Blue brick curved wall

[23vc]

I want to do a blue (engineering perf) brick wall with dark dyed mortar, as a front garden wall at my house, to replace an existing badly spalled wall. About 6 or 7 courses high.
I’ve done a fair bit of brickwork for someone who doesn’t do it for a living, built my own 2 storey extension and pretty happy with my face work. But that was all to a nice easy line.
I did do a curved wall years ago, but it was old reclaimed bricks. I think I just laid them and checked for plumb every third brick.
Any advice on the best way to do this? Would you just take your time to get the curve right on the first course then use a level to check each brick as you go?
Also, any pointers on a decent mortar dye/mix ratio to give a nice dark tone?
Cheers

 

[^woody^]

Random curve or part of a circle or ellipse?

 

[23vc]

Random curve or part of a circle or ellipse?

Pretty sure it’s a regular ellipse. It’s only a slight curve, follows the line of the pavement.

 

[robinbanks]

Soo, a slate batten screwed to two other battens, with wedges, to create the curve profile and use as a string line?

Also, any pointers on a decent mortar dye/mix ratio to give a nice dark tone?

Mix up a few batches. I was trying to replicate the sandstone on my building using a mix of brown and buff. None of it worked out but I made 17 swatches with different proportions of dye.
Did have to use a lot of sand just to get the mix ratio for the due right; it was something like half a kilo of sand, 100g of cement and an 1/8th of a teaspoon measure for the dye.. but have a play, mix up a patch, set it out to cure and do the next one with a different proportion

 

[23vc]

Thanks. Can’t quite work out what you mean about the 3-batten thing though.

 

[noseall]

I want to do a blue (engineering perf) brick wall with dark dyed mortar, as a front garden wall at my house, to replace an existing badly spalled wall. About 6 or 7 courses high.
I’ve done a fair bit of brickwork for someone who doesn’t do it for a living, built my own 2 storey extension and pretty happy with my face work. But that was all to a nice easy line.
I did do a curved wall years ago, but it was old reclaimed bricks. I think I just laid them and checked for plumb every third brick.
Any advice on the best way to do this? Would you just take your time to get the curve right on the first course then use a level to check each brick as you go?
Also, any pointers on a decent mortar dye/mix ratio to give a nice dark tone?
Cheers

I never use mortar dye. Too random, fades and too difficult to match later on.
Curved walls are built entirely with the level. Tough as nuts to get looking good. Tight curves require headers, slow curves can be done with thruppenny bit stretchers..

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[23vc]

I never use mortar dye.

Thanks, top work as ever
Yeah, I haven’t heard great things about dye, but have also seen some very nice looking work using it, so it must be possible.
The radius on mine is bigger than every one of your pics, it’s only a very slight curve, so I’m pretty sure I’ll get away with full stretchers, almost certain the existing wall is, but will check tomorrow.

 

[Notch7]

Fantastic work there.

 

[^woody^]

For a true ellipse, you would use a trammel ..... or three - horizontal sticks on vertical poles.

Otherwise, lay the first course to the shape, mark every third or fourth brick and use them and only them for levelling and plumbing. You could also cut the curve in some ply and use that between the plumb points

If it works stretchers and angled perps that's good, otherwise you can clip the back edge of one perp (say the leading one per brick) to get a greater curve, but this will start to cause the face to become jagged and look crap. Or just sections of headers.

Dye from the merchants always turns out variable and fades fast in black. If you can get hold of commercial dye or coloured sand/mortar that will be better.

 

[23vc]

Thanks all. Sounds like I’m not completely off the mark. I’ll post pics for critique/amusement when done
Incidentally @noseall i don’t see a single brick on edge in your pics, which I’ll take to mean I can also get away with laying the top course flat for a slightly less painful experience

 

[noseall]

Thanks all. Sounds like I’m not completely off the mark. I’ll post pics for critique/amusement when done
Incidentally @noseall i don’t see a single brick on edge in your pics, which I’ll take to mean I can also get away with laying the top course flat for a slightly less painful experience

I'm a massive fan of solid blues laid flat.

 

[noseall]

I want to do a blue (engineering perf) brick wall with dark dyed mortar, as a front garden wall at my house, to replace an existing badly spalled wall. About 6 or 7 courses high.
I’ve done a fair bit of brickwork for someone who doesn’t do it for a living, built my own 2 storey extension and pretty happy with my face work. But that was all to a nice easy line.
I did do a curved wall years ago, but it was old reclaimed bricks. I think I just laid them and checked for plumb every third brick.
Any advice on the best way to do this? Would you just take your time to get the curve right on the first course then use a level to check each brick as you go?
Also, any pointers on a decent mortar dye/mix ratio to give a nice dark tone?
Cheers

I mostly lay my bricks out dry, between the start point and the finish point, of the curve. I fiddle with the bricks until I'm satisfied that all the perp joints are even, then I spray a line. I lay a generous (wide) foundation, then crack on. I then lay them out dry again on the foundations, spray a line onto the conc' then crack on.

 

[23vc]

Ta. I’m very much hoping to reuse the current foundation as the existing wall seems sound apart from massive spalling of most of the bricks which aren’t even that old.

 

[stuart45]

If it's a 9 inch wall, you can use Flemish bond, and clip the stretchers to suit, especially the back ones to keep the cross joints to size.
Yok can also stick some datum pegs along the wall and use a gauge rod to keep checking it's staying level.

 

[23vc]

Yep, 9 incher. The curve is very slight, so hopefully I won’t need to clip any bricks.