Wet mortar sticking to my trowel on a hot day, fixed it with a bucket trick

Down in Austin last week, temps hit 95 and my mortar kept grabbing the trowel like glue, slowing me way down. I tried adding more water but that just made it sloppier. Finally I dunked the trowel in a bucket of ice water between courses and let it air dry for a sec, no more sticking for the rest of the job. Anyone else do something like this or got a better way for summer heat?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.sean1mo ago

95 degrees ain't that hot, but sure, ice water trick works.

wright.drew1mo ago

Hang on, you're saying 95 ain't that hot? Where do you live, Death Valley? Because I'm over here sweating through my shirt just walking to the mailbox at 85. But fine, let's say you're built different. The real question is this: have you actually tried the ice water trick yourself, or are you just guessing it works because some guy on the internet said so? I tried it last summer during a heatwave and it felt like my AC was blowing arctic air for a good ten minutes. Then it went right back to blowing lukewarm garbage. So what's your secret, are you dumping a whole bag of ice in there or just a couple cubes?