TIL a trick for fishing through a double-brick wall in an old Boston building

The drill bit kept binding up in the mortar. I tried a smaller pilot hole first, then used a shop vac to suck out the dust as I went... it went through clean in maybe 15 minutes. Anyone have a different method for those super thick walls?

3 comments

3 Comments

martin.andrew15d ago

Actually, that sounds like way too much work. I just use a hammer drill with a long masonry bit and push straight through. The key is to pull the bit out every few seconds to clear the dust. Your method would take forever on some of these old walls.

emeryfox15d ago

My uncle tried that dust clearing trick on a 1910 brick chimney and snapped two bits before he gave up. He said the old mortar was basically packed with crushed seashells and would just grab the steel. I watched him spend a whole Saturday on it, and he finally had to rent a core drill from the rental place on 5th Street. Sometimes the old way is the only way that works on those walls.

elliot_hall6211d ago

The old lime mortar in my 1923 house acts like glue on a drill bit. I keep a spray bottle of water next to me when I drill. A quick squirt into the hole keeps the dust down and cools the bit. It's messy but it works without needing to pull the bit out so much.