The ordinary process of tuck-pointing is as follows. The joints of the work to be pointed are raked out to the depth of Jin., then filled in with stopping. If the stopping is not coloured, all the work is rubbed over with a, soft good-coloured brick, so that the joints may look like the face of the bricks. A small groove is formed along the centre of the joint, and, the mortar having been allowed to set a little, this groove is filled up, for white tuck pointing, with white lime putty, till a raised line of putty projects beyond the face of the joint (see illustration). The edges of the white line are cut perfectly parallel by the pointing knife held against a straightedge, and drawn along so as to remove the superfluous putty, leaving a line, about 1/2 in. to i in. in width, standing out beyond the face of the work as far as it is possible to make it. This give -the work the appearance of being a good piece of brickwork, executed with square-edged bricks and clean white joints. The effect, however, does not often last long, the first sharp winter usually playing havoc with the projecting joints.

If the pointing is to last, it is better to use the ordinary weathered joint executed in cement.

White lime putty is made of pure lime slaked with water and strained off while hot (the consistency should be about that of cream) •, it is then mixed with washed silver-sand - but a better material is marble dust - in the proportion of 2 or 3 of sand to 1 of lime. Blue pointing mortar is made by using sifted cupola or forge coal instead of sand, and black pointing has lampblack added to the other materials. Small sections at a time should be prepared for pointing, for if the mortar is allowed to set hard, a groove for the white line will be difficult to make. To colour the work for yellow bricks, use 1 lb. of green copperas to about 5 gal. of water; for red bricks, lib. of Venetian red and l1b. of Spanish brown to 1 1/2gal. of water; the quantity of colour must be varied according to the tint required.

Tuck Pointing.