This house has two full chimneys and two suspended chimneys (chimneys that only descend to the second story floor). I’ve been busy for the last few weeks saving these precious little bricks one at a time. I use a small hammer to dislodge the bricks by tapping lightly on the face or back of the brick. I keep a masonry chisel handy for stubborn bricks, but I rarely need it since this old mortar is very brittle. Believe it or not, two of the four chimneys were put together using the red clay that is commonly found here in the foothills of NC. I like to work in tandem with a partner while I work on these chimneys because it’s super convenient to toss the bricks out to someone waiting to clean and stack them. I use a straight claw hammer to dislodge the mortar. When it’s all said and done I will have harvested 4500+ handmade antique bricks from this old house! My plan it to build an awesome patio with these gorgeous bricks.
danbuilt 