Having mortar is a vital element of doing masonry. Creating mortar is an art acquired only through experience in working with it which allows a mortar maker in training to get a feel for what materials need be added to the mix in what quantities at what times. The actual grunt labor of making mortar can be done by even unskilled persons, but must be closely over seen by a skilled mortar maker.

Making mortar has two distinct stages. First you must acquire calcium carbonate based stones in sufficient quantity. These stones are Limestone, Marble or sea shells. These stones should be no larger than a man's fist. They must be "burnt" in a kiln for nearly 2 days to remove all moisture. What results is called "quicklime". Once you have quicklime, the second stage begins. Quicklime needs to be broken up, mixed with water and have some sand or aggregate mixed in to it. Specific types of mortar needed determine which additives in what amounts.

Mortar Makers

Mortar is made by professionals know as Mortar Makers. It's mixtures are a delicate balance between art can science. Skilled mortar makers learn to deduce what a given mixture needs based upon the texture, color and consistency they observe in the materials. Making mortar requires at least some experience and practice for there to be any likelihood of success in making the complicated mixtures.

The various mortars can be produced using GLUs (General Labor Units) provided by unskilled laborers. Their work however must be supervised by a skilled mortar maker. A skilled mortar maker can supervise as many as three unskilled laborers. Unskilled laborers contribute 280 GLUs to mortar making endeavors a month. The amount contributed by the mortar maker is determined by his rank and is indicated on the table below.

Facility

Having indoor workspace is absolutely essential for mortar makers because the materials are very sensitive to moisture. The building can be of any sort, but the roof should be a good water resistant kind, such as clay or wooden shingle. The facility needs to offer at least 100 square foot of floor space for each worker due to the large amount of materials used in the process.

Tools

Mortar makers and their laborers must have special tools to do their work correctly. A tool set of this kind is know as Mortar Mixing Tools, and consist of smashing and grinding tools, stirring implements, mixing boxes and strainers.

Mortar- Made just as described above and is useful in most building projects.

Cement- Rather than 1 part sand and 2 parts quicklime, cement needs 1 part limestone, 1 part clay and both must be mixed first then burnt in the kiln. After this one part aggregate must be added ( normally more limestone ). Cement can be used to cast structures with molds rather then building from stone.

Hydraulic Lime- This is a very demanding mix that is remarkably similar to normal mortar save that it needs to be mixed just right. Hydraulic Lime is capable of hardening even when under water.

Basic summary of a normal mortar operation

• A Mortar Maker is necessary to formulate mortar mix correctly.
• A Mortar Maker may have as many as 3 unskilled labor assistants if you desire.
• Mortar makers and general labors work is represented in GLUs (General Labor Units).
• Limestone and sand are the primary components of mortar.
• Kiln Capasity is one of the most important factors in mortar production, it is represented by KCUs.

First, there are 2 general types of kiln that can be built, and you must decide upon which you want. These are referred to as a "Simple kiln" or a "Professional kiln", and each can be made by potters or mortar makers of at least adept level. Identical kilns are used by mortar makers and potters. The amount of material they can bake in a given time period is represented in KCUs, or Kiln Capacity Units. Standard kilns can hold about 2 cubic foot worth of material at any give time. Professional Kilns can bake about 4 cubic feet worth of material at a single time. Think of a KCU as roughly equal to 1 cubic foot of space in a kiln for roughly one hour of time.

Simple Kiln- Simple Kilns can be fabricated from very simple materials that can generally be obtained for free as part of the construction time for the kiln. Generally there made from flagstone, clay brick, adobe and mud. Building one requires about 50 General Labor Units (GLUs). A simple Kiln can bake 50 KCUs per day ( up to 1400 per month). It generally burns 1/2 unit of coal or charcoal (1.5 units of fire wood) for each KCUs worth of material it bakes.

Professional Kiln- Unlike a simple kiln, a professional one is much more demanding and costly to make. It requires a full 75 units of stone or brick as well as 20 units of mortar. Additionally it requires 25 hours of labor from a professional stonemason. Though it has a larger capacity than a simple kiln, it makes up for its cost over the long run over several simple kilns due to the efficiency of fuel consumed to product fired. A profesional Kiln can bake 100 KCUs per day ( up to 2800 per month). It generally burns 1/2 unit of coal or charcoal (1 unit of fire wood) for each KCUs worth of material it bakes.

Example

The town of Pritchton has a large limestone quarry and has a small supplemental mortar making industry. They have one master ranked Mortar Maker running a shop on his own. He produces 500 GLUs a month and his job is to make as much mortar as is possible. Because a unit of mortar requires 5 GLUs to make, the Mortar Maker plans to make 100 units of it a month. Making 100 Units of mortar will require 2500 Kiln Capacity Units. Fortunately he has a Professional Kiln that has a maximum capacity of 2800 KCUs per month. Because each unit of mortar requires a 2/3 unit of limestone, a 1/3 unit of sand and 25 units of firewood, his monthly cost to make 100 units of mortar is 67 units of limestone, 33 units of sand, and 2500 units of firewood.