIALS SECTION PROVIDES AN EXTREMELY VALUABLE OVERVIEW OF THE PRINCIPAL MATERIALS HISTORICALLY USED FROM NON HYDRAULIC LIME THROUGH TO PROPRIETARY SYNTHETIC CEMENTS WITH SECTIONS ON GYPSUM BASED MATERIALS AND A WIDE RANGE OF ADDITIVES )T IS IN PARTICULAR A SIGN OF BETTER TIMES THAT THE NEW EDITION MANAGES TO PLACE MODERN CEMENTS MUCH MORE FIRMLY IN THEIR APPROPRIATE LIMITED PLACE WITHIN A BROAD SPECTRUM OF AVAILABLE MATERIALS WHEREAS THE FIRST EDITION WAS DANGEROUSLY CONSTRAINED IN ITS RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE LACK OF ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE AT THE TIME 4HIS PART OF THE BOOK IS NOW ONE OF THE BEST AVAILABLE INTRODUCTIONS TO A SUBJECT WHICH CAN BE EXTREMELY COMPLEX IN DETAIL )T COVERS THE PRODUCTION OF THE MATERIALS THEIR USE AND THEIR PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS CLEARLY AND OPENLY IN REMARKABLY FEW WORDS 4HE SECOND PART OF THE BOOK COVERING MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR IS ALSO VALUABLE BUT RATHER LESS DEFINITIVE )T IS IN EFFECT A COMBINATION OF GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND PHILOSOPHY WHICH DESERVES TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY WITH MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION NEEDING TO BE TREATED WITH DISCRETION 4HE SECTION ON REPOINTING AND JOINT FILLING IS EXCELLENT AS IS THE CONSIDERATION OF THE VARIOUS FAILURE MECHANISMS TO WHICH PLASTERS AND RENDERS CAN BE SUBJECT 4HESE ARE HOWEVER INTERSPERSED WITH RECOMMENDATIONS AND EVEN DRAFT SPECIFICATIONS FOR REPAIR ALONG WITH SUGGESTED MORTAR MIXES WHICH BY NO MEANS FORM A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF ALL THE AVAILABLE OPTIONS AND IN MANY CASES ARE TOO SPECIFIC TO BE GENERALLY APPLICABLE )T IS ALSO WORRYING TO NOTE THAT ONE OR TWO NOW SUPERSEDED REPAIR TECHNIQUES FROM THE FIRST EDITION STILL REMAIN SUCH AS THE REPLACEMENT OF DECAYED LATHS AND NIBS WITH WIRE MESH AND A THICK PLASTER BED BETWEEN JOISTS WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN FOUND TO BE OFTEN TOO HEAVY AND TOO INFLEXIBLE !S A RESULT THIS SECTION OF THE BOOK NEEDS TO BE TREATED WITH SOME CARE !LTHOUGH MUCH OF THE INFORMATION IS VALUABLE IT IS NO LONGER COMPREHENSIVE AND THERE REMAINS A VERY REAL DANGER THAT THE OVER SPECIFIC REPAIR AND NEW WORK WITH A REAL CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES THAT WILL RESULT AND THE REASONS WHY AND FOR THE COMPROMISES THAT SUCH DESIGN INEVITABLY ENTAILS )T IS UNLIKELY THAT MORE DEFINITIVE CLEARLY PRESENTED INFORMATION ON THIS SUBJECT WILL BECOME AVAILABLE FOR A LONG TIME )N THE ABSENCE OF SUITABLE "RITISH OR %UROPEAN 3TANDARDS THE BOOK IS AN INDISPENSABLE REFERENCE FOR ANYONE INTENDING TO SPECIFY HYDRAULIC LIME MORTAR FOR MASONRY 4HESE TWO BOOKS DEMONSTRATE HOW FAR THE UNDERSTANDING OF TRADITIONAL MORTARS HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST YEARS 7HEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED THE FIRST EDITION OF *OHN !SHURST S BOOK WAS THE DEFINITIVE REFERENCE ON ITS SUBJECT AND FILLED A HUGE KNOWLEDGE GAP FOR THE MAJORITY OF PRACTITIONERS %VEN AT TWICE THE LENGTH HOWEVER THE SECOND EDITION IS NOW SIMPLY A VERY VALUABLE ALTHOUGH FLAWED INTRODUCTION /THER WORKS SUCH AS THAT BY THE &ORESIGHT TEAM HAVE CARRIED REAL KNOWLEDGE FORWARD TO A FURTHER LEVEL ENABLING THE OVERALL STANDARD OF CONSERVATION WORK TO BE IMPROVED AT THE SAME TIME )AN "ROCKLEBANK IS AN ASSOCIATE AT !CANTHUS ,AWRENCE AND7RIGHTSON !RCHITECTS IN #HISWICK (E EDITS THE *OURNAL OF THE "UILDING ,IMES &ORUM )N CONTRAST (YDRAULIC ,IME -ORTAR FOR 3TONE "RICK AND "LOCK -ASONRY HAS THE GREAT ADVANTAGE OF BEING AN ENTIRELY NEW WORK BASED ON EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH AND RIGOROUS SCIENTIFIC TESTING OVER A CONCENTRATED THREE YEAR PERIOD BY THE &ORESIGHT TEAM 4HE BOOK COVERS IN DETAIL A SUBJECT THAT !SHURST INTRODUCES ONLY BRIEFLY )T DISCUSSES THE MATERIALS AND THE DESIGN OF MORTAR MIXES BY ASSESSING THE VARIOUS OPTIONS ON A COMPARATIVE BASIS SETTING OUT THE FULL RANGE OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES WHICH CAN BE OBTAINED AND CONCLUDING WITH A @#RAFTSMAN S "EST 0RACTICE 'UIDE !S A RESULT THIS BOOK ENABLES DESIGNERS TO SPECIFY HYDRAULIC LIME MORTAR MIXES FOR BOTH CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE APPLIED WITHOUT THE JUDGEMENT AND MODIFICATION THAT IS REALLY ESSENTIAL FOR SUCCESS IN INDIVIDUAL SITUATIONS )MAGES FROM (YDRAULIC ,IME -ORTAR FOR 3TONE "RICK AND "LOCK -ASONRY
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