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Ask Me Anything

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The title.

Feel free to ask me stuff. I'm in Scotland, born in Canada. I've been a mason for coming on 15 years. And my favourite dinosaur is....not really a dinosaur.....the Stenopterygius species. because they're tubby not quite dolphin looking (apparently) reptiles.

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[–] cabbage@piefed.social 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

What's the biggest thing you ever made? Which work are you the most proud of?

And how are you received as a Canadian in Scotland? Do they treat you alright?

Do you have midges in Canada?

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[–] Greg@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Are you really good at sand castles?

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[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I imagine there's a basic set of skills every mason has to have to be called a competent mason. But more advanced skills aren't necessary. What skills did you develop that you really worked hard on? What some skill that really impresses you that you don't have in masonry?

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago

Being able to guesstimate basic maths, measuring and then cutting exactly to that measurement, being able to semi-accurately gauge out a mix consistently. Most importantly, you need the willingness to do a hard shift, it can be brutal work sometimes. Everything else is icing.

A skill I worked really hard on was grinder dexterity. Being able to cut a straight line is actually a lot harder than one might think. And then polishing with a grinder, it's finicky, really easy to accidentally put a huge divot into a face.

Not really sure about a skill I'm jealous of. I'll have to come back to that.

[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

As the fifth of five people.... How did you know?

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[–] Ludrol@szmer.info 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

How much does brick and a half weigh?

Who would win in a fight Freemasons or Stonemasons?

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[–] aliceblossom@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Do you think it's possible that stone masonry is, adjusted for inflation, more expensive today than it was a hundred years ago despite improvements in technology? I.e. Cheaper, shorter lived building materials/techniques generates reduced demand for stone masonry, causing fewer stone masons like yourself to exist and ply the trade, increasing scarcity and therefore cost.

Edit: also, huge admiration for your trade. I love stonework and wish it were more common.

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[–] nickhammes@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

What are the cool and interesting tools in stone masonry?

I know a reasonable amount about metal and wood working tools, so I imagine CNC cutting and engraving have added some interesting new options, but I really have no other guesses

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[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I found out my fieldstone foundation mortar turned to dust. I removed everything from my basement and have been tuck pointing for the last several months. It is a hard slog and slow going. I am not a mason but am doing this by necessity (i.e., I'm a fixed pension senior). It is amazing what I have learned from my "practice" wall and YouTube videos. I imagine if a real mason had a look they'd shake their head but it looks good to me and I am over halfway through. Changing out the windows was a learning experience as well. I never did anything like this before but as I am getting closer to the finish line, pride from hard work that pays off is starting to appear.

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I'd actually love to see it! It's quite a pain in the process, but the satisfaction of the job done is beyond compare.
Happy to give some pointers.

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[–] Lucky_777@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I see you do outside stone work. Ever do housing interior stone? Like granite or stone counter tops for houses? Stone on outside of houses? Anything residential?

How often do you get laid because of your stone mason expertise?

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago

Yep, I take as much interior work as I can get! Most of what I've done in my career is "residential". Though that's kind of a stretch as most of the homes I was working on were multi-milion/billion dollar properties. I now work in conservation, and do side jobs occasionally.

I'll have a look through all my old pictures tomorrow and see if I can rustle up a pic or two of interior work I've done.

[–] match@pawb.social 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

have you played dwarf fortress

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago

Fuck yeah I have! Am I any good at it? Not so much.....

[–] Canconda@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Do you mean on c/AskMeAnything? or lemmy.ca in general? I'm new here.

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[–] yuri@pawb.social 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

what do you think happens when we die?

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Hmmm....I think it'd be nice if there was something after, not convinced there is. I'm perfectly happy with returning my substance back to the earth. I asked my wife to arrange a sky burial....turns out that's not exactly legal here in the UK....

[–] yuri@pawb.social 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

i love sky burials! but yeah, short of dying IN tibet it’s hard to swing.

after a little searching i found out there aren’t any human body farms in the uk either, but y’all do have a fascinating history of open air pyres. apparently they’re tentatively legal!

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[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

What are the major hazards involved in stone masonry? How did you get involved in the field?

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 weeks ago

Silicosis is one of the biggest hazards. It happens when ultra-fine particles of silica dust get breathed in and cause scarring on the lungs. It's spooky shit.

Other than that there's the usual dangers of working with large heavy materials and power tools. There's a high risk of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome and arthritis from swinging a hammer at a chisel for hours on end.

Honestly just kinda fell into it. Was working in a warehouse and hated it. Just walked off one day, called a friend just to complain about it and the firm he was working for happened to be hiring. I was 18, I'm now a few months away from 40.

[–] who@feddit.org 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I salute you for the informative responses here, and for bringing some variety to the community by talking about a topic that isn't carried by sensationalism.

Do you have a mason's mark?

[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago

Thanks! This has been really fun!

Life's interesting enough without having to revolve around drama, too many people watching too much daytime TV....smfh

I do have a mason's mark, I haven't registered it though.

[–] catty@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

What's your favourite stone building?

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[–] MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

How long did it take you to understand the country accent?

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[–] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

'Stenopterygius' is an anagram of 'I get stone syrup' or 'Gutsy Stone pier'

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