Banker??

[Richard C]

we made a box out of a sheet of ply, fixed 2 sides and 2 ends on it to make a box,

Roughcaster.

that box is what a banker was / it is not just a board, before cement mixers all lime mortar was mixed in a banker,
the lime came raw as lumps and was tip into a pit then flooded with water, this was left to bubble away as raw lime heats
with water added, after some time (which I can't remember how long) but I think it was some weeks the lime was then called slaked,
this is then mixed with sand in the banker with the hair being teased in for plastering and no hair added for the brickwork mortar,
the mortar was stored in bulk and covered with a tarp',
the mortar was then taken from the heap and remixed or knock up again as the brickies or plasterers needed it.
the lime pit was one of the first jobs to be dug on site do to the time it took to slake the lime.

Blimey Marsh, this really is interesting history for me; do you know all about this stuff first hand

 

[marshman]

Blimey Marsh, this really is interesting history for me; do you know all about this stuff first hand

no I'm not that old but I was taught by an old boy (rest his soul) who would tell me the in my day tales.
to get it first hand you would have to go to the pub at dinner time or to the bookies and ask the old boys there,
lime pits and hand mixing died out about the end of the forty's along with rope tied wood scaffold.

 

[roughcaster]

Marshy mate, are you an "owl"? You seem to either get up verrrrry early, or go to bed verrrrry late. Now what is it "too whitt taa whoooo" or "tooo whit tooo whaa" ?

Roughcaster.

 

[marshman]

according to the chinese I'm a rat rat so I'm up early to keep an eye on the owls so I don't get eaten.

 

[roughcaster]

Fair do's Mucker.

Roughcaster.