The next step is to place the mortar into the joints and tool the mortar joint to blend in with surrounding construction.
- Take the Mortar Hawk (or overturned brick trowel or flat 8"x12" plywood with a 6" long 2x2 fastened perpendicular to its underside as a gripping handle) and load with fresh mortar.
- Holding the hawk against the brick and just under the joint to be filled, pack mortar into the open joint with the tip of a pointing trowel.
- With masonry work it is important to keep the mortar off the face of the brick so take care in that regard.
- Pack the open joint with mortar then scrape any extra mortar so the mortar in the joint is flush with the brick.
- Vertical joints are a little tricky. Take a smaller amount of mortar on the tip of the pointing trowel and scoop and pack the mortar into the open joint. As with the horizontal joints, scrape any extra mortar so the mortar in the joint is flush with the brick.
- As the mortar begins to stiffen, strike the joints with a joint strike tool. Tool the vertical joints first, then the horizontal joints.
