A pointed trowel is a tool used by masons to fill and shape mortar between bricks. The best quality trowels are forged from a single piece of steel, and different styles are available. It’s important to hold the trowel correctly for better balance and control. Trowels are also used in archaeological digs.
A pointed trowel is a mason’s tool used to fill and shape the mortar between bricks, a process known as pointing. It has a triangular blade about five inches (12.7 cm) long, joined with a plastic or wooden handle. Trowels can also be used to repair old mortar and are important tools in archaeological digs.
The best quality trowels are forged from a single piece of steel as opposed to cheaper versions where the blade and shank can only be welded together. A one piece trowel might be stronger. This force comes from the backbone, or tang, of the trowel, which extends from the handle to the tip of the blade, and weakens if it contains a joint.
While traditional wooden handles are still in use, and are preferred by some, many trowels now have ergonomic soft plastic handles that can adjust to the user’s grip over time. Although a pointed trowel is similar in shape to the larger mason’s trowel used for spreading mortar and cutting soft brick, it is smaller in size, with a blade about half as long. While the blade of the larger mason’s trowel has a particularly hardened and rounded edge suitable for cutting bricks, this is absent in the pointed trowel.
Different styles of pointing trowel are available, with the London and Philadelphia being the most popular versions. The blade of the London style trowel is quite thin compared to that of the Philadelphia style which is larger and wider. What is called a slip trowel has a very narrow blade, about the same width as the space between bricks, and is used specifically for grouting joints in masonry after the removal of old damaged mortar. Any trowel should be looked after properly by keeping it clean and giving it a light coat of oil when not in use.
It’s important to hold a masonry trowel correctly, with all four fingers wrapped around the handle and the thumb positioned on top. This offers better balance and control and prevents the thumb from protruding into the grout which could happen if the thumb was placed on the blade or shaft of the trowel. In the case of an archaeologist, the trowel is held with the edge of the blade flat against the earth to gently scrape thin layers of dirt from inside a trench.
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