A CEMENT COPING A coping made of cement should be about 4 inches thick, to look well. Take two 6-inch boards and nail on a 1 by 2 strip on the bottom, to form the projection of the stone. The strips can be put on to show any thickness of stone desired, hut 4 inches thick is a good thickness for 8- and 12-inch brick walls. Tinder the side boards, put 2 by 2 strips perpendicular to the ground, or any strips sufficient to hold the form at its proper height. Next, brace the form as in order to keep the form from spread ing when the cement is put in. Short forms will not need bracing, but any form six to eight feet long should have at least one brace each side to hold it firmly to the wall. Sometimes, when it is difficult to get a brace in, a board notched just right, to fit over the top of the mould as shown, will answer; but this is not as good as the braces, for it has a tendency to make the mould pull away from the wall at the bottom. After the mould is put in place, take some thick cement mortar, and go over the bottom, stopping all cracks in the mould, for there will be some places where the mould will not fit the brick wall closely enough. It should be made tight with thick cement mortar, well troweled, so that water will not drip through and deface the brick work. The mould can be made water-tight in a few minutes, and very little mortar will be required for this.
As soon as the mould is ready, mix the sand and cement in proportions of 1 part cement to 2 parts or 3 parts sand, according to how good you want the stone. One to three will make a good
job, but 1 to 2 will be extra good. Mix the sand and cement dry first, and mix it thoroughly.
Good cement work depends much on good mixing, and this point should never be neg lected. After mixing the cement, put it in the mould, and with a trowel work it down along the sides of the mould until it is solid and with out air-holes; and fill the mould as you go, and rather quickly. After the mould is full, level if off on top, and trowel it to an even surface. Let it set a little, and trowel again. After it has set sufficiently to stand without running, then, with a trowel, you can clip the top corners, and trowel them down smooth, thus avoiding the sharp edges on top of the coping which are always getting chipped off more or less, giving the stone a ragged edge. The corner, cut out a little, obviates this; it takes but very little time, and insures a job that will look better and last longer.
The sand and cement should be mixed to a good stiff mortar, not so that it is sloppy. Use the trowel to force the mortar down in the mould and make it fill. Troweling brings the water to the surface; and if mortar is too wet, it floats the cement off the top of the stone, showing sand patches. Watch the troweling closely; and if the mortar is too wet to trowel well, wait a little. A little experience will be your best teacher, and you can soon learn to turn out first-class jobs in cement work.