The message
from (BridgeP) contains these words:

Oops! Got a bit ahead of myself there! Old Bob taught me properly, using
matured lime mortar and having the frogs in the bricks on the underside
so water doesn't seep into them and freeze during the winter. Nowadays,
because it's easier and quicker, brickies tend to lay courses with the
frogs upwards. "Oh, that's all right as long as you point them
well....." Pah!

I was taught that it is 'fogs up'. This is in the text books. It
allows more
mortar/brick. 'Frogs down' is the economy method - les mortar.

Nope. You fill the frog with mortar and place a dollop on one end and
lay it, press it into place and trim off extruded excess. Frogs are full
of mortar and can't fill up with water in the case of a broken or poor
bit of pointing.

Modern methods may say frog up. The frog down philosophy was taught me
by a man in his nineties, in the 1950s, but when I lay bricks (which is
seldom) I always lay them that way, and I've never known of any trouble
with what I've put up.

Oh, and the only reason Old Bob wasn't a brickie then was because at his
age he wasn't fast enough, but the firm (Masterbuilder and family) kept
him on, working at his own pace. He was a time-served bricklayer by
trade.

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)