" Hey, that looks good Ralph. Now you're a man of many talents. You restored all the plaster corners work in this house and you're also doing the masonry."

" Well Bob, I have to diversify in order to stay busy."

" Makes a lot of sense. Now, are you working on top of a concrete pad there?"

" Yes, we poured this. Put an arch underneath it, to support the hot and now we're gonna lay the hot in the herringbone pattern."

" And this is a dry mix that you're putting in there?"

" Yes. And then we'll saturate it later after we've placed the brick in."

" How do you make the dry mix?"

" It's a regular Portland and sand mix."

" What's the ratio?"

" Quarter one."

" And then just the moisture in the sand just kinda holds it together like that?"

" Bob, yes. Coz later, like I've said we'll saturate it now close it to set up all at one piece."

" Richard[unk] tell me about the bricks. "

" Those are bricks that we've salvaged from the front porch pierce[unk], and they're identical to the bricks that are in this fireplace. They're definitely the same color, but will they hold up against the fire in the herring?"

" Well, we'll set them in, on this with no mortar joints so that'll be set but one to the other. So if for some reason they ever did become damaged, they're easy to replace."

" Now Ralph[unk] you're carefully leaving your center line kind of open there in the middle?"

" Well that's so the herringbone doesn't swing right or left, doesn't wag it."

" Okay. Now let's watch. And you'll notice these bricks are various thicknesses, so you'll have to be individually set to a quiet level."

" The brick also very unneat and wet so sometimes we had a little bit of trouble making everything lay out quite right."

" Right. How do you deal with that? You just crack the dry mix in between?"

" Between the joints, yes. We'll put in a, just sand and cement there. Sweep it in with the same mix that we're using on the floor. Sometimes it's easier to pick another brick than it is to time cut one with it. Well I have my final line predrilled with what we have did here."

" Looks good. So then you can just start adding in on the left side."

" Yes. I'm gonna let you help now so hand me in the herrinbone pattern."

" Yes. It's nice that you did all your cutting work ahead of time."

" Well if you know exactly what you're gonna be working to, with all these back cuts who has to be almost special cut."

" Sure. And of course the herringbone pattern could've been laid running on the opposite direction but I think,"

" Only 90 degree turn."

" Yes. You can only do a 90 degree turn."

" Right, otherwise it repeats itself."

" Right, right."